The Down Jersey Folklife Center
at Wheaton Village
| Susan Gogan |
Iveta Pirgova |
The
mission of the DJFC is to research, document, interpret, and present the
traditional cultures of the “Down Jersey” region of the state,
which includes Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties and
parts of Ocean and Gloucester counties. The Center seeks to create a higher
awareness of community diversity, to increase public knowledge of, and
to foster appreciation and respect for the folk arts and folklife. Our
method is to support communication through the languages of the traditional
arts, and to invite a wide variety of artists and audiences to participate
in an ongoing exploration of the creative process.
The
DJFC was established in September 1994 in cooperation with the New Jersey
State Council on the Arts. Since that date, the DJFC has shared the results
of continuing fieldwork with various audiences in exhibits, performances,
workshops, and gatherings at Wheaton Village, other cultural sites, and
area schools.
The Down Jersey Folklife Center explores and relates the activities and international perspectives of those people whose creativity has informed the cultural heritage of our region, and of those who inform it now, in an increasingly interdependent world. The communities featured at the DJFC reflect the cultural diversity in southern New Jersey, including ethnic, occupational, and regional groups.
The DJFC is hosted by Wheaton Village, whose mission is to celebrate and spark creativity in all people confronting life’s challenges. The organization uses glass – the historically predominant medium in southern New Jersey – and other art forms and folkways as lenses through which to see and to share the creative spirit. Collections, educational programs, artistic initiatives, research projects and community outreach efforts are inspired by the common purpose of stimulating excellence in creative endeavor and appreciation of the creative process. The Village encompasses an historic Glass Factory, the Creative Glass Center of America, and the Museum of American Glass, in addition to the Folklife Center.
Projects and Programs
Most activities of the DJFC include research and documentation of community events, archiving of materials, and development of educational programs in collaboration with traditional artists, community members, and professional folklorists. The DJFC seeks to work with a wide variety of audiences and to provide them with programs related to their specific needs.
EXHIBITIONS
Mummers Masks and Costumes: This exhibit, developed in collaboration with the Mummer’s Museum, focused on the development of the mummers’ masks and costumes over a hundred year period.
Traditions
and Identity: The program was designed to show the significance of
the folk arts and crafts of Native Americans both in the past and in contemporary
life. It focused on traditions of the Lenni-Lenape, who call themselves
“the original people of Cumberland County” and define their
culture as “being, doing, and talking.”
Succoth: Jewish Harvest Festival: Pictures, sculptures, and written materials were provided to tell primary school children the story of Succoth and to explain its major symbols.
Tales of the Jersey Devil: A collaborative project with the Delaware Valley Folklife Center.
CONCERT SERIES
Mini-concerts: These events feature one-to-three artists representing different regional, historical or ethnic styles in folk music. Presenters have included Jim Albertson, Valerie Vaughn, and Steve Byrne, among others.
Ancient Instruments in Modern Time: This concert series presents musical events that compare different world traditions. Concerts have focused on the bagpipes of Scotland, Poland, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria and Macedonia, and Medieval and Renaissance eras, and the stringed instruments of various countries, including the Arabic oud, Turkish baglama, Indian sitar, and Russian balalaika.
Thematic Concerts: Concerts presented in 2002-2003 included “Puerto Rican Cuatro, Plena and Bomba Festival,” “Mummers Concert,” “Native American Expressive Culture: A Pow Wow Evening,” and “Celtic Celebration of Irish and Welsh Music.”
WORKSHOPS
Folk
artists not only perform for the audience, but also teach audience members
music, dance and crafts. Presentations have included:
- Japanese-American Minyo Dancers and Hoh Daiko Drummers
- Estonian Music, Dance, Food and Friendship
- General Mercer’s Mummers
- Lenape Crafts -- Leather Pouches and Beadwork
- Eastern Woodland Traditional Baskets
- Beading and Flute Making
- Pine Needle Basketry
- Pottery
International Music and Dance Weekend, a three-day camp with dance and music workshops, lectures, parties, and performances.
RITUAL PERFORMANCES
These events present the complex nature of the folk ritual. They focus on the ways that the ritual symbol is expressed in word, music, dance, special objects, and actions.
Family Ceremonies -- Traditional Weddings: Each year in June, the DJFC presents a dramatization of a traditional wedding of a southern New Jersey cultural community. Those presented so far include Bulgarian, Cambodian, and Turkish weddings.
Community Holidays: The DJFC celebrates holidays such as Halloween and Hanukkah with events that feature story telling, crafts, songs, games, and food.
Resources
Available upon request:
- Celebrating Life: Images of Down Jersey Folk Artists, a Traveling Exhibit
- Public Presentations about Folklore of the Region
- Archive
Services available to the public:
- Internships
- Technical Assistance
- Performance Opportunities for Artists
Funders
The Down Jersey Folklife Center receives ongoing support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
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