Music Drystone Masonry Folk Arts/Applied and Performance
Phone: 505-470-8642
Email: Mason@drystonejoe.com
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Artist Bio
Joe Dinwiddie earned a BA in Appalachian studies from Berea College in Kentucky, where he initiated curriculum development in regional music, and an MS in Vocational Education from the University of Kentucky. In 2011 he completed the requirements for grades 6-12 social studies licensure at the University of North Carolina in Asheville.
His teaching experience includes the Teaching Artists Presenting in Asheville Schools program; arts enrichment instructor for the Lake House Academy, North Carolina; instructor in the renowned Black Mountain Center for the Arts, NC; and an instructor at the Penland School of Crafts and John C. Campbell Folk School, both in NC. In addition, he served as a Pennsylvania Humanities Council speaker, presenting on the topic of "Cultural Diversity in Appalachia and its Arts."
In 2004 Joe was accepted to the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts roster of teaching artists as a folk arts musician, and again in a second discipline of drystone masonry, the only artist in this medium on the state roster. He briefly left the roster in pursuit of additional opportunities both overseas and in North Carolina, but recently re-rostered as an Appalachian Folks Artist specializing in music and drystone masonry.
As a drystone mason, Joe has been active for over 18 years and has completed numerous projects throughout the region, North Carolina, and the country. As the founder and owner of Drystone Joe, he manages stone landscaping projects, presents educational hands-on workshops, and sells retail items related to the craft. In a residency involving drystone masonry, he combines science, math, aesthetic criteria, history, and global perspectives of the craft into projects where students are encouraged to incorporate their ideas into functional and lasting structures.
Musically, Joe sings and performs with banjo, banjolin, harmonica, jawharp, and piano; is an experienced folk dancer; and has composed original songs and dance tunes. In addition to building traditional gourd instruments, Joe has done extensive research and writing on the history of interracial music in Appalachia and the South and has published articles on Appalachian music, one of which received the Weatherford/Hammond Award for Appalachian Writing. He produced and performed on three CDs of interracial music, teaches private music lessons, and performs in concert and for folk dances. He is most interested in developing multidisciplinary residencies that include music performance, folk dance, Appalachian history, drystone masonry, and handcrafts.