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Artists

Willi Carlisle

He // Him // His

Folk Singer

Kansas City, Missouri

A male folk musician poses for a photo in a field of scrub brush with a tree overhead. A donkey peers over his shoulder with pricked-up ears.

Photo by Whitney Stone.

“Through utilitarian songs, hymns, monologues, dance-calls, puppets, and tunes, I want to create ecstasy, release, and calls to action with instruments, humor, and stagecraft.”

Willi Carlisle is a folksinger, theater-artist, and writer. A multi-instrumentalist skilled on banjo, fiddle, guitar, squeezebox, and harmonica, Carlisle creates conventional and experimental works that blend living folklore with social and civic practice. He has a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and Performance Studies from Knox College, and an MFA in Poetry from the University of Arkansas.

Donor -This award was generously supported by Ford Foundation.

This artist page was last updated on: 01.14.2026

Traditional Arts
Still from "Tulsa's Last Magician" by Willi Carlisle.

Tulsa's Last Magician by Willi Carlisle.

Still from "Your Heart's a Big Tent" by Willi Carlisle.

Your Heart's a Big Tent by Willi Carlisle. Sung at the Meadowcreek intentional community.

Still from the official music video of “Critterland” by Willi Carlisle.

Official music video of Critterland by Willi Carlisle.

Produced by Darrell Scott. Video by Julie Bates.