NYFS Resources: Folk Arts Programs

A Who’s Who of Our Universe—Connect to organizations allied with the New York Folklore Society in fields of

Folklore and Folk Arts
Archives       Arts       Education
Ethnography & Anthropology       Ethnomusicology & Music
Heritage Tourism       Historic Preservation
History, Libraries and Museums

This universe is growing, so come back often.

ALLIED ORGANIZATIONS

Ethnology and Anthropology Organizations

History Organizations, Libraries & Museums

Is your organization missing from our resources page? E-mail us with your organization name, applicable program or center name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address, director’s name and title, an organizational description of 75 words or less, the URL of your web site if you have one, and the contact person for your web site. We will consider all submissions but reserve the right to select and edit those we feel are most appropriate for this site.

New York Folklore Society
P.O. Box 764
Schenectady, NY 12301
518/346-7008
Fax 518/346-6617
nyfs@nyfolklore.org

ORGANIZATIONS

Regional and National Folklore Organizations

FOLK ARTS PROGRAMS IN OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

NYFS Member	Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts Ellen C. Butz, Executive Director Route 28 P.O. Box 205 Blue Mountain Lake, NY 12812 518/352-7715 Fax 518/352-7333 E-mail: alca@telenet.net	The Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts (ALCA) operates year-round to bring quality visual and performing arts to a region of the state rich in natural beauty but lacking in cultural opportunities. Programs include music, dance, and theatre performances, films, and a wide range of classes for adults and children. These include drawing, pottery, woodworking, photography, writing, and fiber arts.
NYFS Member	Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester Sarah E. Lentini, Executive Director Susie Chodorow, Folk Arts Program Director 277 North Goodman Street Rochester, NY 14607 585/473-4000 Fax 585/473-4051 E-mail: info@artsrochester.org	The Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester has a mission to develop, promote, and strengthen the cultural industry to benefit the people of greater Rochester. Folk and traditional arts of the region are supported by the Council’s Folk Arts Program. The program works with individuals and organizations, including Hispanic, Asian, African American, Native American, Eastern European, and many more. Through festivals, concerts, exhibitions and in schools, the program presents these folk artists. The folklorist maintains a computerized archive of folk and traditional artists and their art forms.
NYFS Member	The Arts Center of the Capital Region Amy Williams, President and Executive Director 265 River Street Troy, NY 12180 518/273-0552 Fax 518/273-4591 Email info@theartscenter.cc	The Arts Center is a regional center for the advancement of the arts in daily life. With education, presentation, outreach, service, and advocacy, the Arts Center promotes a richer community through broad participation in the making and personal experience of art. Bringing the work of living artists to the community, The Arts Center strives to bring out the art that is in the community, promoting creativity and imagination as well as innovation and excellence. Working with school children and adults, local colleges, and artists and arts organizations throughout the Capital Region, The Arts Center has served thousands of individuals through art classes, folk arts and cultural programs, presentations and documentation, gallery programs, summer arts enrichment programs and streetside art festivals.
NYFS Member	Arts Council of Wyoming County Patricia Hughes, Executive Director Karen Canning, Staff Folklorist 31 South Main Street (Rte. 39) P.O. Box 249 Perry, NY 14530 585/237-3517 Fax 585/237-6385 Email info@artswyco.org	The Arts Council for Wyoming County (ACWC) provides opportunities for artists to create art, and for the community to engage in the arts. ACWC’s newsletter ArtsNews includes articles, calendar listings for area arts and cultural events and opportunities for artists. They sponsor events such as gallery openings, classic film screenings, concerts, artist gatherings, and educational programs such as classes, lectures, presentations and workshops.
	Arts of the Southern Finger Lakes Ginnie Lupi, Executive Director Peter Voorheis, Folk Arts Director 32 West Market Street Market Street Corning, NY 14830 607/962-5871 Fax 607/936-2235 E-mail: infoARTS@stny.rr.com	The Arts of the Southern Finger Lakes is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to to the enhancement of cultural life in Chemung, Schuyler, and Steuben Counties. The folk arts program serves these counties as well as Allegany and Tioga Counties.
	Asian American Arts Centre Annual Folk Art Festival Robert Lee, Executive Director 26 Bowery, 3rd Fl. New York, NY 10013 212/233-2154 Fax 212/766-1287 E-mail: aaac@aartspiral.org	Asian American Arts Centre was founded in 1974 as a not-for-profit organization to present both traditional and contemporary exhibitions and performances to Asian American communities and the general public. Its mission is to promote the preservation and creative vitality of Asian American cultural growth through the arts, and its historical and aesthetic linkage to other communities. The Arts Centre accomplishes this by presenting traditional arts and culture through its ongoing synthesis of contemporary American and Asian arts forms, utilizing performance, exhibition, and public education. The founders continue this commitment in a community setting to ensure its benefits accrue to the Asian American community.
NYFS Member	Brooklyn Arts Council Folk Arts Program Kay Turner, Folk Arts Director kturner@brooklynartscouncil.org 55 Washington St., Suite 218 Brooklyn, NY 11201 718/625-0080 Fax 718/625-3294 E-mail: folkarts@brooklynartscouncil.org	The Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) Folk Arts Program creates opportunities for the presentation and preservation of Brooklyn’s traditional arts. Presenting arts and artists is their central goal, but the program also seeks to explore, document, and archive Brooklyn’s folk traditions, maintaining an expanding archive of recordings, videotapes, and photographs that document the evolving folklife of Brooklyn. Folk arts are also an important part of BAC’s Arts in Education Programs; artists perform and give workshop/demonstrations in public schools throughout the five boroughs. Technical services are provided for folk artists, and the website includes an on-line registry of Brooklyn literary, performing and visual artists.
NYFS Member	Castellani Art Museum Kate Koperski, Director DeVeaux Campus Niagara University, NY 14109 (716)286-8200 E-mail: cam@niagara.edu	The Folk Arts Program of the Castellani Museum collaborates with local ethnic and minority communities in preserving and presenting their traditional arts. Working closely with community consultants, the Folk Arts Program locates and documents folk artists often unknown outside of their own family and friends. Ongoing documentation is then used in exhibitions, publications, artist demonstrations, and performances that bring folk arts to a wider audience. A permanent museum program since 1991, the Folk Arts Program is also developing a permanent archive of folk arts documentation as a resource for teachers and scholars.
NYFS Member	Crandall Public Library Center for Folklife, History and Cultural Programs Todd DeGarmo, Director 251 Glen Street, City Park Glens Falls, NY 12801-3507 518/792-6508 Fax 518/792-5251 Email degarmo@crandalllibrary.org	The Folklife Center preserves and presents the living and historical heritage of the upper Hudson Valley and the Southern Adirondacks of upstate New York. The Folklife Center produces cultural programs of dance, music and storytelling; hosts lecture series and family workshops; develops exhibitions and publications; manages an archives and special collections for public research; and documents regional culture with original research.
NYFS Member	Cultural Resources Council Folk Arts Program Daniel Franklin Ward, Program Director 411 Montgomery Street Syracuse, NY 13202-2964 315/435-8554 Fax 315/435-2160 Email dward@culturalresourcescncl.org	The Cultural Resources Council’s mission is to provide services to individuals, organizations and the general public that ensure the vitality and diversity of culture in Central New York. Toward this end, the Cultural Resources Council provides leadership through: advocacy; collaborative ventures; communication; development and distribution of grants; education and training; management of cultural resources; presentation of cultural forms otherwise unavailable locally; research, referral and consultation; and technical assistance.
NYFS Member	Dutchess County Arts Council Benjamin Krevolin, President Folk and Traditional Arts Program Eileen M. Condon, Folklorist 9 Vassar Street, Garden Level Suite Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 845/454-3222 Fax 845/454-6902 Email info@artsmidhudson.org	The Dutchess County Arts Council strengthens and supports the artistic, administrative, marketing and cooperative capabilities of cultural organizations and individual artists, and represents their efforts with other segments of the community. The Folk and Traditional Arts Program researches, documents and presents the arts and traditions of our region’s diverse communities. Core programs include folk arts at the Hudson River Arts Festival and an annual African American gospel concert. The Arts Council also provides technical support for folk artists and community organizations.
NYFS Member	The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) Linda Blanchet, Executive Director Folk Arts Program Karen Canning, Staff Folklorist 204 E. Main Street Batavia, NY 14020 585/343-9313 Fax 585/345-1608 1-800-774-7372 Email info@goart.org	The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council (GO ART!) serves artists and promotes the arts in Genesee and Orleans Counties. Its Folk Arts Program coordinates research, documentation, and public programs throughout a wide region, including Livingston and Wyoming Counties. Recent projects include local music and dance traditions; material arts; Native American, ethnic, and migrant communities’ arts. Currently, the Program is establishing a regional depository and research center for Western New York folk arts.
NYFS Member	Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Kathryn Hollinger, Executive Director Karen Canning, Staff Folklorist Building 4, Apartment I Livingston County Council Mount Morris, NY 14510 585/243-6785 Fax 585/243-6787 E-mail: mail@gvcaonline.org	The Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA) works to enrich the quality of life in Livingston County by encouraging and promoting the arts and cultural activities through support of artists, schools and community groups. Primarily an arts service organization with offices on the Livingston County Campus in Mt. Morris, the arts council forms partnerships with businesses, schools, SUNY Geneseo, libraries, historical societies and other organizations and individuals to serve local artists and audiences. GVCA maintains an extensive registry of local artists, provides information and assistance, and publishes ArtSphere, a bi-monthly newsletter containing the county’s arts and cultural calendar.
	Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural & Sports Centre Irish Arts Week & Traditional Festival Paul Keating, Artistic Director Rte. 145, Box 320 East Durham, NY 12423 518/634-2286 FAX 518/634-2058 E-mail: irishcentre@direcway.com	11th Annual Catskills Irish Arts Week (July 10-15th) and the 15th Annual Traditional Irish Music & Dance Festival (July 16th) is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the cultural and artistic heritage of the Irish and those of Irish descent. The Arts Week and Festival attract some of the finest Irish traditional musicians, dancers, and storytellers in the world. Classes and workshops, sessions, and concerts are held throughout the week, and students of all levels have the chance to study and perform.The fun begins Sunday, July 10 through Saturday, July 16, 2005.
	Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center Community Folklife Program Madaha Kinsey-Lamb, Director 3415 Olinville Avenue Bronx, NY 10467 718-652-6256 Fax 718/652-7324 E-mail: mindbuilders@hotmail.com	Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center promotes the development of positive life styles by helping urban youth and families reach their fullest potential through arts, education, and counseling. Its Community Folklife Program is an intergenerational research, documentation, and presentation program dedicated to the exploration and preservation of Latino, Caribbean, African, and African-American cultural heritage of the community.
	New York Creates E-mail: Ted Berger at ted@newyorkcreates.org	In 2003, the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) founded New York Creates to assist craft and folk artists and artisans in enhancing the income they receive practicing their art, thereby bringing greater economic progress to them and to their communities. In July 2005, New York Creates became separate from NYFA, with its own programs and activities, including crafts fairs and workshops. In 2006, New York Creates in conjunction with NYFA, will launch an online registry and gallery for New York State craft and traditional artists and artisans.
NYFS Member	Queens Council on the Arts Hoong Yee Lee Krakauer, Executive Director Folk Arts Program Bradley Shope, Director 79-01 Park Lane South Woodhaven, NY 11421-1166 718-647-3377 Fax 718/647-5036 E-mail: qca@queenscouncilarts.org	Queens Council on the Arts supports and promotes Queens artists and cultural organizations, sponsors performances and exhibits, and produces videos and publications highlighting the borough’s cultural resources. The Folk Arts program documents and presents traditions of various communities in Queens--the nation’s most ethnically diverse county -- through public programming such as concerts, festivals, videos and publications. Folk Arts publications include, Beyond the Grave: Cultures of Queens Cemeteries and The International Express: A guide to ethnic communities along the IRT #7 train.
NYFS Member	Roberson Museum & Science Center Catherine Schwoeffermann, Curator of Folklife Programs 30 Front Street Binghamton, NY 13905-4774 607/772-0660 Fax 607/771-8905 E-mail: info@roberson.org	The Roberson Museum and Science Center is a nationally recognized regional museum and science center with emphasis on art, folklife, history, natural history, science and technology. It includes exhibition galleries, an historic turn-of-the-century mansion, planetarium, theater, educational and technology center, life-science learning center and a museum shop and cafe.
NYFS Member	Tri-County Arts Council (formerly Schoharie County Arts Council) Mark Eamer, Executive Director 107 Union Street Cobleskill, NY 12043 518-254-0611 518-254-0612 E-mail: tricountyarts@verizon.net	The Tri-County Arts Council Folk Arts Program: Since 1984, the Tri-County Arts Council has been documenting and presenting the traditional arts of Schoharie, Montgomery and Fulton Counties. Some of its projects include a provocative exhibition on the Catskills Watershed, a traveling exhibit on the vernacular architecture of the farmstand, Latino Arts in Amsterdam, a highly successful Irish Traditional Music Festival, Arts in Education programs in the Richmondville and Middleburgh Elementary Schools, and the documentation and exhibition of the work of many of the region’s traditional artists. In its support for folk arts, the Tri-County Arts Council has collaborated with many schools and local community organizations.
NYFS Member	Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts Kathleen Frascatore, Executive Director 258 Main Street Oneonta, New York 13820 607/432-2070 E-mail: director@uccca.com	The Upper Catskill Community Council of the arts (UCCCA) has developed a folk arts program which celebrates the traditions and folk artists of the region. The UCCCA Gallery contains a vast array of professional work created by the over 200 artists who display and sell through this community showcase. UCCCA offers the Oneonta community many services, including an artist’s resume service, community newsletters, community service work and events, exhibition programs, a young people’s art exhibition, an annual performance series, and a film exhibition series.
	Westchester Arts Council Janet T. Langsam, Executive Director Tom Van Buren, Folklorist 31 Mamaroneck Avenue White Plains, NY 10601 914/428-4220 E-mail: tvanburen@westarts.com	The Westchester Arts Council’s was founded in 1965 on the belief that the arts are for everyone. The council works to build support for artists and cultural organizations in Westchester through grants, technical assistance and arts-in-education programs that connects professional teaching artists with schools, bringing the arts into the classroom, and community arts projects that brings artist into after-school programs, daycare and senior centers. The Folk Arts Program identifies, documents and presents artists from across Westchester County’s cultural and ethnic communities who practice traditions of music, dance, verbal, and material arts in collaborative programs for diverse audiences.