From the director.
McHale, Ellen
This past October 2015, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
bestowed their most prestigious annual award for Folk and Traditional
Arts--the National Heritage Fellowship. This year, the award was given
to 11 individuals, who represented many different artistic traditions,
from circus aerialist Dolly Jacobs to Cambodian ceramicist Yary Livan.
Included in the 2015 class of National Heritage Fellows is New Yorker,
Michael Alpert, who participated in the New York Folklore Society's
conference, "Voices of Belief," held in Poughkeepsie in 2007.
His biography, as published on the NEA website reads as follows:
Singer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and scholar Michael Alpert
has been a key figure in the renaissance of East European Jewish music
and culture worldwide since the 1970s. A native Yiddish speaker, he is
one of the only Yiddish singers of his generation adept in the style of
pre- WWII generations. Alpert is a celebrated innovator in Yiddish song,
whose original compositions have expanded the canon. A leading teacher
and scholar, his work has helped spark an international revitalization
of the Yiddish cultural arts, from Yiddish folksong and dance to klezmer
violin.... Moving to New York City in 1979, he was co-founder of the
pioneering klezmer band Kapelye, and began intensive documentation of
traditional East Europeanborn Yiddish performers.... [Alpert] is
currently a Senior Research Fellow at New York City's Center for
Traditional Music and Dance. (National Endowment for Arts/NEA National
Heritage Fellowships <https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/
fellows/michael-alpert>)
Congratulations Michael!
I am also saddened to report the passing of the 2014 National
Heritage Award winner, Henry Arquette (see <www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/
voic39-3-4/voic39-3-4.html>). A resident of Akwesasne, Henry was a
master basketmaker in the Mohawk tradition of utilitarian baskets. His
baskets of pounded black ash splints (laundry, corn washing, picnic,
wedding, pack, and potato baskets) were renowned for their skilled
craftsmanship. Henry was much respected in his Mohawk community not only
for his basketmaking, but also for his environmental advocacy and his
willingness to pass on his knowledge in teaching others.
The New York Folklore Society would also like to announce a new
staff position and hire. Marcia Moss has begun a position as Director of
Development for the New York Folklore Society. Marcia comes to NYFS with
a wealth of development experience, and she will be working with NYFS
staff and board members to build a solid financial foundation for our
future.
Looking forward to 2016, please plan to join us for our 2016
conference to be held April 2 at the Cooper Union, New York City.
"Crisis of Place: Preserving Folk and Vernacular Architecture in
New York State" will bring together folklorists, architects,
historic preservationists, museum professionals, community members, and
students to address a significant crisis in our understanding of
everyday landscapes and the built environment: where and what is the
folk and vernacular architecture of 21st-century America? The conference
will feature plenaries, tours, local foodways, and more. Please watch
for details!
Ellen McHale, PhD, Executive Director
New York Folklore Society
nyfs@nyfolklore.org
www.nyfolklore.org
