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The Folk Artist Survey Form can be downloaded in PDF or Word format.
Using The Louisiana Folklife Survey Form The Louisiana Folklife Survey is an ongoing project of the Louisiana Folklife Program in cooperation with universities participating in the Louisiana Regional Folklife Program which seeks out traditional artists and communities and documents them through interview, tape, and/or film.The Louisiana Folklife Survey Form can be used by professional folklorists and com-munity members. The form enables us to gather information about individuals in a simple, straight-forward manner. Survey forms are deposited at one of the Regional Folklife Program sites, and the information is added to the Louisiana Folklife Database. Fieldworkers seeking to apply more sophisticated research methodology should read Folklife and Fieldwork: A Layman's Introduction to Field Techniques by the American Folklife Center. Teachers using fieldwork with students should refer to Louisiana Voices: An Educator's Guide to Exploring Our Communities and Traditions, Unit II Fieldwork Basics for Teachers. A simpler Louisiana Voices Folklife Interview Survey Form for students is available for classroom projects. The purpose of the survey form is to gather specific information. Any notes or personal comments not directly related to or supplementary to the questions on the form should be written on a note pad. Tape recording of interviews is recommended. Summary answers may be used on the survey form, with additional details attached to the form or kept in field notes. Please complete as much of the form as possible. Some items on the survey form may need some explanation: Individual Identification: For Community/Neighborhood give the local name of residence, if any. Directions to the residence are also helpful. Group Identification: If the artist performs in a band or group such as a dance company, or works for an artistically-related firm, get the name of the group or company, the manager or contact name, and phone number. Family Identification: This may be self-evident, though for education and occupation, you may want to make notes on your note pad before filling in the blanks. Similarly, Family Notes may be too lengthy to list, so express it concisely. For children, get at least the number; you may also get names and ages. For Cultural/Ethnic Identification, keep in mind that ethnicity or culture is at times a sensitive subject. You may note as many as apply, but this is not a genealogy. Ask with which group the person being interviewed most closely identifies. Let the informant name the primary ethnicity for "Cultural/Ethnic Identification." One way to elicit this information is to read the following categories to the interviewee: African American, African French, Anglo-Scots-Irish, Arab American, Cajun, Creole, Croatian, Chinese, Czech, Filipino, French, German, Irish, Isleņo, Italian, Hispanic, Hungarian, Jewish, Norwegian, Scottish, Swedish, Yugoslav, or Native American (ask tribe). Some people may identify with more than one group. After finding out the name and birthplace of mother and father, you may intuit the primary group, or if the interviewee gives more than one response. Traditional Skill, Performance, Art Form: List the skill or art form. How and from whom it was learned will help define its traditional nature; moreover, it may lead you to additional practitioners. Techniques and tools and details of learning may need to be recorded on your note pad and transferred, because in some cases they may be too numerous to list. Public Performance Information: This information should assist people organizing festival, exhibits, or other types of programs determine whether this folk artist is appropriate for their project. Some people need to bring an assistant or other necessary partner/ driver. Check the types of public performance in which the artist is qualified to participate. Note any travel difficulties and special needs. Important Release Form: Without signatures, the information cannot be released or used in the Louisiana Folklife Database–a computerized database maintained by the Louisiana Regional Folklife Program at Northwestern State University. This Release Form only addresses the information on the form. A separate form is required to deposit any audio tapes, photography, or other materials in an archive. Both interviewer and the interviewee must sign and date the release. |
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