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The Greater New Orleans Regional Folklife Program is a non-profit advisory service provided by the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the University of New Orleans' College of Liberal Arts. It works to document area traditions and to facilitate appropriate inclusion of local culture in arenas such as public planning, event programming, education, media presentations, and cultural- and eco-tourism. Its goal is to help organizations develop projects that nurture and celebrate local creativity in ways that will not endanger, but will benefit, our traditional communities as well as the broader society. By helping residents and visitors appreciate the vital roles of diverse cultures in Louisiana's past, present, & future, this program seeks to insure that traditional cultures, and their art forms, survive and thrive. The program assists communities to identify traditions and individuals that can be presented to the public. It maintains a roster of individuals and groups that preserve traditions within their communities. The regional folklorist consults this roster when asked to provide information about performers, speakers, or artists for school programs, festivals, or special events. Projects undertaken by the Louisiana Regional Folklife Program are as varied as the cultures it serves. We welcome the participation of students in our effort to document area traditions through interviews and oral history series, and to help artists document their work. The primary activities of the folklife program largely depend on the activities of the communities it serves. They have included introducing producers from the Food Network to some of the finest Isleño gumbo and caldo cooks and assisting them with appropriate interview questions, developing interpretive strategies for a neighborhood Mardi Gras Indian museum and for the prestigious New Orleans Museum of Art, presenting gospel musicians through interviews and song at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and bringing together artists (such as through the ongoing Louisiana Quilt Documentation Project) to share their stories and techniques. In addition, the folklife program maintains an extensive roster of individuals and groups that preserve traditions within their communities. The regional folklorist often consults this resource when asked to provide information about:
Copyright © 2003 All Rights Reserved. Official website of The Greater New Orleans Regional Folklife Program. |
