NOTE: The New York Folklore Society Newsletter and New York Folklore Journal were replaced by Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore which debuted December, 2000.
New York Folklore Society
P.O. Box 764
Schenectady, NY 12301
518/346-7008
Fax 518/346-6617
nyfs@nyfolklore.org
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Fall/Winter 1999
FALL/WINTER 1999 NEWSLETTER MAIN PAGE
FROM THE DIRECTOR
New Magazine in 2000
Our publications are going through some exciting transitions next year. Voices, the eight-page center section highlighting the stuff of New York State folklore, has proven so popular with our readers that we are spinning it off into an entirely new publication—a membership magazine called Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore. This change will entail repercussions for both the newsletter and the journal. See the announcement for more details.
Fall Conference: The Dynamics of African American Folk Culture
African American folk culture has been an enormously creative and powerful force in American life. Not only has it expressed and helped sustain the traditions, values, aspirations, and struggles of African American people over the centuries, it has also exerted a profound and continuing influence on American life as a whole, helping shape its music and dance, material culture, language, spirituality, and other dimensions of social life and cultural expression. Yet much of contemporary scholarship on African American folklore subjects is underfunded and is accomplished under other disciplinary rubrics.
Under these circumstances there is a pressing need for conversation and exchange on the topic of African American folklore among African American scholars, artists, cultural workers, and community members, as well as non-African American scholars and others. New York Folklore Society will create opportunities for such dialogue at our 2000 fall conference. We have embarked on a planning process with NYFS board members Madaha Kinsey-Lamb and Gretchen Sullivan Sorin, former board member Mary Kay Penn, and scholars Diana N’Diaye of the Smithsonian Institution and former American Folklore Society President John Roberts of Ohio State University. We invite input from all interested parties as to possible presenters, performers, and programmatic directions.
New Board Members and New Location
The 1999 Annual Meeting held in Saratoga Springs, the Board re-elected current members Madaha Kinsey-Lamb and Dan Berggren to additional two-year terms. Joining the board at this meeting was Lynne Williamson. Lynne is the Director of the Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program at the Institute for Community Research in Hartford, Connecticut. In this position she identifies, documents, and presents the work of Connecticut’s heritage artists. At the board meeting, we said farewell to Kathy Condon as she leaves the Board. During her term, Kathy worked tirelessly on our Executive Director search, and oversaw programmatic matters. Thank you Kathy for all of your hard work on behalf of the Society.
The New York Folklore Society has a new location and new office at 158 Jay Street in Schenectady, New York. With expanded space, we are better able to accommodate our staff and our storage needs. We are pleased to be part of Schenectady’s burgeoning Arts District. If you find yourself in the Capital District, please feel free to stop in.
We also welcome a new staff member, John Braungard, and a new volunteer, Joanne McDonald. John Braungard began as Office Manager in July 1999 and quickly acclimated himself to the office and its procedures. John is a student of computer science at SUNY Albany. He currently holds a B.S. in Accounting and was formerly a staff accountant for Colgate University. Joanne McDonald is a resident of Schenectady who will be assisting with some of our promotional efforts. Welcome John and Joanne!
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