FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JerseyPineStory@gmail.com
Michelle Washington Wilson received a 2025 Folk and Traditional Arts Project
award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the
National Endowment for the Arts.
Atlantic City, NJ – July 31, 2024 – Michelle Washington
Wilson, a renowned storyteller, teaching artist, and folklorist,
has been awarded a significant grant from the New Jersey
State Council on the Arts. This grant, part of the Council’s Folk
& Traditional Arts program, will support her project “With
These Two Hands: Preserving and Sharing the Traditional
Foods of African Americans in South Jersey.” Michelle, who
has been a storyteller for over 40 years and a professional
culinarian for 30 years, will use the $9,941 grant to document
and preserve the rich culinary traditions of African American
farm workers who traveled to New Jersey farms and seafood
houses in the oyster industries during the 1950s and 60s.
These traditions, often passed down in church kitchens and
backyard barbecues, are vital to the Southern Soul Food
heritage. “I am deeply honored to receive this grant and excited to embark on this
project,” said Michelle. “This is not just about preserving history; it’s about engaging our
community in a meaningful way. By involving local residents, churches, and community
groups, we can ensure that these traditions are not only remembered but also actively
practiced and celebrated.” The grant was announced at the Council’s 58th Annual
Meeting in Trenton. Michelle was one of five individual artists to receive a grant for Folk
& Traditional Arts.
Michelle is a working storyteller, teaching artist, and folklorist who presents at schools,
colleges, libraries, museums, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, conferences,
churches, and storytelling festivals. She is a graduate of Monmouth University and The
Academy of Culinary Arts. Her project aims to highlight the foodways of African
American farm workers in the 1950’s and 6o’s and their contributions to New Jersey’s
culinary landscape. “With These Two Hands” will focus on the traditional foods and
recipes that have been passed down through generations, preserving a crucial part of
the state’s cultural heritage. “Michelle’s work is invaluable in preserving the rich cultural
heritage of our community. Her dedication and passion are truly inspiring,” said Ralph
Hunter, Founder, Director of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern, New
Jersey. For more information about Michelle Washington Wilson and her work, please
contact her at email JerseyPineStory@gmail.com ph# 609-665-0974.