ABOUT NEW YORK FOLKLORE
NEW YORK FOLKLORE
FUNDERS
Programs of New York Folklore are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature and the following:
WHO WE ARE
New York Folklore is a membership organization, open to all, concerned with furthering cultural equity and strengthening the understanding of the role of folk and traditional arts in our lives. We support folk and traditional artists, community cultural experts, community-based cultural organizations, and academic and public sector folklorists.
New York Folklore was founded in 1944 as New York Folklore Society. At its inception, New York folklore provided opportunities for individuals interested in folklore in New York to share their collecting activities and their scholarship. Through its conferences and publications, the Society provided a vehicle for continued folklife activities in the state. Early members included students of founders Harold Thompson and Louis Jones, as well as folklore scholars and enthusiasts, several of whom were also involved in progressive education experiments and early civil rights activism. The Society began publishing its journal in 1945. The journal, first named New York Folklore Quarterly, was later titled New York Folklore (1977). Since 2000, the Journal has been known as Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore.
New York Folklore hired its first Executive Director (John Suter) in 1991 who developed the Society into a cultural service organization providing professional development and technical assistance to professional folklorists, community cultural experts, grassroots organizations, and folk and traditional artists. Today, New York Folklore has a close partnership with the Folk Arts Program of the New York State Council on the Arts to provide technical assistance to the field in New York State.
MISSION
New York Folklore (NYF) works to nurture traditional arts and culture in New York State through education, support, and outreach.
VISION
New York Folklore envisions a world where the diverse traditions of New York State are fully recognized, appreciated, and celebrated.