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Contact: Riki.Saltzman
Folklife Coordinator
515.242.6195
Riki.Saltzman@iowa.gov

Folk & Traditional Arts Program

Resources

Iowa Folklife: Our People, Communities and Traditions (curriculum guide)

Iowa Folklife Education GuideThis updated kit (lessons, CD, videos, links, and support material) is available online (click on hotlink above) and in hard copy at all Iowa junior and senior high schools as well as in all senior citizen centers, Iowa college and university history and education departments, State Library, and the State Historical Society of Iowa resource center. The lessons and support materials may be copied for educational purposes only; materials may not be copied and resold for profit. Look for Iowa Folklife, Volume II: Cultural Express--Traditional Arts on Tour in late 2008.

 

Iowa Roots

Iowa Roots features stories, music and talk with traditional artists from a variety of ethnic, geographic, occupational and religious groups found in Iowa. Iowa Roots is a production of the Iowa Arts Council and WOI Radio, part of the Iowa Public Radio group and based at Iowa State University in Ames..

Cultural Express: Traditional Arts on Tour

The Iowa Arts Council's Cultural Express program provides an opportunity for Iowa communities to experience traditional music, foods, dance, rituals and crafts from a variety of groups living in Iowa. Tabletop exhibits, resource kits for activities, and live two-hour programs explore Danish, American Indian, Lao, Bosnian, Asian Indian, and Vietnamese folklife, as well as traditional Gospel, Blues, Latino, Old Time Anglo-Scots-Irish, and Czech and German Polka music. Iowa public libraries and not-for-profit museums are eligible to apply for this program. Proposals are due by 4:30 p.m., July 5, 2006, in the Iowa Arts Council office. This is not a postmark deadline.

Iowa Folk & Traditional Arts Roster

This resource provides contact information for Iowa folk and traditional artists. These artists may be contacted for a variety of public programs about Iowa folklife. Find members of this roster by searching the Iowa Artist Directory.

Iowa State Fare

Iowa State FareThese 1996 studio recordings feature eight ensembles and one solo performer selected to appear in the Iowa Sesquicentennial program at the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife. Iowa State Fare showcases the vitality and diversity of the state's musical traditions on the occasion of the celebration of 150 years of Iowa statehood. Scandinavian string band melodies, Meskawaki Indian love songs, gospel harmonies, polkas, old-time fiddling, Mexican folk songs, and blues are some of the vibrant community-based musical traditions presented in this unique collection of Iowa music. The CD booklet features essays, bibliographic information, and lyrics with translations. Produced by Folkways Records, it is available from the Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies at the Smithsonian Institution.


Midwest Folk Festival

This regional festival takes place in different years in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. The event features folk and traditional artists from the states involved. The local organizations responsible for the festival each year focus primarily on artists from their host state. These events are funded by State Arts Agencies, the National Endowment for the Arts, and local sponsors.

2007: Columbus Junction, Iowa, May 12-13
Midwest Folk Fest at the Hispanic Cultural Festival held the second weekend in May in Columbus Junction, Iowa at the Louisa County Fairgrounds, Highway 92, Columbus Junction.

This great family event features authentic Latin American cuisine, performances and crafts from all three states. This year's festival will be held May 12 and 13 and will host the annual Midwest Folk Fest, a collaborative project supported in part by the Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin State Arts Agencies.

For more information go to www.CJHispanicFest.org
Or contact:
Monica Ruiz, Event Coordinator
Hispanic Cultural Festival
319-728-7405
cscolumbus@iowatelecom.net

Cultural Organizations and Translators – Resource List

This listing provides dozens of names of individuals and organizations providing helpful connections to cultural communities in Iowa: African, European, Asian, African American, American Indian, Latino, and more.

New Immigrants and Refugees

Iowa has become a place of refuge for many culture groups. Their presence offers Iowans a unique opportunity to learn about diversity, new customs, and traditions. The unique cultures in our societies are often misunderstood, however, making it difficult for newcomers to adapt to their American homeland.

Some of the immigrants and refugees who are working hard to make Iowa home include Afghanis, Asian Indians, Bosnians, Iraqis, Latinos (Colombians, Cubans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, Peruvians), Pakistanis, Russians, Somalis, Southeast Asians (Tai Dam, Vietnamese, Lao, Cambodians, Hmong), Sudanese (Nuer, Shilluk, Maban, Dinka).

We can:

Iowa State Archives

The Iowa State Archives serves as the custodian of a special collection of Iowa Folklife materials.

Publications on Iowa Folklife

Other folklife publications are available in the State Historical Society of Iowa Library.

Folklife on the Web

Visit TAPNET to learn about other interesting programs in the field of folklife. A number of resources are available for those interested in tradition bearers, traditional music, archival materials, and folklife in general. http://tapnet.org/link.htm

The Educational Cyber Playground

The Educational Cyber PlaygroundThe Educational Cyber Playground offers many great resources for educators using the traditional arts.  www.edu-cyberpg.com

Ongoing Research

Research on Iowa Folklife is a continuing process. If there are traditions that should be documented, please contact the Iowa Folklife coordinator.