New York Folklore Society Membership Form

Join the New York Folklore Society today and become a subscriber to Voices

Join NYFS and become a part of a community that will deepen your involvement with folklore, folklife, the traditional arts, and contemporary culture.

JOIN NYFS
ON-LINE

PRINT A
MEMBERSHIP FORM

NOTE: The Membership Form is a .pdf document. When you click on the link "Membership Form" above, Adobe Acrobat Reader should open to display the form. You can print directly from the page. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, you can download it free from the Adobe web site. Alternatively, you can view and print an HTML MEMBERSHIP FORM.

TO JOIN, print and mail completed form with your check (in U.S. funds, please, with $5 additional for postage for foreign memberships) made payable to "New York Folklore Society") or credit card information to:

New York Folklore Society
P.O. Box 764
Schenectady, NY 12301

Or call or fax us with your order and credit card information

518/346-7008
Fax 518/346-6617
nyfs@nyfolklore.org

We accept MasterCard and Visa.

DONATE to NYFS
Make a tax-deductible donation through Paypal, using your Visa or Mastercard or Paypal account — just click the button below, enter the donation amount ("price"), and your payment information. Thanks for your support!

Voices is unlike any publication in the United States, filling a vital role by bringing New York State folklore and folk arts to a broad public. The journal should be emulated, not eviscerated!
—Kay Turner, Director, Brooklyn Arts Council Folk Arts Program

For more than sixty years, the journal of the New York Folklore Society has been a singular voice advocating for the grassroots artistry of a creative populace. From the days of Ben Botkin, it has encouraged professional folklorists and cultural mavens to document and present their work and to use their work to make a difference in the lives of New Yorkers. Although the discipline of folklore has a variety of academic journals, and there is no shortage of journalists interested in folklore, Voices plays a unique role in offering an accessible venue to disseminate the best documentation of our cultural life—upstate, downstate, and beyond—and to utilize that documentation to enhance our lives.
—Steve Zeitlin, Director, City Lore

MEMBERSHIP

Become a part of a community that explores and nurtures the traditional cultures of New York State and beyond. Membership in the New York Folklore Society entitles you the following benefits:

A subscription to Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore
Invitations to conferences, workshops, and meetings
Updates on technical assistance programs
Opportunities to meet with others who share your interests
Discounts on NYFS Books
Plus the satisfaction of knowing that you support the only organization devoted to folklore across New York State.

January 21, 2009
Dear New York Folklore Society Member:

The New York Folklore Society is facing an unprecedented moment in its history.

Governor David Paterson has recommended a $7 million cut to the 08/09 budget of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). Unless the state legislature overturns this recommenda?tion, this cut will remain. This means that the New York Folklore Society, along with over 500 other arts organizations from throughout New York State, will receive no funding for 2009.

With the general operating and program support which the New York Folklore Society receives from NYSCA we are able to accomplish most of our key programs. These include:

Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore
Folk arts mentoring for folklorists, folk artists, and community scholars
Professional development activities such as the Community Scholar Field School, forums, and technical workshops
Artists’ development activities such as the Haudenosaunee Marketing Project

Without general support from the New York State Council on the Arts, these programs will not be possible in 2009. Your support is needed NOW more than ever! You can help us in the following ways:

Please join the New York Folklore Society now, at the highest membership level you can manage. Your early membership renewal will save us a postage stamp. Even more, however, your membership will supply us with those much needed operating funds.
Write a letter (templates and addresses are provided), adding information about your own organization, and mail or fax copies to the Governor, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate, and your own state legislators — as well as a copy to Ellen at the NY Folklore Society (this last step is crucial).

And, please try to generate letters from other people as well — from the artists and audience members you serve, board members, friends and neighbors. We’ve heard many times that legislators actually measure the letters from advocates on their desk. Letters are more effective than e-mails.
Please follow up your letter with a call to your state assemblyperson and state senator. It would also be extremely helpful to meet with your assemblyperson and state senator in their district office. If you know someone who knows the legislator, bring them along to the meeting, and you might also consider bringing board members and artists if you think they would help make the case for restoring NYSCA funding.

Thank you for your help and support of the New York Folklore Society and all arts in New York.

Karen Canning, President
Board of Directors
New York Folklore Society

Ellen McHale, Executive Director
New York Folklore Society

Join NYFS! Become part of a community that will deepen your involvement with folklore, folklife, the traditional arts, and contemporary culture. As a member, you’ll have early notice of key events:

New York Field Trips. People travel from all over to meet in a different part of the state each year for New York Field Trips. The Annual Meeting of the Folklore Society is held in conjunction with the field trip. Professionals in folklore and related fields join with educators and practitioners to explore the culture and traditions of the area. Lectures and discussions are balanced with concerts, dancing, and tours of cultural sites.

New York State Folk Arts Forums. Folk arts professionals, colleagues in related disciplines, and lay people come together to address topics of special interest—topics like folklore and the Internet, heritage tourism, cultural conservation, intellectual property law, or sound preservation.

Help When You Need It. Become a member and learn about technical assistance programs that will get you the help you need in your work:

Mentoring and Professional Development Program for Folklife and the Traditional Arts. Receive technical assistance from a mentor of your choosing. You can study with a master traditional artist, learn new strategies for marketing, master concert and exhibition production, organize an archive, or improve your organizational management.

Folk Artists Self-Management Project. If you’re a traditional artist, you know the importance of business, management, and marketing skills to your success in the marketplace. NYFS can help you with workshops, mentoring, and publications.

Folk Archives Project. What could be more critical than finding a repository for an important collection? The NYFS is a leader in the preservation of our cultural heritage. Attend our workshops and order copies of NYFS books at a discount.

Consulting and Referral. The NYFS offers informal counseling and referral services to the members in the field. Contact us by telephone, e-mail, or letter.

Publications. Members receive discounts on all NYFS publications. Visit our Publications web page for current titles.

A Public Voice. The NYFS raises awareness of folklore among the general public through three important channels:

Print. Voices: The Journal of the New York Folklore published twice a year, brings you folklore in the words and images of its creators and practitioners. The journal’s new look distinguishes it from other publications in the field. Read Voices for news you can use about our field and legal issues, photography, sound and video recording, and archiving.

Radio. Voices of New York Traditions is a series of radio documentaries that spotlight the folklife of the state, to be aired on public radio. Stay tuned!

Internet.The New York Folklore Society web site brings you the latest news on events in folklore. Updated weekly, it is designed to appeal to the public as well as keep specialists informed.

Advocacy. The New York Folklore Society is your advocate for sympathetic and informed attention to folk arts:

We represent you on issues before the state legislature and the federal government when public policy affects the field. Visit our advocacy pages to learn what we’re doing and how you can help.

The society partners with statewide, regional, and national organizations from the New York State Arts and Cultural Coalition to the American Folklore Society, and frequently presents its projects and issues at meetings of professional organizations in the allied fields of archives, history, and libraries.

Won’t you join us?

JOIN NYFS ON-LINE

MEMBERSHIP FORM (PDF)

MEMBERSHIP FORM (HTML)

Share NYFS with your friends! A Membership makes a great gift!