Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center Receives Statewide Honors; Director Dr. Lydia Warren Recognized for Leadership in the Arts
Fairmont State University proudly announces that the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center has been named Institution of the Year by the West Virginia Association of Museums (WVAM). This distinguished honor recognizes the Center’s outstanding contributions to preserving and celebrating Appalachian culture and heritage. The award also includes a $500 prize in support of the Center’s ongoing programming.
Adding to this celebratory moment, Dr. Lydia Warren, Director of the Folklife Center, has received the Leadership in the Arts Award from the Fairmont Arts and Humanities Commission. The award honors her passionate advocacy for the arts and her tireless efforts to expand cultural programming and deepen community engagement across the region.
“It is an honor to receive both of these awards and be recognized by WVAM and the Fairmont Arts and Humanities Commission,” said Dr. Warren. “A large part of my goal is to be a good steward of the Folklife Center, which was founded by Dr. Judy Byers. To me, that means ensuring support for local and regional folk traditions, artists, and musicians while providing learning and entertainment opportunities for the community. These awards show that we’re on the right track, and I couldn’t be more honored!”
Dr. Warren has served as the Director of the Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University since 2022. In this role, she has fostered the University’s connection to local and regional arts by hosting events by and for community members, including jams, dances, concerts, and grant-funded arts exhibitions. Her goal is to create free opportunities for the community to participate in the arts while ensuring that local artists are featured and paid fairly. Dr. Warren is also a board member of the Marion County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and the West Virginia Humanities Council. She has served as a grant panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Dr. Warren holds a PhD in Critical and Comparative Music Studies from the University of Virginia (2021), a BA in Music from Smith College, and a Five College Consortium Certificate in Ethnomusicology (2014). She also holds an Associate of Science in Music from Middlesex Community College (2011).
Housed in a beautifully repurposed historic barn on the Fairmont State University campus, the Folklife Center is home to notable collections, including the Ruth Ann Musick folklore archives, the Phyllis W. Moore West Virginia Authors archives, and the Patty Looman collection. These resources support scholarly research and student exploration in folklore and museum studies, two of the undergraduate programs housed within the Center as part of the University’s College of Liberal Arts.
To learn more about the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, upcoming events, or research opportunities, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/folklife.
