Museum folklore

Last updated

Museum folklore is a domain of scholarship and professional practice within the field of folklore studies (folkloristics).

Contents

Characteristics

Some museum folklorists work full-time in museums of ethnography, ethnology, cultural history, or folk art, often as educators, curators, and directors. Others work in other settings, such as in public folklore programs, academic departments, community-based organizations, and consultancies. Such folklorists either partner with museums in the development of scholarly and public programs or study the history and impact of such work. [1]

Key themes in museum folklore include policies and practices relating to tangible and intangible cultural heritage, [2] [3] museums as sites of conscience, [4] museums and cultural tourism, [5] and museums as sites of innovation relative to the digital preservation, presentation, and access to cultural heritage collections. [6] Museum folklore practice has often focused on ways of animating the object-centered nature of the museum through events and activities that bring the people behind heritage collections into engagement with museum audiences, as through such activities as museum-based artist in residency programs, folk festivals, and art and craft sales markets. [7]

There is significant interaction and overlap between museum folklore and the neighboring field of museum anthropology, as well as the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies. [8] [9] [10] [11] Museum folklore is often understood as a sub-area of the wider realm of public folklore. [12] In North America, the historical connections linking anthropology and folklore studies more broadly are of particular relevance to museum folklorists because many early leaders of the American folklore society were also anthropologists active in museums. [13] In Europe, what is here referred to as museum folklore would often fall within the field of European ethnology. [14] Museum folklore is also often understood as a part of the sub-field of folklife studies. [15]

Organizations

An organizational home for the sub-field in the United States and Canada is the Folklore and Museums section of the American Folklore Society. Among folklorists, this section is cognate to the Council for Museum Anthropology among museum anthropologists.

Important persons

Prominent figures in the history of museum folklore include:

Leading senior scholar-practitioners in the field today include Marsha Bol, C. Kurt Dewhurst, Rayna Green, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, and Marsha MacDowell. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folklore</span> Expressive culture shared by particular groups

Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging from traditional building styles common to the group. Folklore also includes customary lore, taking actions for folk beliefs, the forms and rituals of celebrations such as Christmas and weddings, folk dances and initiation rites. Each one of these, either singly or in combination, is considered a folklore artifact or traditional cultural expression. Just as essential as the form, folklore also encompasses the transmission of these artifacts from one region to another or from one generation to the next. Folklore is not something one can typically gain in a formal school curriculum or study in the fine arts. Instead, these traditions are passed along informally from one individual to another either through verbal instruction or demonstration. The academic study of folklore is called folklore studies or folkloristics, and it can be explored at undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folklore studies</span> Branch of anthropology

Folklore studies is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currency in the 1950s to distinguish the academic study of traditional culture from the folklore artifacts themselves. It became established as a field across both Europe and North America, coordinating with Volkskunde (German), folkeminner (Norwegian), and folkminnen (Swedish), among others.

The American Folklore Society (AFS) is the US-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world, which aims to encourage research, aid in disseminating that research, promote the responsible application of that research, publish various forms of publications, advocate for the continued study and teaching of folklore, etc. The Society is based at Indiana University and has an annual meeting every October. The Society's quarterly publication is the Journal of American Folklore. The current president is Marilyn White.

Public folklore is the term for the work done by folklorists in public settings in the United States and Canada outside of universities and colleges, such as arts councils, museums, folklife festivals, radio stations, etc., as opposed to academic folklore, which is done within universities and colleges. The term is short for "public sector folklore" and was first used by members of the American Folklore Society in the early 1970s.

Margaret Anne "Peggy" Bulger is a folklorist and served as the director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress from 1999 to 2011, when she moved to Florida to continue work on personal projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Dorson</span> American folklorist (1916–1981)

Richard Mercer Dorson was an American folklorist, professor, and director of the Folklore Institute at Indiana University. Dorson has been called the "father of American folklore" and "the dominant force in the study of folklore".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon J. Bronner</span> American historian

Simon J. Bronner is an American folklorist, ethnologist, historian, sociologist, educator, college dean, and author.

Betty Jane Belanus is an American writer and folklorist. Belanus completed her graduate work in folklore at Indiana University and has been with the Smithsonian Institution since 1987, ultimately working with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage as an education specialist. Part of her work with the Smithsonian has been the curating of programs for the Smithsonian's annual Folklife Festival, including the 2009 Wales program. She has worked on "Smithsonian Inside Out", on the occupational life of the Smithsonian.

The Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage (CFCH) is one of three cultural centers within the Smithsonian Institution in the United States. Its motto is "culture of, by, and for the people", and it aims to encourage understanding and cultural sustainability through research, education, and community engagement. The CFCH contains (numerically) the largest collection in the Smithsonian, but is not fully open to the public. Its budget comes primarily from grants, trust monies, federal government appropriations, and gifts, with a small percentage coming from the main Smithsonian budget.

William R. Bascom was an award-winning American folklorist, anthropologist, and museum director. He was a specialist in the art and culture of West Africa and the African Diaspora, especially the Yoruba of Nigeria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Kurin</span>

Richard Kurin, an American cultural anthropologist, museum official and author, is the Acting Provost and Under Secretary for Museums and Research at the Smithsonian Institution. He is a key member of the senior team managing the world's largest museum and research complex with 6,500 employees and a $1.4 billion annual budget, caring for more than 139 million specimens, artifacts and artworks, working in 145 countries around the globe, hosting some 30 million visitors a year, and reaching hundreds of millions online and through the Smithsonian's educational programs and media outreach. Kurin is particularly responsible for all of the national museums, scholarly and scientific research centers, and programs spanning science, history, art and culture.

Roger David Abrahams was an American folklorist whose work focused on the expressive cultures and cultural histories of the Americas, with a specific emphasis on African American peoples and traditions.

Family folklore is the branch of folkloristics concerned with the study and use of folklore and traditional culture transmitted within an individual family group. This includes craft goods produced by family members or memorabilia that have been saved as reminders of family events. It includes family photos, photo albums, along with bundles of other pages held for posterity such as certificates, letters, journals, notes, and shopping lists. Family sayings and stories which recount true events are retold as a means of maintaining a common family identity. Family customs are performed, modified, sometimes forgotten, created or resurrected with great frequency. Each time the result is to define and solidify the perception of the family as unique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Heffron Roberts</span> American ethnomusicologist

Helen Heffron Roberts (1888–1985) was an American anthropologist and pioneer ethnomusicologist. Her work included the study of the origins and development of music among the Jamaican Maroons, and the Puebloan peoples of the American southwest. Her recordings of ancient Hawaiian meles are archived at the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Roberts was a protege of Alfred V. Kidder and Franz Boas.

Kristin G. Congdon is an American artist, writer and a Professor Emerita of Philosophy and Humanities at the University of Central Florida. In her work she focuses on folk art, art education, art history, and feminism. She is the founding director of the Cultural Heritage Alliance at the University of Central Florida (UCF), which supports research into folk arts and folk arts education. She has written or contributed to over a dozen books on folk arts and is on the Editorial Board of the journal Artizein: Arts and Teaching Journal. She has toured with her art in Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mathers Museum of World Cultures</span> World Cultures

Mathers Museum of World Cultures was a museum of ethnography and cultural history that features exhibitions of traditional and folk arts at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It also offered practicum studies at the university for graduate and undergraduate students. The museum also worked to promote local artists. In 2020, the Mathers Museum officially merged with the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology and was closed for renovations. The combined institutions are now the new Indiana University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (IUMAA). Located at 416 North Indiana Avenue, the IUMAA is scheduled to reopen in 2023.

Folk and traditional arts are rooted in and reflective of the cultural life of a community. They encompass the body of expressive culture associated with the fields of folklore and cultural heritage. Tangible folk art includes objects which historically are crafted and used within a traditional community. Intangible folk arts include such forms as music, dance and narrative structures. Each of these arts, both tangible and intangible, was originally developed to address a real need. Once this practical purpose has been lost or forgotten, there is no reason for further transmission unless the object or action has been imbued with meaning beyond its initial practicality. These vital and constantly reinvigorated artistic traditions are shaped by values and standards of excellence that are passed from generation to generation, most often within family and community, through demonstration, conversation, and practice.

Don Yoder was an American folklorist specializing in the study of Pennsylvania Dutch, Quaker, and Amish and other Anabaptist folklife in Pennsylvania who wrote at least 15 books on these subjects.

The Philadelphia Folklore Project (PFP) is a non-profit organization advocating for and providing documentation, presentation, education, and collaborative research to folk and traditional arts across the Philadelphia region in service of social change. Founded in 1987 by folklorist Debora Kodish, PFP offers workshops and assistance to local artists and communities through organizing concerts, events, and exhibitions. Their driving philosophy is that “diversity and equity are central elements of thriving communities.” One of a handful of independent folk and traditional arts nonprofits nationwide, the organization is widely regarded as a powerful instrument for socially conscious and anti-racist activism and serves as a model for sustaining living cultural heritage in the fields of applied folklore, ethnomusicology, and anthropology. It seeks to foster growth in communities through access to grant funding and artistic venues, but also material and social infrastructure in defense against gentrification and through cultivating positive inter-communal relationships.

C. Kurt Dewhurst is an award-winning American curator and folklorist.

References

  1. ↑ Dewhurst, C. Kurt (2014). "Folklife and Museum Practice: An Intertwined History and Emerging Convergences". Journal of American Folklore. 127 (505): 247–263. doi:10.5406/jamerfolk.127.505.0247 . Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "China-US Folklore and Intangible Cultural Heritage Project". American Folklore Society. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Intangible Cultural Heritage and Ethnographic Museum Practice". American Folklore Society. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Museum of International Folk Art (USA)". International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Barbara (1998). Destination Culture: Tourism, Museums, and Heritage. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN   0520209664.
  6. ↑ Bol, Marsha; Dewhurst, C. Kurt; Hertz, Carrie; Jackson, Jason Baird; MacDowell, Marsha; Seeman, Charlie; Seriff, Suzy; Sheehy, Daniel (2015). Rethinking the Role of Folklore in Museums: Exploring New Directions for Folklore in Museum Policy and Practice. Bloomington, IN: American Folklore Society. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Hall, Patricia; Seeman, Charlie (1987). Folklife and Museums: Selected Readings . Nashville, TN: American Association of State and Local History. ISBN   0910050856 . Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Berlinger, Gabrielle A. (2015). "Ethnography as a Strategy in Museum Preservation". Practicing Anthropology. 37 (3): 34. doi:10.17730/0888-4552-37.3.34.
  9. ↑ Dewhurst, C. Kurt; MacDowell, Marsha (2015). "Strategies for Creating and Sustaining Museum-Based International Collaborative Partnerships". Practicing Anthropology. 37 (3): 54–55. doi:10.17730/0888-4552-37.3.54.
  10. ↑ Hertz, Carrie (2015). "Finding the Local in the Global in the 21st Century". Practicing Anthropology. 37 (3): 56. doi:10.17730/0888-4552-37.3.56.
  11. ↑ Jackson, Jason Baird (2015). "Interconnections: Folklore Studies and Anthropology at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures". Practicing Anthropology. 37 (3): 20–23. doi:10.17730/0888-4552-37.3.20.
  12. ↑ Baron, Robert; Spitzer, Nicholas R. (2007). Public Folklore (3rd ed.). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN   9781604733167. OCLC   607552460.
  13. ↑ Darnell, Regna (1973). "American Anthropology and the Development of Folklore Scholarship: 1890-1920". Journal of the Folklore Institute. 10 (1–2): 23–39. doi:10.2307/3813878. JSTOR   3813878.
  14. ↑ Niedermüller, Peter; Stoklund, Bjarne (2004). "Special Issue: Museum and Modernity". Ethnologia Europaea. 33 (1): 1–93.
  15. ↑ Bronner, Simon J. (2006). Encyclopedia of American Folklife. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. ISBN   9780765680525.
  16. ↑ Lurie, Nancy (1932). "A Lesson for Curators". African Arts. 16 (2): 90. JSTOR   3335845.
  17. ↑ Crowley, Daniel; Dundes, Alan (1982). "William Russel Bascom (1912-1981)". Journal of American Folklore. 95 (378): 465–467. JSTOR   540751.
  18. ↑ Redman, Samuel J. (2015). "Museum Tours and the Origins of Museum Studies: Edward W. Gifford, William R. Bascom, and the Remaking of an Anthropology Museum". Museum Management and Curatorship. 30 (5): 444–461. doi:10.1080/09647775.2015.1076708. S2CID   161806193.
  19. ↑ Stocking, George (1988). Objects and Others: Essays on Museums and Material Culture. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
  20. ↑ Becker, Mary Druke (2006). "William N. Fenton (1908–2005): Relationships, Research, and Museums". Museum Anthropology. 29 (1): 44–49. doi:10.1525/mua.2006.29.1.44.
  21. ↑ Bronner, Simon (1985). "Stewart Culin, Museum Magician". Pennsylvania Heritage. 11 (3): 4–11.
  22. ↑ Stoklund, Bjarne (2004). "Between Scenography and Science: Early Folk Museums and their Pioneers". Ethnologia Europaea. 33 (1): 21–36.
  23. ↑ "Museum of International Folk Art Director, Marsha Bol Announces Retirement". New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  24. ↑ "C. Kurt Dewhurst". Michigan State University Museum. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  25. ↑ "Rayna Green". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  26. ↑ Hoffman, Allison (April 10, 2013). "The Curator of Joy and Ashes". Tablet. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  27. ↑ "Marsha MacDowell". Michigan State University Museum. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.