NYFS Resources: State, Regional & National Folklore Organizations

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

STATE, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL
FOLKLORE ORGANIZATIONS

	Alliance for California Traditional Arts Amy Kitchener, Executive Director 1245 Van Ness Fresno, CA 93721 559/237-9813 E-mail: info@actaonline.org	The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) cultivates the growth and preservation of traditional arts and culture in California through traditional arts apprenticeships, advocacy, research and documentation; services to artists including mentoring, marketing and promotion, and grant acquisition; and through communication via their website.
	Library of Congress The American Folklife Center 101 Independence Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20540-4610 Folklife Reading Room: 202/707-5510 Fax 202/707-2076 E-mail: folklife@loc.gov	The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress is charged to "preserve and present American folklife." From their web site, you can access information on AFC’s many programs and services, retrieve full texts of selected publications, view digital presentations of collections, and follow links to other resources. The Center also coordinates the Veterans History Project [VHP]; useful oral history and ethnographic resources are accessible from the "Participate in the Project" section of the VHP homepage.
	American Folklore Society Timothy Lloyd, Executive Director Mershon Center Ohio State University 1501 Neil Avenue Columbus, OH 43201-2602 614/292-3375 Fax 614/292-2407 E-mail: lloyd.100@osu.edu	The American Folklore Society, founded in 1888, serves to stimulate interest and research in all aspects of the study of folklore and folklife. The Society exists to further the discipline of folklore studies, to improve the professional well-being of its members, and to increase the respect given to diverse cultures and their traditions. The AFS web site provides information on the Society, its services and programs, annual conference, prizes, internship opportunities and publications. Folklore, Equal Access and Social Action is the theme for the American Folklore Society’s 117th annual meeting scheduled for October 19-23, 2005, in Atlanta, Georgia.
	Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage 750 9th Street NW, Suite 4100 Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC 20560-0953 202/275-1150 Fax 202/275-1119 E-mail: folklife-info@si.edu	The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage at the Smithsonian Institution promotes the understanding and continuity of contemporary grassroots cultures in the United States and abroad. The Center produces the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, exhibitions, documentary films and videos, symposia, and educational materials. The Center also conducts research, provides educational and research opportunities, and maintains an archival collection.
	Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program Lynne Williamson, Program Director The Institute for Community Research Two Hartford Square West, Suite 100 146 Wyllys Street Hartford, CT 06106-5128 860/278-2044 Fax 860/278-2141 E-mail: lynne.williamson@icrweb.org	Serving as the state-wide folk and traditional arts program, Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program (CHAP) conducts fieldwork research in partnership with artists and other community members, and transforms research results into activities of interest to a broad audience. CHAP documents the state’s diverse ethnic and occupational artistic traditions, and supports artists and their communities through educational and public programs that communicate these traditions to Connecticut citizens. CHAP collaborates with a regional network of artists, community scholars, advisors, agencies and organizations on projects such as documentation of community traditions, production of performances and exhibits, radio broadcasts, curriculum development, promotion and marketing of traditional artists, and education services.
	Florida Folklife Program Bureau of Historic Preservation 500 S. Bronough St. Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250 850/245-6333 800/847-PAST	The Florida Folklife Program (FFP), a component of the Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources, documents and presents the folklife, folklore, and folk arts of the state. Its full-time staff of professional folklorists and administrative support personnel form a base in the Bureau of Historic Preservation. FFP coordinates a wide range of activities and projects designed to increase the awareness of Floridians and visitors alike about traditional cultures. At their website, you’ll find links to their radio series on traditional music, folklife research, Folk Heritage Awards, Folklife Apprenticeship Program, Folklife Days demonstrations, Statewide Outreach Initiative, Folklife in Education program, and folklife collections.
	Fund for Folk Culture P.O. Box 1566 Santa Fe, NM 87504 505/984-2534 Fax 505/984-8619 E-mail: folkfund@folkculture.org	The Fund for Folk Culture provides support for folk and traditional crafts, music, dance, language, stories, and other cultural expressions of communities. Founded in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1991, the Fund for Folk Culture (FFC) has awarded over 4.25 million dollars in nearly 450 grants to more than 375 organizations and a small number of individuals in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Republic of Palau. A tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the FFC adds significant intermediary value to funds provided by private foundations, government agencies, and individual contributors. The website includes guidelines, applications, grantwriting tips, and folklorist consultant directory.
	Idaho Commission on the Arts (ICA) Folk and Traditional Arts Program Dan Harpole, ICA Executive Director Maria Carmen Gambliel, Director, Folk & Traditional Arts 2410 North Old Penitentiary Rd. P.O. Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0008 208/334-2119 800/278-3863 Fax 208/334-2488 E-mail: mcgambliel@arts.idaho.gov	The Idaho Commission on the Arts is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts in Idaho. The Folk & Traditional Arts Program documents and assists in the continuation and presentation of the traditional folk arts in Idaho communities. Fieldwork highlighted at their site includes a Survey of Latino Folk Life, Idaho Artistic and Culture Traditions, and Discovering Cultural Traditions (a field school for cultural documentation).
NYFS Member	Museum of International Folk Art Joyce Ice, Director P.O. Box 2087 Santa Fe, NM 87504-2087 505/476-1206 Fax 505/476-1300 E-mail: jice@moifa.org	The Museum of International Folk Art exists to preserve the world’s folk arts and to promote their understanding by collecting, interpreting, and presenting folk culture from all parts of the globe. The Museum stresses a multi-disciplinary approach, endeavoring to promote knowledge across national boundaries through folk art and its related fields. The Museum is committed to public education and to programs that serve diverse audiences. In cooperation with community educators and scholars, the Museum strives to encourage active learning through hands-on activities. The Museum features permanent, changing, traveling, and interactive exhibitions, produces publications based on collections and exhibitions, and develops curriculum resources for teachers.
	Middle Atlantic Folklife Association (MAFA) Iveta Pirgova-Todorova, President Send correspondence to: c/o Douglas Manger Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation 201 N. Charles Street, Suite 401 Baltimore, MD 21201	The Middle Atlantic Folklife Association (MAFA) is a professional organization of folklorists, educators, artists, and community leaders interested in folklife research and presentation, serving Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Members of MAFA interpret, present, fund, teach, encourage, and advocate for traditional cultural expressions in the region. MAFA supports this diversity of approaches through services to its members and constituents. Publications and meetings of MAFA offer a forum for the exchange of information on research, programs, issues, and opportunities in the field of folklore.
	Missouri Folklore Society P.O. Box 1757 Columbia, MO 65205-1757 Prof. Adam Brooke Davis, Webmaster Division of Language and Literature Truman State University Kirksville, MO 63501 660-785-4487 Fax 660-785-7486 E-mail: adavis@truman.edu	The Missouri Folklore Society was first organized in 1906 "to encourage the collection, preservation and study of folklore in the widest sense, including customs, institutions, beliefs, signs, legends, language, literature, musical arts, and folk arts and crafts of all ethnic groups throughout the State of Missouri." Reactivated in 1977, it now has membership of approximately 350. The Missouri Folklore Society holds annual meetings, publishes an annual journal and quarterly newsletters, and awards prizes for student papers related to Missouri folklore. The Society also publishes articles and books on folklore and folkways on-line.
	National Council for Traditional Arts Joe Wilson, Chairman of NCTA Julia Olin, Executive Director 1320 Fenwick Lane, Suite 200 Silver Spring, MD 20910 301/565-0654 Fax 301/565-0472 E-mail: info@ncta.net	The National Council for Traditional Arts (NCTA) is a private, not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the presenting and documenting traditional arts. Founded in 1933, it is the nation’s oldest producing and presenting organization that deals with folk, ethnic and tribal arts. Its programs celebrate and honor arts that are deeply rooted cultural expressions—music, crafts, stories and dance—passed down through time by families, communities, tribal, ethnic, and occupational groups. The NCTA stresses quality and authenticity in presenting traditional arts to the public in festivals, national and international tours, concerts, radio and television programs, films, and other avenues. NCTA tours have traveled to 49 states and performed in hundreds of community centers, high school auditoriums, and major concert halls. Tours organized by the NCTA have taken American performers to 31 other countries. Additionally, the NCTA has served the Arts America Program of the United States Information Agency and other organizations as consultants and presenters.
	The North Carolina Folklife Institute Beverly Patterson, Executive Director 2726 Croasdaile Drive, Suite 203 B Durham, NC 27705-2590 919/383-6040 E-mail: staff@ncfolk.org	The North Carolina Folklife Institute was incorporated in 1974 with a mission to promote the preservation and understanding of folklife in North Carolina. With the creation of the North Carolina Office of Folklife Programs, the Institute worked behind the scenes to support programs initiated by the new folklife office. That support continued when the folklife office became part of the North Carolina Arts Council (NCAC) in the early 1980s. Recent projects include development of interpretive Cherokee Heritage Trails’ exhibits, production of a CD featuring archival recordings of western North Carolina musician Marcus Martin, and production of a series of traditional-artist-and-community profiles for broadcast on National Public Radio. New projects include development of heritage tourism trails in rural areas across North Carolina, development of a traditional artist directory for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, and development of the Institute’s website as a resource for information about the state’s most authentic folk and traditional arts and artists and their communities.
	New Jersey Folklife Partners Folklife in New Jersey	The Folklife in New Jersey website is a project of New Jersey Folklife Partners, eight programs (NJ State Council on the Arts, Delaware Valley Folklife Center, Down Jersey Folklife Center, The Folklife Program for NJ, Jersey Shore Folklife Center, NJ Folklore Society, Northwest Jersey Folklife Project, and Notheast NJ Folk Arts Program) that work in cooperation along with the State Council on the Arts to support traditional culture in the state. Together they provide public programs, educational materials, technical assistance, field research, written and multimedia documentation, archives, and funding.
	Oregon Historical Society Folklife Program Oregon Historical Society 1200 SW Park Avenue Portland, OR 97205 503/306-5290 Fax 503/221-2035 E-mail: folklife@ohs.org	The Oregon Folklife Program, staffed by folklorists and other cultural specialists trained in ethnography, is a department of the Oregon Historical Society. Its mission is to document, present, and encourage the preservation of traditional arts and cultures throughout Oregon. Their web site details their programs and projects, has materials for educators and resources for folklife archives, audio-visual materials, and other folklore on the web.
NYFS Member	Ozark Folk Center Bill Young, General Manager Dr. W. K. McNeil, Folklife Director P.O. Box 500 Mountain View, AR 72560 870/269-3851 Fax 870/269-2909 E-mail: ozarkfolkcenter@arkansas.com	The Ozark Folk Center is situated on 600 acres, of which 80 have been developed, one mile outside Mt. View, Arkansas. It is devoted to the study and preservation of the traditional 19th and early 20th century culture of the Ozark Mountain region, a vast area consisting of portions of five states (Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma). OFC has a heritage craft demonstration area, beautiful Heritage Herb Gardens and a 1,000 seat music theater which presents traditional Southern mountain music shows mid-April-October. Days of operation vary throughout the season. Call the park before traveling or visit their website at www.ozarkfolkcenter.com. It also has a newly renovated 60 room lodge, a full service restaurant, a gift shop, and a library containing approximately 16,000 items, including books; videos; cassettes; 78, 33-1/3, 45 and CD recordings; photos; and various forms of ephemera.
NYFS Member	Philadelphia Folklore Project Debora Kodish 735 S. 50th Street Philadelphia, PA 19143 215/726-1106 Fax 215/726-6520 E-mail: pfp@folkloreproject.org	The Philadelphia Folklore Project works to sustain local folk arts and culture in the Philadelphia area. A 18-year old independent public interest folklife agency, the Project develops exhibitions and public programs, and offers technical assistance to artists and communities. The agency conducts local field research and is involved in folk arts advocacy. PFP publishes books, documentary videos, and a magazine.
NYFS Member	Renewing the Countryside 2105 First Ave. South Minneapolis, MN 55404 866/378-0587 E-mail: info@rtcinfo.org	At the Renewing the Countryside (RTC) website, you will find stories (organized by topic or region) of everyday people making a difference in their rural communities. The stories here are of farmers, artists, business owners, community leaders, non-profit organizers, youth and others. By sharing stories of rural renewal, building pubic awareness and support for sustainable endeavors, connecting people interested in rural development, providing practical assistance and networking opportunities for those working to improve rural America, and fostering connections between urban and rural people, RTC provides inspiration, ideas, and assistance to individuals and communities seeking to strengthen their rural communities and reduce poverty.
NYFS Member	The Southwest Center Joseph Wilder, Director Maribel Alvarez, Public Folklorist 1052 North Highland Avenue University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721 520/621-2484 Fax: 520/621-9922 E-mail: jwilder@email.arizona.edu	The Southwest Center brings together faculty and research associates from many disciplines to research, interpret, and present the region’s natural and human cultures. Insights are drawn from social and intellectual history, anthropology, geography, folklore, literature, photography, architecture, politics, ecology, ethno-botany, and the natural sciences to study the special character of the Southwest. The Center sponsors and facilitates research on the Greater Southwest, publishes exemplary work growing from that research, and acts in service to citizens of the region through programs of teaching and outreach.
	TAPNET (National Council for the Traditional Arts with the National Endowment for the Arts).	You will find at this site an extensive list of web site addresses of traditional arts programs throughout the country. TAPNET also maintains a list of personal sites by folklorists and other specialists engaged in public folk and traditional arts activities, linked from the TAPNET site.
NYFS Member	Vermont Folklife Center Brent Björkman, Executive Director Gregory L. Sharrow, Director of Education/Folklorist 88 Main Street Middlebury, VT 05753 802/388-4964 Fax 802/388-1844 E-mail: info@vermontfolklifecenter.org	The Vermont Folklife Center, founded in 1984, is dedicated to preserving and presenting the folk arts and cultural traditions of Vermont and the surrounding region. Through ongoing field research, a sound archive of over 3000 taped interviews, and an apprenticeship program, the Center documents and conserves cultural heritage. With exhibits and media, publication and educational projects, the Center presents the skills, talents and traditions of Vermonters.
	Western Folklife Center Charlie Seemann, Executive Director 501 Railroad Street Elko, Nevada 89801 775/738-7508 Fax: 775/738-2900 E-mail: wfc@westernfolklife.org	The Western Folklife Centeris a regional nonprofit organization that works to expand understanding by celebrating the everyday traditions of people who live and work in the American West. Though it is best known for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, the Folklife Center provides exhibitions, performances, and a full array of educational programs at its cultural center in Elko and in communities across the West. The Folklife Center also regularly produces national programming for public radio and television, and creates CDs and DVDs based on original fieldwork.