Folklife Resources

Folklife Archives The Oregon Folklife Archives is a collection of tape recorded interviews, slides, and photographs, some video, as well as information on traditional artists and communities in Oregon. These materials are the results of fieldwork conducted since 1989 for projects documenting and supporting the work of folk and traditional artists, their families, and occupational, ethnic, tribal, religious, and regional communities in the state.

Audio-Visual Materials The following materials are available for rent or purchase from the Oregon Folklife Program.

Oregon Folklife: An Introduction This is a slide/tape presentation that has been adapted to video format. It surveys the depth and breadth of Oregon folklife showing occupational practices, folk artists at work, community celebrations, and other statewide traditional activities. (18:00 minutes)

Rental only: $10 for two (2) weeks

So They Will Know Who I Am: Traditional Artists in Refugee Communities This video was produced by 20 young refugees as a collaborative project of the Oregon Folklife Program and the International Refugee Center of Oregon (IRCO) in 1994. The young people learned interviewing, fieldwork, and video production skills while documenting traditional artists in the Portland-Metro area. (22:00 minutes)
Purchase only: $15

Oregon Folk Arts: Student Videos I Feel Mexican Even Though I was Born Here: Hermiston's Mexican American Traditional Arts and Culture (10:50 minutes) and Lincoln County's Maritime Folklife (17:07 minutes) Two video projects by students from Hermiston in eastern Oregon and from coastal Lincoln County about each region's artistic and cultural traditions. This was a joint project of the Oregon Folklife Program, the Northwest Film Center, the Eastern Oregon Regional Arts Council, the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, and the Hermiston and Lincoln County school districts.
Purchase only: $15

Voices of the Oregon Country: Five National Heritage Fellows This one hour radio program explores the concepts of identity, culture and arts through the voices of Oregon's five National Heritage Fellows.

Purchase only: $6 for cassette or CD

Cultural Tourism Brochures These free brochures provide visitors with specific cultural information, history, and site maps for suggested guided tours for the city's Chinese, Japanese, and African American communities as well as a broader look at World Cultures in the Metro area. They are available at the Oregon History Center, the Portland Oregon Visitor Association tourism center, or on-line at Travel Portland.

Web Resources

American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress
Houses thousands of photographs, recordings, and documents. Look for online publications such as "Folklife and Fieldwork," "Documenting Maritime Traditions," and "Commonwealth of Cultures," an essay that eloquently defines the discipline of folklore.

American Folklore Society
The international professional organization for folklorists.

CARTS
Cultural Arts Resources for Teachers and Students: Web site of the National Task Force on Folk Arts in Education, which links to national resources, the online "Culture Catalog," a Listserve, folk artist residency, and much more.

Oregon Arts Commission
Find information on funding, arts education, and resource information.

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Find online curriculum and kits to order in addition to linking to Folkways Recordings.

TAPNET
Traditional Arts Program Net: Find information on folklife programs nationwide.

Western Folklife Center / Cowboy Poets on the Internet

Information on the annual

Cowboy Poetry Gathering and other Western arts resources.