Arts Directory

About

Artist Bio

Tim Lowry was presented with a 2020 National Storytelling Network Oracle Award in recognition for his creativity, professional integrity, and artistic contributions enriching the storytelling culture of the Southeast for more than 20 years. He integrates the Performing Arts, English Language Arts, and Social Studies in performances that emphasize the spoken word and literacy. Education units run the gamut- from shadow puppetry incorporating Native American star stories and scientific facts about the constellations, to dramatic radio plays encompassing facts about World War II and showcasing student writing, to coaching sessions with high school drama students studying physical and vocal characterization techniques. When collaborating with classroom teachers Tim’s ultimate goal is to leave the teacher with a unit theme, lesson plans, and all necessary resources to duplicate the creative experience again and again independent of the artist/specialist. For the past dozen years Tim has toured nationally with personal narratives, folk tales, and stories from American history. He is a perennial favorite at the National Storytelling Festival and has appeared at over 50 other festivals from coast to coast. In 2023 Tim published a memoir, “Haunted by Dickens,” chronicling two decades of adventures as an interpreter of the world’s most beloved ghost story, “A Christmas Carol.” The book won a Storytelling World Award and hit an Amazon top seller list during its first two weeks of publication. His latest projects include a tongue-in-cheek story series commenting on Southern culture called “Bought Ancestors,” a commissioned piece on the American Revolution in South Carolina, a collection of short stories with the working title “Southern Fried Circus,” and several consultancies for government and para-government agencies on applied storytelling for leadership development and civil service. Tim makes his home in Summerville, SC where he enjoys bbq, sweet tea, and backyard bonfires with his wife and two daughters and their friends and neighbors on the Sweet Tea Trail.

Artist Statement

As a performer in general, and a storyteller/dramatic artist in particular, I am very much aware that I serve as a voice for my community, my state, my region, my country, and my world. The voice is foundational to human expression. A baby’s cry will grow to babbling and laughter, and then to words, and then to sentences, and then to fluent speech. It is my goal as a teaching artist to identify where an individual and/or group is resting on this continuum and then to offer a helping hand to the next level. This requires deep listening, cultural sensitivity, and unfailing commitment to the work. The ultimate goal is for me to step away and see strong and capable individuals and communities speaking their own distinctive voices as they eloquently express their hopes, dreams, values, and philosophies. This work is often described by folklorists as “building a ladder to the moon.” As a spoken-word artist I strive to both model and teach oral communication skills that will help communities celebrate their cultural identities through the preservation and presentation of personal narratives, histories, folklore, legends, and creation myths. The longer I work in the field of oral communication the more I am convinced that this “ladder to the moon” concept is integral to the building and maintenance of healthy communities and more vital than ever as we navigate the challenges of a global Information Age that relies more and more on digital, visual, and artificial experiences.