New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) Folk Arts Program
| David Miller |
Kim H. Nguyen |
The
Folk Arts Program at the New Jersey State Council on the Arts provides
statewide support for the traditional, community-based activities that
are the wellspring of folk arts and artists, as well as for projects and
programs that bring those arts and artists to general audiences. The Folk
Arts Program is part of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, an agency
in the New Jersey Department of State, whose mission is to improve the
quality of life for the people and communities of New Jersey by helping
the arts to flourish.
The Council’s program was established in 1983 to develop special projects on folk arts and folklife. Among those projects were the exhibition New Jersey Pinelands, Tradition and Environment, the publication Pinelands Folklife, the films Pinelands Sketches and Schooners on the Bay, and the Folk Arts Constituency Survey and Community Studies projects.
In
1993, based upon the information gathered from the Folk Arts Constituency
Survey and the Community Studies projects, the Council reconstituted the
Folk Arts Program to provide services and support for folk arts and artists
through a statewide infrastructure. To achieve this goal, the Council
supported and facilitated the development of the programs and organizations
that now constitute the New Jersey Folklife Partners.
The Council’s Folk Arts Program provides funding for folk artists and folk arts activities through Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grants and Grants to Organizations for Special Projects, General Operating Support, General Program Support, Folk Arts in Education, and Community Collaborations. The Program also provides consultation, technical assistance, and resources for the inclusion of culturally diverse artists and organizations, and serves as catalyst and support for a wide variety of folk arts special projects.
Projects and Programs
Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grants: There is a remarkable wealth of
traditional artists in New Jersey, from ethnic communities as well as
regional and occupational groups. Apprenticeship Grants encourage communities
to continue passing on their valued traditions in traditional settings
by providing stipends so that master artists and craftsmen can help apprentices
develop greater skill and knowledge. Since 1995, the grants have supported
more than one hundred apprenticeships in many different cultural communities
and traditional art forms. Many of these artists have gone on to perform
and present for general audiences, as well as their own communities, thus
enriching the cultural resources of all New Jerseyans.
To see more photos of NJSCA apprenticeships, visit the apprenticeship program page.
Folk
Arts and Education Programs: Since 1977, the NJSCA has been supporting
Folk Arts and Education projects in a variety of formats to schools throughout
the state. Single performances and four-day residencies of folk artists
have allowed students to work with artists from many different cultures.
Several long-term projects have supported the work of folklorists to develop
ethnography-based programs in school districts and counties. In 1978,
artists from the Cramer Hill area of Camden participated in residencies
at the Veteran’s Memorial Middle School. That program was documented
in the publication A Tree Smells Like Peanut Butter.
In 1980-81, the Pinelands region of the state was surveyed and its traditional craftspeople and artists were presented at the Bayville Regional High School.
In
1983-85, communities in Cumberland County were researched and a graduate
course for teachers, Folklife in the Curriculum , was offered through
Rowan University. Teachers from throughout the county worked with folk
artists to develop curricula for residency programs in their classrooms.
The program is documented in Passing
It On: Folk Artists and Education in Cumberland County.
From 1986-88, following research in Essex County, the Cumberland model was duplicated through Montclair State College.
Statewide Fieldwork Project: With support from the National Endowment on the Arts, the NJSCA Folk Arts Program is providing support for a statewide fieldwork project carried out by the New Jersey Folklife Partners. Working with professional folklorists and ethnographers, community scholars, and interns, the regional folklife centers will carry out research and documentation in new communities throughout the state. The project will enhance the NJSCA’s outreach for the Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grant Program as well as allow it and the regional folklife centers to provide greater technical assistance and support to diverse cultural communities.
Resources
Available Upon Request:
- Report to the Field (newsletter)
- Annual Reports
- Grant Applications
- Passing It On: Folk Artists and Education in Cumberland County (book)
Services Available to the Public, Organizations, and Artists:
- Internships
- Technical Assistance for Folk Arts Programming
Funders
The NJSCA receives ongoing support from the State of New Jersey and the National Endowment for the Arts, and has received special project grants from the Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund. In addition, it receives funding through cosponsored projects with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey Network Foundation.
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