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Funding Folklife Projects
Planning Folklife Projects
Folklore in the Community and Documentation Tools
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PLANNING AND FUNDING FOLKLIFE PROJECTS
Funding Folklife ProjectsIf you would like information about funding a folklife project that would happen in Louisiana, see the Division of the Arts' Decentralized Arts Funding Program and contact the Louisiana Division of the Arts Folklife Program at folklife@crt.la.gov. Planning Folklife ProjectsThe Louisiana Folklife Program of the Louisiana Division of the Arts has developed a set of resources for those interested in conducting folklife fieldwork. These resources have been compiled with several audiences in mind, including professional folklorists, folklore students, community scholars, K-12 teachers, or anyone interested in documenting cultural heritage in its many facets. This compendium of resources addresses the entire fieldwork process, from planning and preparing a project to processing fieldwork materials, with attention to equipment, fieldwork forms, the interview process, media techniques, fieldwork follow-up and analysis, and suggestions for interpreting, using, and sharing fieldwork results. In addition to these resources, Louisiana residents may contact the Folklife Program director.
Folklore in the Community and Documentation ToolsFolklorists work in diverse community settings, applying their fieldwork and research skills to a range of community-based projects. State folk arts programs are most often based at state arts councils, historical societies, museums, and increasingly at universities. Generally, state folk arts programs document, preserve, and present traditional arts of their constituents through a variety of activities, including outreach and research, funding, publications, and public programs such as exhibits, concerts, festivals, tours, and various community partnerships. Many state folk arts programs offer apprenticeships, in which a master artist works with a student in a mentoring relationship, creating an opportunity for intensive one-on-one learning. More and more, folklorists work in the area of heritage tourism, bringing their expertise to working partnerships with museums, parks, and other institutions that present traditional culture. In the wake of natural disasters, folklorists have worked with survivors, communities, and government agencies to help people conserve both tangible and intangible heritage resources that are jeopardized by environmental events, and to document people's experiences of these events. Further, cultural knowledge or traditions may provide a resource on which to draw, as communities recover, heal, and rebuild following natural disasters. Urban and rural development likewise bring to the fore concerns about the conservation of both natural and cultural resources, which are ultimately intertwined; folklorists might serve at consultants as communities face far-reaching transition. Folklife fieldwork can be used as an educational tool in K-12 classrooms. Folklife-based curricula provide a springboard for teachers and students to explore and document the cultural heritage of their communities. In addition to the essays below, see Louisiana Voices, a comprehensive folklife-in-education resource that includes a wealth of tools for educators in Louisiana and beyond. The essays below illustrate the ways that folklorists work in diverse community contexts. Although based in Louisiana, the research and projects presented here provide models that can be applied and adapted elsewhere. The essays presented under Folklore in the Community pose methodological and ethical considerations for folklorists and fieldworkers to consider, inviting us to reflect on our work. Those in the Documentation Tools section provide more practical, hands-on guides to particular areas of folklife research.
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