Folk & Traditional Arts Links

National

American Folklife Center - The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress was created in 1976 "to preserve and present American Folklife." The Center incorporates the Archive of Folk Culture, a repository for American Folk Music. Its collections have grown to encompass all aspects of folklore and folklife from this country and around the world.

American Folklore Society - Founded in 1888, the American Folklore Society exists to further the discipline of folklore studies, to improve the professional well-being of its members, and to increase the respect given to diverse cultures and their traditions.

National Endowment for the Arts - The National Endowment for the Arts enriches our Nation and its diverse cultural heritage by supporting works of artistic excellence, advancing learning in the arts, and strengthening the arts in communities throughout the country.

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage - Promotes the understanding of contemporary grassroots cultures in the United States and abroad. It produces the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, exhibitions, documentary films and videos, symposia, and educational materials.

Mid Atlantic Region

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation - Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's mission is to celebrate and support the richness and diversity of the region's arts resources and work to make those resources widely accessible both in the mid-Atlantic region and beyond.

State/Multi-County

Erie Arts Museum - A central part of the cultural life in Northwestern Pennsylvania for over 100 years, the Erie Art Museum is a member-supported, non-profit organization that offers an ambitious year-round programming schedule which includes changing exhibitions, concerts, classes, workshops, guided tours, lectures and many special events.

Northern Tier Cultural Alliance - NTCA is a private, non-profit organization based at Mansfield University, Mansfield, Pennsylvania. The Alliance works to promote knowledge of the history and culture--particularly the folk culture--of north central Pennsylvania over an eight-county service area.

Philadelphia Folklore Project - Founded in 1987 as independent public folklife agency, PFP documents, supports, and presents Philadelphia-area folk arts and culture through annual exhibitions, concerts, workshops and assistance to artists and communities.

Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area - Created by Congress in 1996, Rivers of Steel is committed to preserving, interpreting, and managing the historic, cultural, and natural resources related to Big Steel and its related industries in the seven counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Westmoreland, Greene, Fayette, and Washington.

Local

Bottleworks Ethnic Arts Center - Located in Cambria City, a historically designated neighborhood of Johnstown PA, the mission of Bottleworks is to preserve and celebrate the cultural diversity of the peoples of this region through their arts - such as music, dance, costuming, foodways and literary traditions.

Goschenhoppen Historians, Inc. - Located in one of the oldest continuously existing Pennsylvania German communities in America, Goschenhoppen Historicans, Inc. was founded in 1964 in order to preserve the folk culture of the area's earliest immigrant settlers, known as the Pennsylvania Germans.

Nego Gato - Based in Pittsburgh, Nego Gato, Inc. seeks to empower the African community throughout the diaspora while enriching the world community. Nego Gato offers performance and instruction in Capoeira Angola and other arts of Bahia, Brazil.

Susquehanna Folk Music Society - All-volunteer, non-profit organization based in Harrisburg. SFMS is dedicated to preserving and encouraging the traditional arts in Central Pennsylvania through concerts, demonstrations, and workshops.

Festivals

Amani Festival (May) - The AMANI Festival was founded in Carlisle, Pennsyvlania in 1994 by a group of community minded people who saw the need to work towards the elimination of racial, ethnic and other discrimination and prejudice by fostering respect and appreciation among all peoples. The festival seeks to enriching lives with the sights, sounds and smells of many diverse cultures.

Kutztown Festival (June-July)- Annual folklife festival featuring Pennsylvania Dutch culture found in Berks County.

Odunde (June) - ODUNDE is the oldest continuously running African American community festival in Philadelphia and one of the largest in the United States.