From the Director.

Because of our statewide mission, the New York Folklore Society necessarily works in collaboration with a variety of partners. Our most extensive partner has been the Folk Arts Program of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), with which we have partnered since 1990 to provide professional development and technical assistance to the folk arts community within New York State. With NYSCA, New York Folklore conducts the annual New York Folk Arts Roundtable and an ongoing Mentoring and Professional Development Program. NYSCA is also a partner in an annual folk arts internship that is provided to graduate students in folklore, so that they can gain on-the-job public folklore experience.

Since 2016, the New York Folklore Society has also partnered with the William G. Pomeroy Foundation in approving the placement of markers that designate specific sites as important to folklore in New York State. In the past few years, more than 30 markers have been placed throughout the state, highlighting the role of "place" in New York's heritage. "Legends and Lore" recognizes the role of local legends and the folk stories of New York's communities through markers explaining the tales. For more information, or to make a nomination, please see the website: http://www.wgpfoundation.org/index.cfm/nys-historic-grant-programs/legends-lore.

The New York Folklore Society is pleased to enter into two new partnerships in 2018. Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education has begun a program in the Buffalo, NY, region. The project will train community tradition bearers and folk artists in the skills needed to be teaching artists within the K--12 school setting and will introduce classroom educators to curriculum connections, which can be made with folk and traditional arts. A workshop with the nationally recognized consultant on folk arts in education, Amanda Dargan, will be conducted in partnership with the Erie and Niagara County BOCES on August 21 and 22. Participating educators will have the opportunity to have a two-day artist residency in their own classrooms as a follow-up activity. This program is supported by grants from NYSCA and the National Endowment for the Arts, with plans to duplicate it in subsequent years.

Probably, our most extensive partnership in 2018 is our joining with the American Folklore Society (AFS) and NYSCA to co-chair the annual meeting of AFS. This annual conference draws hundreds of folklorists, oral historians, and cultural specialists for four days of academic presentations, workshops, forums, and professional development. This year's theme is "No Illusions, No Exclusions," and it will be held October 17-20, at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Buffalo. We hope you'll plan to join us there as we showcase folklore and folklife, with a special focus on New York State.

The New York Folklore Society remains a membership organization, open to all. We hope to be in YOUR community soon.

Ellen McHale, PhD, Executive Director New York Folklore Society

nyfs@nyfolklore.org

www.nyfolklore.org