The Delaware Valley Folklife Center
at Walt Whitman Cultural Arts Center
| Pamela Bridgeforth |
Stephen D. Winick |
The
mission of the Delaware Valley Folklife Center (DVFC) is to raise awareness
of the Delaware Valley’s diverse multicultural heritage, and to
create dialogue among communities, by fostering, presenting and preserving
traditional and emergent folk arts and folklore in and of the Delaware
Valley region. In addition to carrying out research and documentation
activities, the DVFC provides an exhibition series and a performance series
at the Walt Whitman Arts Center, residencies in area schools, and technical
assistance to artists. An archive is also under development.
The
Delaware Valley Folklife Center was established in 1999 with funding and
technical assistance from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and
the National Endowment for the Arts. Its focus is the urban and suburban
corridor along the Delaware River, including all or parts of Burlington,
Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer counties.
The DVFC is hosted by the Walt Whitman Arts Center (WWAC), which seeks
to enrich the quality of life and to promote economic and social progress
in the City of Camden by providing educational art activities for children
and youth in the literary, visual and performing arts; opportunities for
the broader adult population to participate in art activities; and support
and exposure for regional artists engaged in quality traditional and non-traditional
work significant to working people.
Projects and Programs
EXHIBITIONS
Lullaby
for Dreamland: This photo exhibit tells an important part of the story
of African-American music in southern New Jersey. “Dreamland,”
a jazz club in Lawnside, New Jersey, was a popular site for the development
of African American jazz musicians, as well as a key social and cultural
site for the African American community, between the 1930s and 1970s.
Some of the musicians who played there included Jimmy Preston, Sarah Vaughan,
Earl Curry, and Dottie Smith. The exhibit was accompanied with a concert
series that brought back old timers from the Dreamland era. A CD-DVD is
being developed.
A Sense of Place: An oral history-based photo exhibit, "A Sense of Place" reviews the history of Camden as related to the building in which the Walt Whitman Arts Center is located, which was formerly a library donated by the founder of the RCA Company to the people of Camden. Residents of the neighborhood recount their memories of the building and its part in the life of the city.
Building
Looms and Weaving Dreams:This exhibit documents the extraordinary
work of the Guatemalan weaver Armando Sosa. Included in the exhibit were
textiles and one of the looms that he built to carry out his work here
in the United States.
Tales of the Jersey Devil: One of the oldest and best known legends of the region is of the Jersey Devil. The exhibit provides accounts of sightings over the centuries as well as artifacts and graphics that show how the Jersey Devil has been depicted and incorporated into commercial and folk media.
Folk Arts Residencies: Folk artists, including percussionist Marlon Simon, are presented in schools in the area.
International Folk Concerts: Musicians and singers presenting African, Asian, North American and European music from communities in our region are presented in concerts regularly.
FESTIVALS
Annual Caribbean Carnival: The DVFC works with a coalition of local Caribbean presenters to stage this event in Camden. It includes the foods and music and dance of the numerous countries of the Caribbean that are represented in the population of the Camden area.
Juneteenth: This celebration of African-American culture, first presented in 2003, may become an annual event. Juneteenth, an African-American holiday traditionally celebrated on June 19th, commemorates the date that news of the Emancipation Proclamation made it to the state of Texas.
Resources
Available upon request:
- Archive (under supervision of the director)
- Contact Information for Folk and Traditional Artists
- Traveling Exhibits, including Lullaby for Dreamland, Building
Looms
and Weaving Dreams, and Tales of the Jersey Devil - Public Presentations about Folklore of the Region
Services Available to the Public, Organizations, and Artists:
- Technical Assistance
- Performance Opportunities for Artists (available on a case by case
basis)
Funders
The Delaware Valley Folklife Center receives ongoing support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, and has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
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