To everything--turn, turn, turn.

Hamilton, Gabrielle M.

While a conversation on an organization's infrastructure is not exactly a page-turner, it is important to briefly reflect on the past as the New York Folklore Society moves forward. Here, you will read a full explanation of the history of NYFS, its role throughout the state, and Tom van Buren's vision for the society for the next two years. In March 2015, Tom van Buren began his term as NYFS' new president, and we are pleased to have him serve. As the past president, I have been asked to reflect on the last few years, having served as the society's president from 2010 and having been a board member since 2008.

When one hears the phrase "the Great Recession," we think of Wall Street, the subprime mortgage crisis, and unemployment--hardly the lexicon of the folklorist. And yet, the national financial crisis had very real, often profound, implications for the New York Folklore Society, especially from 2008 to 2014. With government shutdowns, our usual generous funders at the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment of the Arts were not able to release funding on time, thus hampering day-to-day operations at the society and creating a cash-flow crisis. This crisis triggered internal questions on how to best to manage resources, how to maintain existing programs and staffing, and how to simply keep the lights on.

Our first step as a board was to work closely with Ellen McHale, NYFS' executive director and the staff to find ways to limit our expenses. In doing so, the staff fearlessly took on more tasks in order to avoid costly external contractors. When funding continued to be delayed, the NYFS Board and Ellen McHale worked with the Community Loan Fund and the Fund of the City of New York to secure bridge loans in order to maintain operations. Although the society ended each year in the black, NYFS could not weather the cash-flow crisis without an influx of funds to provide a buffer while waiting for major funders. Larger institutions often rely on boards with "deep pockets" or extensive endowments to ensure adequate resources in times of crises. For smaller institutions, the members of the board of directors need to roll up their sleeves. I challenged the board to provide resources for the society through a board-giving program. While the NYFS Board had historically provided outstanding programmatic governance, we were less inclined to regulate giving (call it a "cultural construct"). As a folklorist and educator in the field myself, I knew exactly what kind of financial test I was presenting. I'm grateful that over time--and with the support of the New York Council on Nonprofits, Ellen McHale, and Jessica Schein, NYFS' Board Treasurer--the board found ways to increase giving and helped to ensure our financial stability. The board was not alone in their giving. NYFS is deeply grateful to our many members who increased their donations during that time. We appreciated our members' patience during the delays of materials and their regular copy of Voices. We knew our members had their own financial issues to contend with, but the angels among them helped NYFS tremendously.

To further increase our membership base, I developed the Graduate Student Conference, which encouraged young professionals in the field to gather, present their research, and find support from senior colleagues--and ultimately join the society. We kicked off our program in November 2010 with a conference in New York entitled, "Latino Folk Culture and Expressive Traditions." NYFS partnered with New York University's Latino Studies department for this one-day conference. Student panelists came from local universities, such as NYU and Columbia University, as well as Indiana University and the University of Arizona. In addition, we created a structure where community scholars could share their rich experiences with attendees. The Community Scholars' Panel included Carols Osorio of Cumbia Spirit School of Dance; Ladan Alomar of Centro Civico of Amsterdam; Aurelia Fernandez, Mexican paper artist; and Ivan Dominguez of El Conjunto Folklorico. We also included performing artists and the percussionists from the film Conflicto Rumba. I am pleased to report that five years later, one of our student scholars, Naomi Sturm, is now a member of the NYFS' Board of Directors. NYFS followed a similar format and presented this conference throughout the state, alternating between downstate and upstate, providing educational offerings with wide appeal.

In 2011, NYFS also took on the organization of the New York State Folk Arts Roundtable. Each year, close to 50 folklorists from around the state gather for three days of training and dialogue about experiences in the field, folk arts programming, and collaborative projects for consideration. A special thanks to the NYFS staff for taking on the logistical tasks to make Roundtable as successful as it continues to be.

Other structural changes included the introduction of Regional Representatives throughout the state. There will be two Regional Representatives serving downstate and upstate. NYFS was pleased to hire Eileen Condon, PhD, as the downstate representative. Eileen helps to manage the society's Mentoring and Professional Development Program, initiate local socials, and invites NYFS members, folklorists, and people interested in folklore to gather for downstate events. NYFS is currently seeking an upstate Regional Representative.

Over the last few years, significant sacrifices were made by the NYFS staff themselves--Ellen McHale, Lisa Overholser, Laurie Longfield, and Patti Mason all endured furloughs, not an easy task in a field known for modest salaries and few work opportunities. I am immensely grateful to Ellen McHale's leadership and the willingness of Lisa, Laurie, and Patti to weather the storm while providing a continuity of programs.

Finally, a note of appreciation to Jessica Schein, our past treasurer: a top-notch accountant, Jessica tolerated hours of financial questions from me as we rode the Metro North to meetings throughout the state, phone calls at random hours about tax filings, and endless emails. She definitely knows the time to gain and the time to lose.

Now our purpose turns to all things positive for NYFS. Here's a bright future for the New York Folklore Society!

By Gabrielle M. Hamilton, NYFS President 2010-14

Gabrielle M. Hamilton is the Director of Education and Public Programs at Flushing Town Hall. Photo: Inside Out, A global art project by JR.