Written by guest author, Chief Baba Neil Clarke The Pinkster Festival is a very important 350-year-old, but little known, Africanized celebration which took place annually in the Hudson River Valley region, including the N.Y.C. area for almost two hundred years. ...
New York Folklore is governed by a Board of Directors that is drawn from the membership. Membership in the Board of Directors reflects the diversity and geography of New York State. A term of service on the board is two years. An individual can serve for three terms...
New York Folklore is pleased to announce that its website, https://www.nyfolklore.org, now provides increased access to back issues of its publication, Voices: the Journal of New York Folklore. Founded as the New York Folklore Society in 1944, the organization quickly...
DEVESH CHANDRA has been learning the Tabla since the age of 3. He learned Indian Classical Music by accompanying his mother, renowned Sitar exponent Veena Chandra and he continues to perform with her. Their mother and son duo has received national and international...
Helen Condon learned the art of rag rug braiding over fifty years ago from her grandmother, Sarah Campbell Taylor, who taught her how to make braided rugs using discarded, wool clothing. Using the skills in braiding and matching colors learned at thirteen years old,...
ZORKIE NELSON is a master percussionist, traditional flute player and vocalist specializing in the Ga cultural tradition. Born into a family of musicians in the West African city of Accra, Ghana, Zorkie has studied music since the age of seven. His accomplishments...
Noah Khoury is a second generation blacksmith, as his father was a blacksmith and a welder. In his teenage years, he worked alongside his father,  teaching middle-school aged youth at a summer workshop program in Altamont, NY called the Helderberg Workshops. After...
Zhong-hua Lu, who was born in 1958, learned Chinese brush painting from his father and five uncles in Shandong Province, China, beginning at age five. Currently, he teaches traditional Chinese Arts, including Tai Chi and Chinese brush painting, at Mass MOCA, Williams...
The nominating committee of the New York Folklore Board has announced their slate for the 2022-2024 Board of Directors.  Thank you to these talented individuals who have agreed to offer their expertise to New York Folklore! As is stated in the New York Folklore...
Folk and Traditional Artists pursue an art form or activity that is rooted within their community, family, and/or heritage. This form of artistic expression is often learned over time through repeated experience and purposeful or informal teaching. These one-on-one or...
Each year, the Public Programs Section of the American Folklore Society joins with the AFS Executive Board to award the Benjamin A. Botkin Prize. This annual award honors an individual for significant lifetime achievement in public folklore. New York Folklore joins...
Felix Nelson, conducting a dance lesson as part of a Ghanaian drumming and dance residency as part of the Schoharie River Center's Middleburgh, NY Advantage Afterschool Program in 2021. Photo by Ellen McHale Local Learning and New York Folklore are pleased to...
Here we grow again! As we look towards new projects and programs for 2021 and in the future, New York Folklore is growing - with new leadership and members for the Board of Directors, and with the addition of several new staff members and partnerships.In partnership...
The Board of Directors of New York Folklore requests your presence at the Annual Meeting of New York Folklore, to take place on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. via Zoom.
The link to attend can be found here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-york-folklore-annual-meeting-and-election-tickets-135346584277
The meeting agenda will include remarks from outgoing President, Tom van Buren and President-elect Maria Kennedy; a report from Executive Director Ellen McHale; and opportunities to interact with other members and attendees.
Please plan to join us for this celebratory event!
The slate for members and officers of the Board of Directors of New York Folklore is to be presented as follows: Maria Kennedy, President; James Hall, Vice President; Members Evelyn D’Agostino-Sasso, MacKenzie Kwok, Ed Millar, Wilfredo Morel, and William Walker.
Gratitude. That is a difficult word to embrace this year, as we collectively battled a pandemic, a tumultuous election, and the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives – some of whom were friends, neighbors, and family.   However, I would like to take this moment to...