Folklore and the Internet

A pioneering examination of the folkloric qualities of the World Wide Web, e-mail, and related digital media. These stuidies show that folk culture, sustained by a new and evolving vernacular, has been a key, since the Internet's beginnings, to language, practice, and interaction online. Users of many sorts continue to develop the Internet as a significant medium for generating, transmitting, documenting, and preserving folklore. In a set of new, insightful essays, contributors Trevor J. Blank, Simon J. Bronner, Robert Dobler, Russell Frank, Gregory Hansen, Robert Glenn Howard, Lynne S. McNeill, Elizabeth Tucker, and William Westerman showcase ways the Internet both shapes and is shaped by folklore


Webography of Public Folklore Resources compiled By GreGory hanSen
This webography is designed to introduce readers to the variety of public folklore programs offered in the United States and its territories, as well as one Canadian site.Its primary focus is on public-sector agencies that are housed within federal, state, and local governments, but the webography also includes selected publicly and privately funded programs that are supported outside of public-sector budget allocations.This webography is designed to show the regional and ethnic diversity of public folklore programming, and especially interesting features on various websites are highlighted in the annotations.Although the focus is on public folklore, it is worth noting how many of these organizations are linked to various academic institutions.The webography is by no means comprehensive, but the links within the sites can expand this webography beyond the boundaries of the United States.
There are numerous challenges in compiling this type of resource.Users should be aware that organizations sometimes change their URL web addresses, shift their focus, lose their funding, or just become defunct.Even after they cease operating actively, some programs leave a web presence by creating an online archive.Consequently, although the listing here primarily consists of websites active at the time of publication and expected to remain active, it inevitably includes organizations and sites that are no longer in operation.
Alabama Center for Traditional Culture.Supported by the state's arts council, this site includes information on Alabama's traditional culture as well as downloadable essays on Alabama folklife, radio shows, and information on the state's Heritage Award winners.http://www.arts.state.al.us/actc/index-folkarts-actc.html.
Alabama Folklife Association.This website is a model one for a statewide folklore society.It includes information about folklore events in Alabama, downloadable essays and articles, and information about various functions supported by the association.www.alabamafolklife.org/.
Alabama Folklife Program.This site is connected with the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, but it includes specific information about the state's folklife program.http://www.arts.state.al.us/folklife/ folklife.htm.
Alaska Native Heritage Center.The "Education" and "Exhibits and Collections" sections provide interesting information about a range of cultural traditions in Alaska.http://www.alaskanative.net/.
Alaska State Council on the Arts.This site provides information on the state's Traditional Native Arts Program (http://www.eed.state.ak.us/ aksca/native.htm)and on folk arts grants and opportunities in Alaska.It also has good links to various arts organizations.http://www.educ.state.ak.us/aksca/.
Albemarle/Charlottesville Historical Society.Although not specifically a "folklife organization," this historical society has supported folklife and oral history research projects.The site includes online exhibits on topics relevant to various aspects of folk culture in Virginia.http://www.albemarlehistory.org/.
Alliance for California Traditional Arts.Online exhibits and descriptions of various projects are featured in the "Artists and Cultural Heritage" section of the site.http://www.actaonline.org/index.htm.
American Folklife Center & Archive of Folk Culture.A premier website offered by the Library of Congress.Along with serving as a center for finding out about folklife projects with a national and international scope, this site also includes excellent online exhibits and digitized archival holdings.http://www.loc.gov/folklife/.
American Folklore Society.The website of the most prominent folklore scholarly society in the world includes information about AFS as well as online resources about specific topics in folklore and important folk artists and performers.http://www.afsnet.org/.
American Routes.This website supports the award-winning radio show that is distributed and coproduced through American Public Media.Radio shows and other resources are available online.http:// americanroutes.publicradio.org/American Samoa Historic Preservation Office.This site has links to photo galleries, videos, publications, and cultural organizations such as the American Samoa Council on Culture, Arts, and Humanities.http:// www.ashpo.org/Anchorage Museum.This museum supports research and presentations on a range of cultural traditions from Alaska.The "Archives" and "Collections" components of this website are especially useful for folklore study.http://www.anchoragemuseum.org/.
Appalshop.A regional cultural center in Whitesburg, Kentucky, Appalshop supports media production, research, and other forms of cultural programming in Appalachia.Bayshore Discovery Project.This organization supports educational projects on the natural history and ecology of the New Jersey shore.The website includes information for learning about connections between the natural environment and local culture.http://www.ajmeerwald.org/.
Bishop Museum.Honolulu's premier museum on Hawai'ian history and culture includes numerous materials relevant to folk culture on their website.http://www.bishopmuseum.org/.
Blue Ridge Institute of Ferrum College.This historical and cultural center is devoted to research and programming on the regional heritage of the Appalachians.Materials on the website augment the institute's Center for Blue Ridge Folklore and include resources for educators and online exhibits.http://www.blueridgeinstitute.org/.
Brooklyn Arts Council.This arts council's folk arts program includes an online photo gallery from its archives and information about the council's folklife projects.http://www.brooklynartscouncil.org/.
California Academy of Sciences.This organization's Traditional Arts Program has been active in the greater San Francisco metropolitan area.http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/tap/folkart.htm.
California Arts Council.The state arts council's site offers information on grants and opportunities for folk arts programming.http://www.cac.ca.gov/.
California Indian Basketweavers Association.This arts and advocacy group includes excellent online materials about basket-making traditions.The online photo gallery is especially well presented.http:// www.ciba.org/.
California Traditional Music Society.Based in Encino, this organization supports folk music in California through a range of events.The site's biographies and its photo gallery are of particular interest to webbased researchers.http://www.ctmsfolkmusic.org/.
Center for Cultural Exchange.This Portland, Maine, organization is part of a network for intercultural education.Its website is particular useful for finding organizations and materials for teaching about cultural diversity.http://www.centerforculturalexchange.org/.
Center for Documentary Studies.Duke University supports this North Carolina center.Its website includes online photographic exhibits, video presentations, and information about the programs and courses of study offered at the center.http://cds.aas.duke.edu/.
Center for Folklife, History, and Cultural Programs.Located in Glens Falls, New York, this center pays special attention to the folk culture of the Adirondacks.http://www.crandalllibrary.org/.
Center for Southern Folklore.Memphis, Tennessee's CSF offers a variety of programming on folk culture.The website provides information about the center's activities and has links to various partner organizations, some of which feature photos and streaming video/ audio of various events supported by the center.http://www.southernfolklore.com/.
Center for the Study of Southern Culture.Housed in an old observatory at the University of Mississippi, this center has been an important contributor to studies of southern folk culture.Its attractive website includes online presentations of research done at the center as well as links to other organizations that support the study of southern culture.http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south/.
Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, University of Wisconsin-Madison.This regional studies center features excellent resources on folklife from this part of the U.S., and the site includes useful links to relevant projects.http://csumc.wisc.edu/.
Center for Traditional Music and Dance.This New York City organization supports a variety of programs about dance.Researchers will benefits from the website's information about its archival holdings and the site's links to related organizations.http://www.ctmd.org/.
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.Folklorists have worked with this museum to document and interpret cultural traditions of the bay.The website is designed primarily to promote the museum, and it includes useful information in its educational section and a photo gallery.http:// www.cbmm.org/.
Cityfolk.Along with supporting a major music festival in Dayton, Ohio, Cityfolk also produces a variety of public folklore programs.Links from the home page to a Cityfolks blog on MySpace provide one of the few internet blog sites relevant to public folklore.http://www.cityfolk.org/.
City Lore, Inc.Based in New York City, this organization develops and promotes a wide variety of materials for teaching about folk culture.The organization's virtual tours of the city and its "Cultural Catalog" are especially valuable resources.http://www.citylore.org/.
Club Passim.This organization is housed at the famous 47 Palmer Street address in Cambridge, Massachusetts.The site's "virtual minigallery" features artists who have been connected with this renowned folk club throughout the years.http://www.clubpassim.org/.
Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture.The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands supports a folk arts program in this cluster of Pacific Islands.http://www.geocities.com/ccacarts/ccacwebfolkarts.html.
Country Music Foundation.Nashville supports this organization that features a museum and a hall of fame for country musicians.The website's online exhibit and audio links are especially interesting, and they provide a valuable resource for learning about the history of American country music.Along with satellite radio, the site also features archival recordings of early country music.http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/.
Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington County.Arlington, Virginia, supports a Heritage Arts program within this division.The site includes online information about folk culture in the region.http://www.arlingtonarts.org/cultural_affairs/heritagearts.htm.
Cultural Resources Council.Syracuse, New York, cultural resources includes a folk arts program that is featured in a section of this website.http://www.cspot.org/FolkArts.html.
Cultural Resources, Inc.Based in Rockport, Maine, this organization covers a wide range of folklife and cultural programming.The website provides an excellent overview of innovative projects completed by folklorists.http://www.cultural-resources.org/.
DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.Washington, DC supports folk and traditional arts projects.The website includes information about various programs, including streaming video of festivals.http:// dcarts.dc.gov/dcarts/site/default.asp.
Delaware Bayshores Program.Based in New Jersey, this organization focused on environmental education projects and ecotourism along the coast and includes folklife education within its programming.Down Jersey Folklife Center.This organization is part of regional folklife programming within New Jersey.The website includes online information about a variety of folk traditions in the state.http://www.wheatonarts.org/downjersey.
Educational CyberPlayGround.This award-winning website is a vast repository of resources on folklife, history, and expressive culture.It includes a wide range of presentations on folklife, from streaming video and audio feeds to interactive projects.The site is also an excellent resource for discovering links to folklife-related sites around the world.Although written for teachers as an educational resource, its scope is so vast and general than anyone interested in folklore will discover relevant topics on this site.http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/.
Florida Folklife Program.The State of Florida supports this website, which includes information about folklife projects in Florida, biographies of Florida folk artists, and audio clips from folklorists' research in the state.This site also has a fine section of links to other projects, including the Florida Memory Project (http://www.floridamemory.com/Collections/folklife/), curated from the state's archives .One particularly interesting site focus on folklore research in Florida during the WPA, and it includes audio excerpts of interviews completed by Zora Neale Hurston, John Lomax, and other prominent folklorists.http:// www.flheritage.com/preservation/folklife/.
Folk Alliance.Geared primarily to performers and producers, the Folk Alliance's website includes information about the organization's support for folk musicians.The site also allows users to download information about events supported by the alliance, and it includes resources for streaming video and audio.http://www.folkalliance.org/.
Folklife Program for New Jersey.This website provides information about the State of New Jersey's folk arts programming.http://www.co.middlesex.nj.us/culturalheritage/folklife.asp.
Folkstreams.This site is an excellent resource for viewing documentary films and videos about folklore.It includes early folklore documentaries as well as current productions.http://www.folkstreams.net/.
Fund for Folk Culture.This organization formerly provided support for programs that research, document, and present folklife.Links on this site connect users to a variety of folk arts organizations, and the site has downloadable articles and reports that are of particular value for arts advocacy.http://www.folkculture.org/.
Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council.This regional arts council within New York State includes a vibrant folk arts program.Their site provides information about its activities.A downloadable collection of traditional recipes was recently added to the site.http://www.goart.org/.
Georgia Traditional Arts Program.The website for Georgia's folk arts program provides information about its services and access to a roster of artists.http://www.gaarts.org/home.asp.
Great Lakes Center for Maritime Studies.Based out of Western Michigan University, this center focuses on studies of local history and culture.Its website includes an online photo gallery and links to relevant sites.http://www.wmich.edu/history/maritime/.
Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency.This website provides information about the folk arts program in Guam.http://www.guamcaha.org/.
Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts.Information about Hawai'i's statewide folk arts program is found on this website.Various online resources are available, including an e-version of "Our Arts, Our Land-A Young Reader's Guide to Selected Folk Artists of Hawai'i."http://www.hawaii.gov/sfca/.
Heritage Alliance/Zora Neale Hurston Institute.The University of Central Florida in Orlando supports this website.Much of the site has been built by students at the university.There is a strong focus on folklife and place-based education, and the alliance works in collaboration with numerous organizations in Florida.One of the university's web-based projects, "Folkvine" (http://www.folkvine.org), is one of the most creative applications of internet technology to folklife studies and is linked to this site.http://heritagealliance.ucf.edu/.
Historical Museum of Southern Florida.This museum in Miami has featured research by folklorists for over twenty-five years.The site has excellent online exhibits.http://www.hmsf.org/.
Idaho Commission on the Arts.This site leads users to Idaho's folk arts program.A special section of the website, "Focus on Folklife," features web-based resource information on events and folk artists in Idaho.http://www.arts.idaho.gov/grants/folkoverview.aspx.
Illinois Arts Council.This website includes information and links on folk arts programming in Illinois.http://www.state.il.us/agency/iac/.
Institute for Community Research.Based in Hartford, Connecticut, this organization coordinates numerous projects on folklife.The website culture, and the website's folklife section includes an excellent online component, "Digital Traditions" (http://www.digitaltraditions.net),that includes material from exhibits of folklife.http://www.cas.sc.edu/ mcks/index.html.
Michigan Traditional Arts Program.This site spotlights resources from Michigan's folklife projects.The website provides excellent materials, including online exhibits and educational resources.The materials linked from the "Folkpatterns" section are useful for teachers across the country.http://museum.cl.msu.edu/s-program/MTAP/.
Micronesian Area Research Center.Information on folk arts programming in Micronesia is available on this site.http://www.uog.edu/dynamicdata/MicroAreaResearchCenter.aspx.
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.This regional folklife center includes a searchable database of folk artists, an events calendar, and contact information for various northeastern folk arts programs.The emphasis is on New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.http://www.midatlanticarts.org/.
Milwaukee County Historical Society.The society's museum has folk collections related to the city and county, and their website includes online exhibits that are relevant to folklife and oral history.http://www.milwaukeehistory.net/.
Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center.The Dr. Beverly Robinson Community Folk Culture Program at this center teaches young people how to document and interpret cultural traditions in their families and neighborhoods.Various projects are placed online through this website.http://www.mind-builders.org/.
Mississippi Arts Commission Heritage Program.This site presents information on Mississippi's folk arts program.One section of the website (http://www.arts.state.ms.us/crossroads/) features the innovative and beautifully presented multimedia website "Crossroads of the Heart."http://www.arts.state.ms.us/.
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.This website contains excellent resources on American Indian traditional culture.http://www.choctaw.org/.
Mississippi Cultural Crossroads.This local arts agency site includes research and presentations of folk culture, primarily in Port Gibson and Claiborne County, Mississippi.http://www.msculturalcrossroads.org/.
Missouri Folk Arts Program.The website of this folk arts program includes online presentations of research and excellent digital archival material.http://museum.research.missouri.edu/mfap/.
Missouri Historical Society.Based in St. Louis, this historical society has online presentations about folklife.http://www.mohistory.org/.
Montana Arts Council.Montana's folklife program is supported through the state arts council.Well-written essays on various aspects of Montana folklife can be downloaded from this site, which also contains good resources for teaching about folklore.http://art.mt.gov/.
Mountain West Center for Regional Studies.The website presents good information about Utah State University's archives and folklife programming.http://www.usu.edu/mountainwest/.
Museum of International Folk Art.Santa Fe is the site for the largest folk arts museum in the world, where over 130,000 objects from 100 nations are curated.Their website includes a photo gallery of aspects of the museum's collections and programming.http://www.moifa.org/.
National Council for the Traditional Arts.This organization is mainly known for producing the National Folk Festival.Their site includes an excellent audio archive of numerous performances and information about its wide range of programming.http://www.ncta.net/.
National Endowment for the Arts.The NEA supplies the financial lifeline for most public folk arts programming, and it also has vivid presentations of folk arts on its site.The information on the National Heritage Fellowship Award winners is especially vibrant.http://www.arts.endow.gov/.
National Museum of the American Indian.This world-class museum features a special emphasis on the traditional culture of American Indians that is reflected in its website.http://www.si.edu/nmai/.
National Network for Folk Arts in Education.This site serves as a center for folklorists and educators working within elementary and secondary schools by providing links to educational resources, a schedule of folklife education events and workshops, and a newsletter.http:// www.carts.org/.
Nebraska Folklife Network.This site provides information on an organization that brings together research on Nebraska's folk culture.http:// www.nefolklife.org/.
Nevada Arts Council.Information about the activities of Nevada's folklife program are available on this website.http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/arts/.
New England Foundation for the Arts.Online and downloadable information about folk arts programming in the New England states and the foundation's own projects are available on this website.http://www.tapnet.org/www.nefa.org/.
New Hampshire State Council on the Arts.This website connects users to the council's New Hampshire Folklife Program.Online resources include information about traditional and ethnic musicians in the state, and downloadable versions of festival guides and exhibit catalogs.http://www.nh.gov/folklife/index.htm.
New Jersey Historical Society.This organization's ethnic history program is especially useful to folklorists.http://www.jerseyhistory.org/.
New Jersey State Council on the Arts.This site connects computer users to New Jersey's folk arts programs.The network of links within the state is especially useful.http://www.njartscouncil.org/.
New Mexico Arts Division.This website provides an entry to the state's folk arts program.The site include online exhibits on folklife in New Mexico.http://www.nmarts.org/.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.This site includes online presentations about the festival's folklife area.The online galleries and webcasts are especially interesting features.http://www.nojazzfest.com/.
New York Folklore Society.This folklore society promotes numerous research projects and published the journal Voices.The online "Gallery of New York Folk Art" is an interesting feature on this site.http://www.nyfolklore.org/.
New York State Council on the Arts.New York's folk arts program is supported through the state's arts council.This site includes information about various programs that fund folklife research and presentations of folk arts.http://www.nysca.org/.
North Carolina Arts Council.The state's folklife program can be accessed through this website.Online photo galleries, a digital slideshow, and downloadable resources provides site visitors with good information on a variety of folk traditions in the state.http://www.ncarts.org/.
North Carolina Folklife Institute.This site provides interesting presentations of folklife from various projects completed by institute staff.The online photo galleries, essays, and streaming audio programs are especially effective.http://www.ncfolk.org/.
North Dakota Council on the Arts.Information on North Dakota's folk arts program is available on this site.The online artists' profiles includes good feature stories on traditional arts from the state.http://www.state.nd.us/arts/.
Northwest Folklife.Seattle's folklife center produces numerous events, including a prestigious festival each year.The website has streaming audio of past performances from this event.http://www.nwfolklife.org/.
Northwest Heritage Resources.Based in Olympia, Washington, this organization showcases regional folklife through a variety of programs and services.The site includes educational resources that can be about various programs as well as online resources that are relevant to the study of folklore.http://www.southarts.org/folklorist.htm.
South Georgia Folklife Project.Based out of Valdosta State University, this regional folklife program has an impressive website.It includes essays on folklife in Georgia, photo galleries, radio shows, and video archives about various traditions in the Deep South.http://www.valdosta.edu/library/find/arch/folklife/index.html.
Southwest Center.The website for this center, based at the University of Arizona, includes online resources from the university's archives as well as past fieldwork projects.http://www.uasouthwestcenter.org/.
SPACES.An acronym for "Saving and Preserving Arts and Cultural Environments," SPACES is dedicated to the preservation and advocacy of large-scale art projects.The site includes a photo gallery of various projects from the southwestern United States.http://www.spacesarchives.org/.
State Arts Council of Oklahoma.This arts council website includes information about its own folk arts programs, as well as other community arts program resources.http://www.oklaosf.state.ok.us/~arts/.
StoryCorps.Sound Portrait Productions formed a partnership with the Library of Congress, National Public Radio (NPR), and public radio stations nationwide to create this innovative and rewarding project.Along with listening to stories on NPR programs, those interested in StoryCorps' work can access other tales on this interactive website and even enter their own narratives.http://www.storycorps.org/.
Talking Across the Lines.This project is based in southern Maryland.Along with describing the organization's fieldwork-based projects, the website includes sound bytes on various topics that are relevant to folklife and cultural diversity.http://www.folktalk.org/.
Tennessee Arts Commission.Information about the state's folklife program is included on this website, which describes the program and contains a calendar of events that are relevant to folklife programs in Tennessee.http://www.arts.state.tn.us/.
Texas Folklife Resources.Information about the state's folk arts program is available on this website.Online curriculum guides on a range of topics relevant to folk culture in the Lone Star State are especially useful features.http://www.texasfolklife.org/.
Totem Heritage Center.A vivid feature of the website for this Ketchikan, Alaska, museum is the photo gallery of traditional arts from the coastal Northwest.http://www.city.ketchikan.ak.us/departments/ museums/totem.html.
Traditional Arts, Indiana.Indiana's folklife program is based out of Indiana University.The website includes an interactive map, slides The site's web broadcasts are especially relevant to folklife studies.http://www.appalshop.org/.Arizona State Museum.The University of Arizona has supported numerous folklore projects.This site includes online presentations derived from the research of folklorists in the state.http://www.statemuseum.arizona.edu/exhibits/.
http:// www.nature.org/newjersey/.Delaware Folklife Program.This website provides information about the State of Delaware's folk arts programming.An online exhibit entitled "Delaware Folk Art Collection" provides a vibrant portrait of various traditional arts in the state.http://www.destateparks.com/folklife/index.asp.Documentary Arts, Inc.Although based in Dallas, Texas, this organization conducts research on a great variety of traditional arts from across the nation.Highlights on this site include audio excerpts and an online photo gallery.http://www.docarts.com/.Documentary Heritage Program.Based in Buffalo, this program offers good information from various archival holdings in New York State.http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_hrecords_dhp.shtml.