In 2022, the American Folklore Society developed and managed the inaugural Folk Arts Partnership Professional Development Institute to support folk and traditional arts program managers at state arts agencies, regional arts organizations, and their partners. AFS provided training and mentorship to meet acute professional development needs for emerging Folk Arts Partnership programs and newly appointed program managers. The goals of the inaugural PDI were to provide professional development, technical assistance, and planning consultation. The long-term goal is to implement professional development opportunities for all Folk Arts Partnership programs and to continue building relationships across sectors in order to increase program development knowledge and partnership opportunities for the field as a whole.
In 2023, AFS expanded the PDI cohort to include all FAP program staff, assessed the structure and offerings of the PDI, implemented informal networking and sharing opportunities, offered workshops and webinars on pertinent topics, and built upon and expanded the mentorship program.
Partners
The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is the professional association of America’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts councils. NASAA is a networking hub for state arts agency peer groups—groups of staff or council members who share similar roles or job responsibilities. These peer groups are a key part of the NASAA family, providing a welcoming and rewarding professional community that is a year-round source of information and insight. Active participation in a peer group builds your job knowledge, strengthens you as a leader, and provides valuable opportunities for you to compare strategies and perspectives with a savvy and supportive national network of colleagues. NASAA’s Folk & Traditional Arts Peer Group is made up of the designated managers for the NEA’s Folk Arts Partnership programs. Ongoing and selected past activities of the peer group are collected here. Explore the NASAA website.
Folk Arts Partnerships is one of four primary areas through which the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) supports folk and traditional arts. Funding is awarded to support activities that promote awareness of heritage arts and to assist communities in documenting and sustaining living traditions, including through direct grants, apprenticeship grants, or public programs (Living Traditions 2019). The grant program is uniquely structured as an NEA Partnership Agreement awarded to all 50 state arts agencies, six US jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs), and six regional arts organizations (RAOs). Each jurisdiction may conduct its activities in-house at the SAA or RAO, or in partnership with nonprofit, humanities, or university entities. About 20 percent of Folk Arts Partnerships programs are conducted in collaboration with nonprofit organizations. Additionally, the NEA provides convening support to folk and traditional arts program managers, administrators, and state folklorists to plan and attend a peer-led pre-conference at the biennial National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) conference. In 2022, the NEA collaborated with NASAA and the American Folklore Society to develop a professional development institute (PDI) for emerging programs, and to provide workshops and aggregate practices and resources on outreach and fieldwork, public programming, and grant-making. Explore the National Endowment for the Arts website.
Professional Development Activities
- Virtual and in-person workshops focused on topics selected by the cohort and Advisory Team
- Resource Hub, which includes workshop recordings, presentations, and additional links and resources
- Networking opportunities, including informal coffee chats and shop talk presentations
- The Hive mentorship program
- Reports
Contact Information
Jessica Turner, Executive Director, American Folklore Society: [email protected]
Cassie Rosita Patterson, 2023 PDI Project Manager, American Folklore Society: [email protected]
Sylvia Prickett, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies: [email protected]
Cheryl Schiele, National Endowment for the Arts: [email protected]
2023 Folk Arts Partnership Professional Development Staff and Framework Advisors
Jessica Turner, Executive Director, American Folklore Society
Cassie Rosita Patterson, 2023 PDI Project Manager, American Folklore Society
Framework Advisory Team: Troyd Geist (State Folklorist, North Dakota Council on the Arts), Thomas Grant Richardson (Director, Center for Washington Cultural Traditions), Laura Marcus Green ( Folklife & Traditional Arts Director, South Carolina Arts Commission), Ashanti McGee (Grant and Access Manager, Western States Arts Federation), Rina Rossi (Folk and Traditional Arts Program, Minnesota State Arts Board), Zoe Van Buren (Folklife Director at North Carolina Arts Council)
Mentorship Impact Consultant: Sonia BasSheva Mañjon, Co-Executive Director, LeaderSpring Center
2022 Folk Arts Partnership Professional Development Staff and Framework Advisors
Jessica Turner, Executive Director, American Folklore Society
Thomas Grant Richardson, 2022 PDI Project Manager, American Folklore Society
Framework Advisory Team: Norma E. Cantú (Trinity University), John Fenn (American Folklife Center), Amy Kitchener (Alliance for California Traditional Arts), Selina Morales (Botánica Pictures), Lisa Rathje (Local Learning), Thomas Grant Richardson (Center for Washington Cultural Traditions), Jessica A. Turner (American Folklore Society), Langston Collin Wilkins (University of Wisconsin-Madison).
