The Folklife Program for New Jersey
at Middlesex County Cultural Heritage Commission
|
Anna M. Aschkenes |
Rupal Parekh |
The
aim of the Folklife Program for New Jersey (FPNJ) at the Middlesex County
Cultural and Heritage Commission is to broaden appreciation for and availability
of folk arts, folklore, folklife; identify and preserve folk traditions
expressed by the people of central New Jersey; provide a forum for presentation
of New Jersey and regional folk artists, as recognized by their community
for excellence; and to encourage public involvement in the folk arts through
cross cultural exchange and educational programming. It serves the central
New Jersey region, including all or parts of the counties of Middlesex,
Somerset, Mercer, Monmouth, Union, and Essex. Programs are open to the
public and are free of charge.
The FPNJ was created in 1990 to respond to local community needs identified through a cultural planning process of the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, an agency of county government. The MCCHC is responsible for the development of county wide programs that promote public interest in local and county history and in the arts, and in the cultural values, goals, traditions of the community, the state and the nation.
Among
the MCCHC’s programs, the Folklife Program uniquely addresses changing
demographics, reaches populations historically outside the mainstream
arts community, and provides a foundation for cultural expression and
understanding. Nurtured initially by experienced leaders in the field
of public folklore programming, the FPNJ is staffed by a full time folklife
specialist and is supported by clerical staff and public relations personnel.
Shaped by community aesthetics, the Folklife Program adds to the body
of knowledge about the folk arts practiced in the central region of New
Jersey by providing public presentations, in-school and public residencies
and workshops, fieldwork and documentation, and interpretive materials
such as educational guides. Many interpretive materials are printed bilingually.
Projects and Programs
El Dia de los Muertos: Day of the Dead celebrations were conceived and presented in conjunction with the Mexican communities of Perth Amboy and New Brunswick in 2000. Here local residents (primarily new immigrants from Mexico and South America) created public ofrendas (offering tables) replete with traditional food, Mariachi music, paper decorations, papier mache skeletons and personal rememberances of loved ones.
Philippine Lenten Traditions: The expressions of Semana Santa (Holy Week), as practiced in central NJ and Hudson County, formed the basis of major programming in 2001, with PINTIG, Samahan Cultural Heritage - Eastern Seaboard, Inc., and the Federation of Philippine Societies in NJ as partners. Events representing traditions of Manila and the islands of Marinduque took place in Middlesex County and Jersey City. These included Palaspas (palm weaving), Pabasa or chanting the sacred Pasyon, a Moriones Mask exhibit/workshop, a workshop on Filipino foods and the presentation of Lenten music performed by members of the Philippine Rondalla.
The Storytellers Cottage: This site was established in 1994 to encourage preservation of oral traditions and to promote cross cultural exchange by presenting regional storytelling sessions. More than 100 presentations have been offered, including most recently Ken Corsbie, a Guyana native who told tales from the Caribbean Islands, Barbara Aliprantis, a trilingual presenter from Greece (American Sign was her third language), and John Talking Leaves of the Ramapo Lenape Nation, who told Native American Stories.
World
Festival Series: The Folklife Program has a long-standing relationship
with the New Jersey Perfoming Arts Center in Newark, and each year brings
talented international artists from their world festival series to Middlesex
County. Internationally recognized masters of tradition are often presented
with a local folk group, thus creating an opportunity for interaction
and exchange. Past programs from this series include a workshop given
by Ensemble Koteba d’ Abidjan (Ivory Coast), the Mindanao Kulintang
Ensemble (Philippines), and Grupo Mono Blanco (Veracruz, Mexico).
Carriers of Light: The Carriers of Light Project celebrates the tradition of lantern-making throughout the world. Begun in the fall of 2002. It will encompass fieldwork, workshops, lectures, and an exhibition at East Jersey Olde Towne Village in Piscataway, NJ.
Chinese Wedding Traditions: The Commission is helping The Newark
Museum to develop a relationship with the Chinese community in central
and northern New Jersey. The Commission and Museum have chosen Chinese
Wedding Traditions as a theme for the long term collaboration, which will
include a series of local exhibitions in Middlesex County that will draw
from the Museum’s extensive Chinese collection.
Resources
Available upon request
- In the Tradition of Our Ancestors (publication and poster)
- Archive and Lending Library of Folk Arts Resources
- Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission Monthly Newsletter
- Educational Guides and Curricula
- Directory of Asian Cultural Resources in New Jersey
(also available online at www.asiadirectory.org)
Funders
The Folklife Program for New Jersey is funded by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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