Ann Rynearson |
Ann Elizabeth Manry Rynearson (1943–2018) was a documentary producer, cultural anthropologist, and advocate for the traditional arts of immigrant and refugee communities. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in anthropology from Tulane University and a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis.
Rynearson devoted approximately 30 years to the International Institute of St. Louis, eventually serving as executive vice president. She helped establish the International Folkfest, which developed into the Festival of Nations, and encouraged refugees to preserve and share their cultural traditions. She produced Weaving Bitter with the Sweet (2003), a portrait of Lao refugee and master weaver Mone Saenphimmachak. Rynearson died in St. Louis on September 27, 2018, at age 75.
