I was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. At a young age, my parents were my inspiration. My father is an artist and a musician. He loves to sing, play the piano, and paint things that remind him of Puerto Rico. My mother is also a talented musician who likes to sing music...
Born in Armenia, I spent my childhood in the historical Armenian highlands of Artsakh where my grandparents indulged me in various traditional arts and crafts. A master of needlework, my grandma fashioned ornate and beautiful linens embroidered with traditional...
Jianling (Ling) Yue teaches Chinese language and culture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. Her teaching and academic pursuits have earned her numerous awards and commendations. Jianling is also an expert in Chinese paper-cutting (or paper-cut)...
Meet Ahmad Shah Wali Flying a kite is one of the most exhilarating experiences a child or an adult can have. A sense of pride, joy, and accomplishment washes over them as their eyes watch this object that they built fly into the sky. Flying kites helps family...
Hayden Haynes is an antler carving artist working deeply in cultural arts revitalization and teaching. Born in Claremore, OK, Hayden grew up on the Seneca-Cattaraugus Territory in Western New York. It is from here where he draws inspiration related to land, history,...
Pamela Badila is a folkteller artist and co-founder, along with her late husband Elombe Badila, of the Diata Diata International Folkloric Theatre. Pamela Badila is a visual and performing artist with a background in education. As part of of Diata Diata...
Today, I exited off the Michigan Avenue Exit ramp of Schenectady's I-890, and smiled. Looming in front of me was the mural that was created at the end of June 2024 by Raè Frasier of Art Money, three students enrolled in the Schenectady Job Training Agency's after...
For the 40th annual New York Folk Arts Roundtable, New York Folklore brought the Roundtable to our neighborhood in Schenectady, NY. For this big milestone we were joined by one of our largest cohorts ever! Things kicked off on Sunday, April 28th at the Arts Education...
                              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...
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...
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...
Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education has been doing innovative work in New York State through its annual Culture, Community and the Classroom workshops.  The Culture, Community and the Classroom workshops take place over several days,...
From February through July, 2019, New York Folklore engaged in a unique partnership project through the United States Department of State and the non-profit organization, World Learning. Involving both a virtual exchange and an in-person exchange, New York Folklore...