James "Bau" Graves is an American musician, musicologist, and arts activist. He is the former executive director of the

Old Town School of Folk Music The Old Town School of Folk Music is a Chicago teaching and performing institution that launched the careers of many notable folk music artists. Founded by Folk musicians Frank Hamilton and Win Stracke, and Dawn Greening, the School opened in t ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. In 2005 his book on folk arts and community, ''Cultural Democracy: The Arts, Community, and the Public Purpose'', was published. Graves and his wife Phyllis O'Neill co-founded the Portland, Maine, Center for Cultural Exchange in 1995 and were co-directors until fall 2005. The Center for Cultural Exchange described itself as being "dedicated to advancing cultural understanding through arts and education programs in collaboration with diverse communities and artists in Maine and throughout the world." Graves was the Artistic Director before transitioning to Executive Director at the Jefferson Center in Roanoke, Virginia, November of 2005. 14 months later, he became Executive Director of the Old Town School of Folk Music. Graves' tenure at Old Town School of Folk Music was contentious. In early 2019, Graves retired from the organization.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graves, Bau American musicologists Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) American folk musicians