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IU Folklore Institute to teach communities how to document local culture
Feb. 3, 2000
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The first Indiana Field School conducted by folklorists will be "Documenting Local Culture," a three-week intensive training program for beginners from June 11 to July 1. Review of applications to participate in the program will begin March 10.
Sponsored by the American Folklife Center (Library of Congress); the Indiana University Department of Folklore; the IU Ethnomusicology Program's Traditional Arts Indiana; and the Evergreen Institute on Elder Environments, the field school is a response to growing public interest in the preservation of local cultures.
"Indiana University has one of the biggest and oldest folklore departments in the world, but we've never had a public folklore program," said Phil Stafford, director of the Evergreen Institute on Elder Environments. "This is one of many initiatives that will allow teachers, museum curators, local historians and librarians, community organizers and activists -- any adult with little or no training, but a strong interest in culture -- to learn the necessary tools to create exhibits, publications and other celebrations of culture."
Participants in the field school will stay on the IU Bloomington campus and conduct fieldwork on the "town square" in downtown Bloomington. Using a variety of techniques, they will develop a broad understanding of a place that is important to many communities throughout Indiana and the nation.
Field school trainers from the sponsoring organizations are experienced specialists who will provide a combination of lectures, workshops, discussions and supervised fieldwork. American Folklife Center Specialist David Taylor, who will be teaching a workshop, said that participants will learn to "document the cultural resources of their community or region through state-of-the-art techniques in photography, sound recording and ethnographic fieldwork. It's a great way for them to learn how to build a strong sense of community now and to preserve culture for later generations."
Review of applications will begin March 10, and selected applicants will be notified by April 1. The participation fee is $500 and includes lodging, most meals, instruction, equipment and all course materials. Need-based scholarships are available. For registration or additional information, contact Inta Carpenter, co-director of the Field School and director of special projects at the IU Folklore Institute (phone 812-855-8049, email carpente@indiana.edu) or Phil Stafford (phone 812-856-5526, email staffor@indiana.edu
The IU Folklore Institute, located at 504 N. Fess Avenue, grew out of a shared interest in folklore topics among IU faculty members. The Folklore Institute offers courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels and promotes and organizes a variety of research and outreach activities, including the Journal of Folklore Research and Traditional Arts Indiana.
(Angela M. Zahn, 812-855-9954, anzahn@indiana.edu)