Our
Purpose
The purpose of the Storytelling Resource Place is to collect, preserve and make available storytelling resources in a public space where people may use the resources and view the artifacts. The specific purpose and objectives include, but are not limited to, the following:
• To solicit and attract donations of storytelling-related resources including books, manuscripts, notes, CD’s, DVD’s, videos, props, musical instruments, costumes, etc from storytellers.
​
• To create museum-quality multimedia exhibits on storytelling throughout history and around the world
• To provide a central location where the storytelling collections and exhibits are available to the general public, students, academicians, researchers, and storytellers.
Our
Vision
The visitors’ attention is immediately caught by the glass display case exhibiting colorful storytelling dolls and puppets. As a backdrop, there’s a collection of Jonesborough Storytelling Festival posters throughout the years. Visitors see a collection of primitive instrument that once accompanied the performances. The large room on the main floor is lined with shelves of books and journals. In an adjoining room, computers are being used to view a collection of DVDs. Viewers can see Jackie Torrance, Doc McConnell, Ray Hicks and other famous storytellers who are no longer with us. In another room, a listening library is available as visitors use ear phones to listen to the CDs of vocal nuances of master tellers
Students in storytelling help visitors and are able to use the many resources when no one needs their help. Down the hall, a group of academic scholars use the rare book collection to collaborate on a research project.
On the main floors, both in the small meeting rooms and the larger collection spaces, there are glass fronted cases exhibiting storytelling memorabilia from all around the world: story masks, storytelling dolls, memory devices for tellers, handwritten stories, costumes, puppets and photographs of storytelling, just to mention a few types of artifacts.
Visitors to Jonesborough from all over the country/world congregate and listen to stories. To their surprise, they are invited to join the story conversation and to share their stories or to participate in a workshop to learn how to collect their family stories. Special events are scheduled throughout the year to provide year-a-round storytelling to the visitors and to the surrounding communities. The Storytelling Resource Place is recognized as the place to experience the rich heritage of storytelling.
Our
History
​
The Storytelling Resource Place (SRP) was founded in 2016 to promote the collecting and preserving of resources related to the art of storytelling as well as to establish a hub where these resources can be available to storytellers, researchers, historians, and academicians from across the country and around the world. The founders recognized the value of having a central facility where the serious storytelling artist and aficionadas of storytelling can have access to storytelling artifacts from the storytelling pioneers and can identify and collect current resources significant to the evolution of storytelling.
While the practice of storytelling is ancient and has been embedded in all cultures as a basis for transmitting values and history, its recognition as a universal art form first gained national attention in the early 1970’s in Jonesborough, Tennessee where our early master storytellers told stories in front of the courthouse to listeners sitting on hay bales . These founding tellers of this great American movement are aging and some are no longer with us. There is an urgent need to ensure that their stories, working documents, audio-visuals, and collateral aides such as instruments, props, and costumes are preserved and made available now as well as for future generations of tellers and listeners.
Already over 4,000 items have been donated to the effort by legends such as Flora Joy and Elizabeth Ellis. Each year tens of thousands visit Jonesborough because of an interest in storytelling. The location of the SRP in the historic Slemmons House in Jonesborough will strengthen the town and provide a location near the roots of a great American art form.
The greatest needs for the SRP are to have active supporters and donors. Leading local community leaders as well as leaders in the storytelling community have already indicated their support and recognition of the need. SRP has been approved for 501(c) 3 status . In order to make the SRP vision a reality, SRP will begin fundraising.
If you would like to become a member, please fill out the application located on this site and email it to contact@oursrp.org or mail to Storytelling Resource Place, P.O. Box 294, Jonesborough, TN 37659.
​
​