From the Director.
McHale, Ellen
As the New York Folklore Society approaches its 75th anniversary
(1944-2019), we are mindful of our history, while looking forward to new
horizons. NYFS Board President Tom van Buren stated in his recent member
letter that the New York Folklore Society was founded in 1944, "to
serve the folklore community, whether in academia, in applied or public
sector work, among folk artists themselves, and any and all persons with
interest in the subject and its related fields." Your membership
supports Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore, as well as the many
programs of the Society. We hope to expand our membership in 2016. If
you haven't yet renewed, please do so. If you are not yet a member,
please consider joining!
We have much to report. On February 28, we convened local and
national leaders for panel presentations and townhall-style dialogue, on
the topic of "Democratizing the (Folk) Arts Nonprofit
Workplace." This forum about inclusive governance and
decision-making was introduced and moderated by its organizer,
folklorist Eileen Condon, the NYFS New York City Representative. The
forum was supported in part by funding from the Technical Assistance
Consultancy Program of the American Folklore Society. View video of this
forum on our website:
<www.nyfolklore.org/progs/conf-symp/forum2016-video.html>.
Our conference, Crisis of Place: Preserving Folk and Vernacular
Architecture in New York was a tremendous success, attracting vernacular
historians, architects, folklorists, and geographers to the Rose
Auditorium of The Cooper Union in New York City on April 2. Panel
presentations highlighted both graduate student work, as well as the
important work of community advocates and public folklorists. Andrew
Dolkart of Columbia University and Michael Ann Williams of Western
Kentucky University shared the keynote presentation.
During the 2016 Annual Meeting on April 2, 2016, we welcomed two
new members to the Board of Directors. Julie Tay is the founder and
executive director of Mencius Society for the Arts, which focuses on
Chinese classical and folk cultural arts. Also joining the Board is
Wilfredo Morel, a sculptor and gallery owner, community arts activist,
and Director of Hispanic Health for Hudson River Health Care in
Peekskill. Our board members are elected by the NYFS membership. Next
year, with the newly approved bylaws change, we will be able to deliver
a ballot and other materials to our members via email or other
electronic means, providing greater membership participation in the
Society's decisionmaking.
Finally, I am pleased to report that the Society is partnering with
the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) for a folk arts survey of
a large part of Central and Western New York State, helping to extend
our reach to and understanding of the folk arts in New York. Following
the groundbreaking work of the Folk Arts Program of NYSCA, many areas of
the state have received support for traditional arts activities. This
project will seek to specifically document traditions in new areas, with
Central New York and Southwestern New York being particularly targeted.
Hannah Davis, our NYFS Upstate Representative, will begin her work in
May 2016, and will be "on the ground" throughout the rest of
the 2016 calendar year.
Ellen McHale, PhD, Executive Director
New York Folklore Society
nyfs@nyfolklore.org
www.nyfolklore.org
