On November 18th and 19th 2010, The Oregon Folklife Network (OFN) presented our inaugural symposium, “Public Folklore in the 21st Century”, at the University of Oregon with honored guest speaker, Bill Ivey.* The symposium, which took place at the Many Nations Longhouse on the UO campus, examined the state of public folklore, folk arts and heritage programming in the Pacific Northwest. It drew over 200 people, largely from Oregon and Washington, including executives and representatives from state arts, museum, non-profit, and grantmaking organizations; university students, faculty, and administration; and community members, folk artists, and public folklorists. Together, we strategized how to make the OFN and its partner programs vibrant, relevant, and sustainable within the cultural, political, and economic realities of the 21st century. Here is a summary of the day’s events, including advice from the professional panel to the OFN and other symposium attendants.
10:00 – 10:45: Welcome and opening remarks by Dean Scott Coltrane (College of Arts and Sciences), Dean Frances Bronet (School of Architecture and Allied Arts), Lisa Gilman (Director, Folklore Program) and Doug Blandy (Associate Dean, School of Architecture and Allied Arts)
11:00 – 12:30: Panel “Invited Perspectives: Public Folklore in the 21st Century.” Moderator: Lisa Gilman, Director, Folklore Program, University of Oregon
Brief outline of panelists comments
Willie Smyth, (Folk Arts Program Manager, Washington State Arts Commission) alerted us…
– Of the importance of building partnerships for strength and efficiency during this time of economic challenge
– That this is a critical time for folklife organizations to collaborate with one another, complementary agencies, and communities across the state for effectiveness and sustainability
Rebecca Dobkins, (Curator, Hallie Ford Museum; Chair of Anthropology Dept, Willamette U.) asked us to consider…
– How the OFN can best collaborate to meet its constituent needs given Oregon’s rapid rate of increasing diversity.
– The existing and potential spaces for civic and community dialog and engagement, especially between new and old Oregonians and between Oregon’s people and the land
Carol Spellman, (Educator; Independent Folklorist; Former Arts Ed Coordinator, Oregon Folklife Program) challenged us…
– To question what the “brand” of “folklore” and “folklife” means to people, and how to invest value and significance in these words
– To recognize issues of access that accompany dependence on the Internet given the digital divide, and the transience of student help given the need for trust bonds
Christine D’Arcy, (Exec Director, Oregon Arts Commission and Oregon Cultural Trust) excited us…
– To create value around Public Folklore research and activities by identifying those who care, and articulating why it matters to those who should
– To become outspoken advocates of Folklore Programming, insisting on the support and funding that organizations like OFN urgently require
Devon Leger (Folk Arts Promoter, Hearth Music) reminded us…
– Of the potential that for-profit models can bring to arts and culture organizations, by bringing monies to, and raising value of, both artists and advocates
– That for-profit and non-profit models are not at odds, but can complement each other in an organization’s sustainable funding model
Bill Ivey, (Director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University; Seventh chair of the NEA) inspired us…
– To unite public and academic folklore, and bring the theoretical into practice, for the benefit of community life
– To foster a post-consumer sensibility that places historical preservation in the hands of the public, not under private or corporate control.
1:30-2:45: Breakout session. Moderator: Doug Blandy, Associate Dean, Architecture and Allied Arts, University of Oregon
During lunch, each table discussed one of the assigned questions below. Following lunch, each table reported their deliberations back to the larger group. Each table’s “scribe” captured this discussion and posted them to the symposium’s twitter feed, archived at http://twapperkeeper.com/hashtag/ofn2010. Comments made to these questions will inform the ways in which the OFN advances its mission. Questions included:
- What should be the mission of a Folklife Network in a democratic multicultural society?
- What strategies are required for this network to be fully inclusive and integrated into communities throughout the state?
- How can an Oregon Folklife Network support folklife in Oregon while simultaneously cultivating folklife that is regionally based in Cascadia?
- What models for promoting folklife might be emerging outside of the field of public sector folklore or cultural administration?
- Describe a comprehensive multi source funding strategy with associated activities that could sustain the Oregon Folklife Network.
- What pressing issues affecting the citizens of Oregon, social, cultural, and economic, should be addressed by an Oregon Folklife Network?
- What is the role of new and legacy media in the construction of folklife and culture?
- What strategies can the OFN use in the production and reproduction of folklife to avoid typing and stereotyping?
3:00 – 4:00: Panel “Students Working in Public Folklore: Field Research, Community and the Academic Mission.” Moderator: John Fenn, Assistant Professor, Arts and Administration, University of Oregon
An afternoon panel of four current and former Folklore and Arts and Administration students–Alistair Bersch (Folklore alumnus), Suzanne Reed (Folklore alumnus), Stephanie Moore (Arts and Administration student), and Milo Petruziello (Arts and Administration alumnus)– presented on graduate research projects they’d conducted. All four projects illustrate the dynamic relationship between folklore methods, arts management perspectives, and cultural policy orientations that is a growing component of academic training at UO and a significant asset for the Oregon Folklife Network. The students’ insightful reports and comments led to a fruitful conversation with audience members about the potential for the OFN and the academic missions of the Arts & Administration program, the Folklore program, and the UO in general to mutually reinforce each other.
Thoughts on the symposium… In closing, the OFN is envisioned as a network, both dependent upon and simultaneously servicing a variety of partners around the state, and we celebrate the symposium’s success in bringing together such numerous and diverse, current and prospective partners, into productive dialog. This was an important first step in enacting our mission. There are many more steps to follow, and they will be guided by the wealth of advice from our symposium participants and panelists.
A folklorist reminiscing about the Good Days, when Bill Ivey was the chair of the NEA, remembered that every time he addressed our nation and its leaders, he started with, “I’m Bill Ivey, and I’m a folklorist.” The impact of this constant reminder, she said, was the elevation of folklore and its value across the country. Many times over the days that Bill was our guest, he inspired that sense of pride at hearing the word “folklore” so frequently, and with great value, in such diverse venues. Great thanks to Bill, and all our participants, collaborators, and volunteers, for nurturing such pride in folklore.
* Folklorist Bill Ivey, is the Director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University, served as Team Leader for Arts and Humanities on the Barack Obama Presidential Transition Team, and was the seventh Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts under President Clinton. He is author of the book Arts, inc.: How Greet and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights. Bill Ivey gave a book signing and public lecture at the Symposium opening on Thursday evening, and was the featured participant at Friday’s public discussion.
Thanks to the following contributors to this report: Emily Afanador, Doug Blandy, John Fenn, Lisa Gilman, and Ahavah Oblak.