.P es PARTNERS Public partnerships bringing the arts to all Americans national assembly of state arts agencies ■ spring 2000 FOLK ARTS PRESERVE TRADITIONS OF EVERYDAY LIFE by Michael Levine Folk arts are all around us, yet they are sometimes difficult to find and identify. It might also be hard to see at first what a North Dakota saddlemaker, a Shoshone basketmaker, a Virginia decoy carver, an Appalachian fiddler and a FinnislvAmerican rug weaver from the upper Midwest have in common. Distinct in geography and craft, these individuals are all carrying on traditions unique to their communities. They are also participants in innovative partnerships among the National Endowment for the Arts, state arts agencies, foundations, nonprofit organizations and the private sector. Folk or traditional arts have survived for hundreds, even thousands, of years because they are so bound to community ways. Folk arts differ from fine arts not in creativity or artistic skill, but in that they are based in the aesthetic expression of everyday life. Skills have been passed on as younger generations observe and assist their parents and grandparents, extended families, villagers and tribes. Ceremonial dances and songs of celebration; patterns and colors in clothing, rugs, boxes and other functional items; stories and legends; food preparation and the use of local materials all help define a community and provide its inhabitants with a sense of belonging. Few American communities still function this way. The influences of the media, transportation, formal education and economics have created a mobile society of individuals whose connections with their local customs grow more tenuous each day. Although this trend is not new, it has accelerated greatly over Lumhe Sampson performs Plains Indian Hoop dancing Photo: North Dakota Council on the Arts NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS The work of NASAA and of state arts agencies is support- ed and strengthened in many ways through funding and programming part- nerships with the National Endowment for the Arts. partners ■ national assembly of state arts agencies Johnnie Billington Photo: Crossroads of the Heart, Mississippi Arts Commission Americans began to recognize that by their very exis- tence, folk artists help define our communities and who we are as a people. the past 40 years. Even in the 1930s when folklorist John Lomax travelled the South collecting songs with a recording machine in his car trunk, he was already worried that these practitioners were dying out and their songs were going to be lost to future generations. Unlike other “collectors” of their time, Lomax and a handful of others were interested in both the aesthetic beauty of a culture and the context in which it was created. Their pioneering efforts eventually led to the creation of a handful of formal folklife or folklore programs at universities across the country. Graduates of these programs studied a particular culture or community and chronicled their unique contributions through photos, recordings, documentary films, books and scholarly texts. The folklorists’ work was primarily intended for the academic world and they often tried to protect the subject community from being influenced by outsiders. As the country’s population shifted, however, these isolated communities began to merge with mainstream America. Rural Appalachian families migrated to cities in search of work and adapted their music and customs. Schools discouraged ethnic differences in favor of a homogeneous melting pot. Native Americans began using bright commercial dyes because they proved more appealing to tourists than the ones made from local plants and berries. The community context was changing, and time-honored ways of passing on cultural traditions were in danger. Folklorists began to sound the alarm. Unfortunately, not many people were listening. Festival Sparks a Revival Fast-forward to 1967, when the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife began its 33-year history on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The festival had a remarkable impact on creating a greater awareness and appreciation of the existence, diversity, vitality and importance of the nation’s folk traditions. Americans 2 ■ spring 2000 national assembly of state arts agencies ■ partners began to recognize that by their very existence, folk artists help define our communities and who we are as a people. This new awareness reached its apex during the nation’s bicentennial, and the National Endowment for the Arts seized this opportunity to develop a national strategy for keeping the folk arts vibrant for future generations. “It is impossible to comprehend the creation and development of the Folk Arts Program without having an appreciation of the wisdom, foresight, experience and sheer force of personality of Bess Hawes,” explains current NEA Folk & Traditional Arts Director Daniel Sheehy. The arts endowment hired Hawes immediately after she served as curator for the Regional America portion of the 1975 and 1976 Bicentennial Festivals. Building on the work of her father, John Fornax, Hawes brought with her a breadth of vision and a sense of the unfathomed potential of America’s folk artists. Hawes argued successfully for a new program within the NEA that would give folk arts the same status as the other disciplines — dance, theater, visual arts and music. Even though the folk arts incorporate all these disciplines and more, she recognized that most folk artists would have no experience in seeking what the arts endowment could offer. To develop the folk arts in this country, and to begin promoting cross-cultural understanding, would require a cadre of trained folklorists and a program flexible in its approach. Such a program would depend on a national network of local support that could reach the forgotten corners and insular neighborhoods of America, providing folk artists and organizations with much-needed assistance, advice and money. The state arts agencies (SAAs) provided the connection between local arts groups and national goals. However, at the time Hawes came in, only two SAAs had a folklorist on staff. She set out to put folk arts on the NEA map by adding a folk arts specialist to every state arts agency. Today, almost every state has at least one folk arts coordinator, and for the past twenty years the collaboration Today almost every state has at least one folk arts coordi- nator, and for the past twenty years the collaboration between the states and the NEA has kept our traditional arts thriving. Dog carving by woodcorver George Berry Photo: Crossroads of the Heart, Mississippi Arts Commission spring 2000 ■ 3 partners ■ national assembly of state arts agencies Emma Bobb, recipient, 1999 Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Folk Arts Photo: Nevada Arts Council “Fieldwork skills are instrumental to knowing how to get people to talk to each other, how to get people telling stories, how to get people to the heart of the matter, and to the values of an issue.” between the states and the NEA has kept our traditional arts thriving. With a small amount of seed money, this partnership has funded hundreds of festivals, exhibitions, award-winning films and radio programs, books and Web sites that promote greater understanding and appreciation of our diverse heritage. Folk Arts Begin with Fieldwork When the NEA began its program, it faced a unique challenge. Unlike visual arts, which had an established network of museums and galleries, or music and theater with stages and cultural centers, there were virtually no venues in which to present or organizations to keep track of traditional artists. Hawes and her tiny staff had to begin building from the ground up. They knew skilled individuals were spread across the country, but few were known outside their own communities. In fact, many of the people who would eventually receive the NEA’s National Heritage Fellowships would not have even considered themselves artists 25 years ago. Although the Folk Arts Program initially relied on the research collected for the nation’s bicentennial festival, it was clear that there was a lot more work to be done. From the beginning, the arts endowment provided grants for research or fieldwork. Fieldwork is a tool of discovery that gives a folklorist enough time to gain the trust of often isolated communities, establishing the relationships and understandings necessary to identify artists and document traditions. As Marcie Reavens of New York City’s City Lore explains, “Fieldwork skills are instrumental to knowing how to get people to talk to each other, how to get people telling stories, how to get people to the heart of the matter, and to the values of an issue.” Slowly, the national picture began to develop and a rich tapestry emerged. 4 ■ spring 2000 national assembly of state arts agencies ■ partners Passing on Traditions As the inventory of traditional artists grew, so did a commitment to preserve these art forms and pass the necessary skills on to a new generation. To give substance to this commitment, the NEA created an apprenticeship program. This method brought together a master artist and apprentice for intensive instruction in a traditional craft or performing art. Such an approach was well suited to the growing network of state arts agency folk arts coordinators, who could fine-tune and adjust the program to meet the needs of diverse local constituencies and traditions. From the program’s inception, it involved a remarkable diversity of art forms, such as Hispanic santos carving in Colorado, African-American quilting in Mississippi and Franco- American fiddling in New Hampshire. On average, teams receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 to pay for travel, supplies and teaching time. “Apprenticeships are the cornerstone of the arts council’s Folk Arts Program. Without it there is no feedstock for our public presentations,” says Troyd Geist, state folklorist with the North Dakota Council on the Arts. “NEA funding has been crucial in supporting research and apprentices. By its nature, this work is low-key and very private. The high visibility of festivals and exhibitions makes it easier to attract foundation and business support, but without the groundwork, we would have nothing to present. Only with time can we go inside, beneath the surface, to discover the people and how they reflect the cultural identity of their communities.” Geist feels that folk arts research is a balance between persistence and patience. Both have paid off. Over the past ten years, his photos and interviews have led to several books and statewide exhibits. One exhibit, Faces of Identity, Hands of Skill, features 12 cultural traditions, including Armenian metalworking and Vietnamese embroidery. “People think of North Dakota as flat and unchanging. They speak of the monotony of traveling the interstate Mousumi Bhandory teaches traditional dance of India Photo: North Dakota Council on the Arts “Only with time can we go inside, beneath the surface, to discover the peo- ple and how they reflect the cultural identity of their com- munities.” spring 2000 ■ 5 partners ■ national assembly of state arts agencies “If we can get visitors to look beyond the beauty and see how it represents religion, agriculture and the world view of a peo- ple, then we have really accomplished our goal.” Luba Eads decorates a pysanka, a Ukrainian Easter egg Photo: Nevada Arts Council highways. They find the small towns and their inhabitants indistinguishable from one another. This exhibit lets people see the diversity that’s here, if they could slow down long enough to really look. The beauty of individual objects and performances is reason enough for an exhibit like this. But if we can get visitors to look beyond the beauty and see how it represents religion, agriculture and the world view of a people, then we have really accomplished our goal.” Faces of Identity gave the residents of North Dakota a new insight into their state, and the participating cultures a new sense of pride in their contributions. Interpretive text explained the historical and social context that led to forms like the cornhusk dolls of the Mandan tribe and Ukrainian pysanky (Easter egg decoration). “The egg has been a symbol of renewal and fertility since pre-Christian society,” Geist explains. “Every culture can relate to its broad meanings. But, when Ukrainians accepted Christianity over a thousand years ago, their tradition of egg decoration took on Christian meanings. When we look specifically at the Ukrainian eggs, we find every color and design conveys certain thoughts and prayers. To this day, many Ukrainians still bury a pysanka in the corner of a wheat field to promote a good crop.” “Some of the people I’m working with in the apprenticeship program,” says Geist, “were initially leery of getting involved with a government program or they were shocked that anyone would care about what they know. I took time to encourage them, find out what they were comfortable with, and what they feared. Knowing that some traditions are tied to specific seasons or activities, for instance, I left flexibility in our program to accommodate a variety of schedules. Now, not only are these masters teaching within their culture, but many are on the arts council roster to visit schools and share their knowledge with a broader audience.” 6 ■ spring 2000 national assembly of state arts agencies ■ partners Handed Down: Teachers and Students of Culture In Nevada, the apprenticeships have grown from four a year to ten, thanks to increased state funding. Nevada Arts Council Folk Arts Program Coordinator Andrea Graham has produced Handed Down, a booklet documenting the first ten years of their apprentice program. She writes, “The master artists are among the very best at what they do, having dedicated their finest efforts and often years of time to learning and improving an art form that speaks for them and their community. The apprentices talk about passing on what they learn — to their children, neighbors, fellow workers — as a responsibility that comes with choosing to carry on a tradition.” Over half of the Nevada apprenticeships have been within Native American communities. “It’s a good fit,” Graham comments. “It’s been embraced by the tribal officers who welcome me in. Word has spread through these groups, and we’ve gotten a lot of response.” One of the pairings involved teaching Paiute'Shoshone songs. Art Cavanaugh, who died last year, was one of perhaps half a dozen round'dance singers in Nevada, and with his powerful voice and extensive repertoire certainly one of the best. His father was a singer, and traditional music and stories were an important form of entertainment when Cavanaugh was growing up. “So I listened,” he recalled in an interview in Handed Down. “I put it in my head, I guess, and it stayed there. That’s where I learned all these things, from stories — how to conduct yourself, your life — all these are told through the coyote stories that tell you not to do this, not to do that. That’s how you grow up, knowing the difference between right and wrong is what they teach you.” Says apprentice Steve Kane of his opportunity to learn these songs, “I think the songs, the culture, the language. ..if we ever lose that, we’re just like anybody else, we’ve lost our uniqueness.” Larry and John Schutte participate in a horsehair ropemaking apprenticeship Photo: Nevada Arts Council “The apprentices talk about passing on what they learn — to their children, neigh- bors, fellow workers — as a responsibility that comes with choosing to carry on a tradition.” spring 2000 ■ 7 Washoe basketmaker Amy Barber Photo: Nevada Arts Council “More and more Americans attempt- ing to rebuild com- munity and rekindle their own spirituality are discovering that the rites and customs of their heritage can bring meaning to their lives today.” partners ■ national assembly of state arts agencies In addition to its Native American heritage, the Nevada Arts Council apprenticeships have included saddlemaking, horsehair hitching and rawhide braiding from the ranching community; Filipino, Mexican, Thai and African dance; Argentinean guitar and Polish papercuts (wycinanki) . “From our oldest traditions, to our newest immigrants,” Graham explains, “if it is being done in Nevada today, we consider it a Nevada art.” Tools of Renewal With its focus on past traditions, the folk arts are often thought of as static. However, the SAA and NEA folk arts collaboration has played a catalytic role in not only renewing traditions, but also in sharing them with new audiences and inspiring new practitioners. The majority of folk arts activity in this country occurs as part of community life. Christmas craft shows, annual gospel festivals or other types of gatherings have been important venues for telling stories, sharing traditions and just having fun. For instance, the Michigan State University Museum and the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs teamed up in 1987 to produce the Festival of Michigan Folklife as part of a larger festival of performing arts. The festival’s strength has been its carefully researched and interpreted presentations of traditional food, crafts, stories, occupational life and recreational activities. At its tenth anniversary, for instance, visitors witnessed how different cultures celebrate rites of passage. Demonstrations and exhibits included baby quilts, an ItaliamAmerican baby-naming ceremony, Arab'American and Jewish wedding music, a MexicamAmerican wedding cake, Hmong burial clothing, and Ottawa/Chippewa grave wreaths. “More and more Americans attempting to rebuild community and rekindle their own spirituality are discovering that the rites and customs of their heritage can bring meaning to their lives today,” writes festival 8 ■ spring 2000 national assembly of state arts agencies ■ partners codirector C. Kurt Dewhurst. “They are beginning to realize the pivotal role that these activities can play in strengthening a sense of community and assisting in both the personal transitions of a lifetime and the communal transitions from generation to generation.” Festivals are one way to celebrate and share our culture. Technology is another. Although it may seem incongruous, cutting-edge technology is an important part of preserving and presenting folk arts tradition. In 1933, John Lomax used a state-of-the-art, 315-pound acetate disc recorder to compile his folk songs and recordings. Today, the arts endowment and its state partners are Folk Arts Figures, 1998 supporting the Total SAA folk arts grants 1,411 production of Total SAA folk arts grant dollars $6,147,876 compact discs Artists participating in SAA folk arts projects 101,503 and Web sites U.S. communities with a SAA folk arts grant 712 to preserve and States and jurisdictions with folklorists 47 perpetuate folk Percentage of local arts agencies that gave art forms and folk arts grants 45 engage new Sources: National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, Americans for the communities and audiences. Arts, National Endowment for the Arts Potter Fronk Stewart Photo: Crossroads of the Heart, Mississippi Arts Commission Larry Morrisey, state folklorist for Mississippi, developed a touch-screen kiosk for a traveling exhibition of Mississippi folk arts that allows visitors to follow five themes on the monitor or listen to excerpts of four distinct musical traditions. This was incorporated into a special project on the state arts agency’s Web site called Crossroads of the Heart (www.arts.state.ms.us/crossroads/main.html). The site helps to promote the touring exhibit, and provides continuous access to the information. “I saw it as a first step and a way to break new ground,” Morrisey says. “While computers are still not a common item in most homes, our libraries have made a substantial investment to assure public access is available. I see the potential to add a teacher’s guide, a resource guide, and The partnership between the NEA and state arts agencies has nurtured a broad range of cultural expressions that nourish other programs. spring 2000 ■ 9 partners ■ national assembly of state arts agencies Private, Nonprofit Organizations Collaborations among the NEA, state arts agencies and state humanities councils have cat- alyzed a variety of nonprofit organiza- tions devoted to folk arts. Some examples: CITYFOLK www.cityfolk.org/ A folk and traditional arts presenter in Dayton, Ohio, that produces the CITYFOLK Festival, an annual celebration of folk music, dance, storytelling, crafts and foods. The Fund for Folk Culture The only publicly supported foundation devoted exclusively to folk and tradition- al culture. links such as individual artist Web sites and performance calendars.” We All Benefit Our nation is proud of its diverse heritage, and continues to embrace new immigrants to our shores. Throughout our history, the politics of these varied groups have sometimes clashed violently and their cultural fabric has been torn apart. However, their traditional arts have helped them knit their world back together and have often been the key element to helping bridge cultural gaps and promote tolerance and understanding. When the traditional arts flourish, all Americans benefit. “As the rate of societal change accelerates and Americans change residence more frequently, the access to one’s own cultural heritage cannot be taken for granted,” says the arts endowment’s Dan Sheehy. “Programs such as apprenticeships and instructional workshops offer younger generations the possibility of learning important skills and aesthetic concepts, as well as spending more time with older generations.” Folk arts are the cultural seed corn of our nation’s diverse heritage. The partnership between the NEA and state arts agencies has nurtured a broad range of cultural expressions that nourish other programs. Masters and apprentices join arts education rosters; public art projects can better incorporate community symbols and icons; and cultural heritage tourism develops in ways that respect the past and involve the community in planning its future. National Endowment for the Arts Chair Bill Ivey summed it up this way in his remarks to the American Folklore Society last October: “Like the bass line of a jazz performance, folk arts ground our work in the everyday life of ordinary citizens — friends and neighbors.” 10 ■ spring 2000 national assembly of state arts agencies ■ partners Folk Arts Infrastructure Folk arts is among the disciplines enumerated in the legislation that created the National Endowment for the Arts in 1965. The evolution from an idea expressed in the endowment’s authorization to a national network of folklorists in virtually every state is one of several achievements of the partnership between state arts agencies and the NEA. This folk arts infrastructure engages communities at the grassroots level and invests in making connections among the traditional arts, historic preservation, education and social services fields. Below are some of the fruits of this partnership. Western Folklife Center www.westfolk.org/ Its archives preserve recordings, pho- tographs, and video footage of artists who have appeared at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Alabama State Council on the Arts Two new compact discs present different Alabama traditions. The first is Benjamin Lloyd's Hymn Book: A Primitive Baptist Song Tradition , a book of essays with a CD recording documenting the history and current use of an historic hymn book. Spirit of Steel: Music of the Mines, Railroads and Mills of the Birmingham District includes essays and a 2Dsong CD exploring gandy^dancer tunes, fiddle music, blues, labor songs and gospel quartet Selected Types and Amounts of Folk Arts Grants, 1998 State arts agencies fund 26 different types/categories of folk arts projects. A sampler: Number of apprenticeship grants 320 Total apprenticeship grant dollars $681,342 Number of performance/reading grants 304 Total performance/reading grant dollars $565,809 Number of school residency grants 171 Total school residency grant dollars $330,852 Number of fairs/festivals grants 161 Total fairs/festivals grant dollars Number of operating support grants $415,445 to folk arts organizations 103 Total operating support grant dollars Source: National Assembly of State Arts Agencies $1,580,529 Nevada. A cowboy hat-making apprenticeship helped Shannon Reichenberg open a custom hat shop Photo: North Dakota Council on the Arts spring 2000 ■ 1 1 partners ■ national assembly of state arts agencies Scoo A WE.-A 67 / Partners is a quarterly publication of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, 1029 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20005. Phone 202.347.6352 Fax 202.737.0526 nasaa@nasaa- arts.org www.nasaa-arts.org © 2000. All rights reserved. Editors Kimber Craine Jill Hauser Design Benson Design For more infor- mation, contact: Daniel Sheehy National Endowment for the Arts Phone 202.682.5248 sheehyd@arts. endow.gov http://www.arts.gov Michael Levine is a freelance writer liv- ing in Middlesex, Vermont. singing in the context of industrial Birmingham in the early twentieth century. This book and CD are being donated to interested schools and libraries. (Visit www.arts.state.al.us/folklife/folklife.htm.) Colorado Council on the Arts Through its partnerships with the Colorado Mountain College, Four Mile Historic Park, Trinidad State Junior College and the City of Greeley Museum, the arts council is able to serve communities statewide with four regional folklorists. Among other things, these folklorists help teachers locate resources or design curriculum about Colorado’s cultures; make presentations to historical societies about methods of documenting oral histories; assist community arts councils including folk artists in festivals; and teach seminars at Elderhostels. New Hampshire State Council on the Arts The state arts council is collaborating with Celebrate New Hampshire Culture on restaging the 1999 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which featured New Hampshire, as Festival New Hampshire. Scheduled for summer 2000, this event will present and share the knowledge, artistry and skills of folklife traditions demonstrated by artists, storytellers, cooks and resource specialists, among others. (Visit www.celebratenh.org/.) Southern Arts Federation This consortium of southern state arts agencies helps folk artists develop professional promotional materials such as demo recordings and video clips. The American Traditions program, funded by the NEA, is designed to sharpen the marketing and business skills of performing artists. It links folk artists with presenting organizations in an effort to bring high quality, traditional performing arts to underserved communities across the nation. (Visit http://www.southarts.org/american.htm.) 12 ■ spring 2000