Events
CURRENT Programs (FALL / WINTER 2010)
Free and at PFP unless otherwise noted
Download the printed calendar here.
Through September 30
UNDER AUTUMN MOON: RECLAIMING TIME AND SPACE IN CHINATOWN
Joan May Cordova and Kathy Shimizu share photographs and block prints documenting the meanings of Chinatown's Mid-Autumn Festival, a vital celebration of culture and community. Initiated and produced by Asian Americans United (AAU) for 15 years, Mid-Autumn Festival has been a resource for sustaining this last remaining community of color in Philadelphia's center city, and for pushing back against predatory development schemes. Organized as part of a series of events celebrating AAU's 25th Anniversary. Our galleries showcase local folk and traditional arts - vernacular and alternative expression. We are open October - June on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM - 6 PM and by appointment. FREE. More information: 215.726.1106
September 21, October 19, November 16 (3rd Tuesdays)
2 - 4 PM
ZAYE I AM A LEARNER / LIBERIAN WORDS OF WISDOM
Gbahtuo Comgbaye leads conversations among Liberian storytellers and community members. Salons will be recorded for his WPEB radio show (Our Heritage and Us). PFP hosts an artist-designed program.)
September 23, December 15
6-8 PM
FOLK ARTS ROUNDTABLE: WHAT'S GOING ON?
What is on your mind? Gather with other people working in folk and traditional arts to talk about current issues, needs and dreams. Share challenges and possibilities. Free. RSVPs requested.
October 7, November 4, December 2 (1st Thursdays)
6:30 - 8:30 PM
KEEPERS OF THE CULTURE
The region's Afrocentric storytelling organization meets monthly at PFP to conduct business, share stories, and build a community of storytellers. For more information: 609.877.6807. (PFP hosts an artist-designed program.)
October 8
7 PM
STORIES FROM THE SHOP FLOOR
What is it like to be a skilled factory worker and a woman? Listen to Suzanne Povse and her guests share stories about their experiences as women workers, challenging assumptions in challenging times. Then, share your experiences. (PFP hosts an artist-designed program.)
October 18 - 29
October 23: Opening and special celebration of Blanche Epps (3 - 6 PM)
GIFTS FROM MOTHER EARTH
Bringing together her interest in traditional gardening, and in alternative medicinal practice and her artistry with textiles, Betty Leacraft conducted a series of workshops with community members this past year. She will present quilts that came out of this project, as well as documentation of the effort. A celebration of master gardener, craftswoman and mentor Blanche Epps is on the 23rd. (PFP hosts an artist-designed program.)
November 5
6 -8 PM Exhibition opening party
MAKING HOME PLACE
How do you use folk arts to face hard issues and the challenges of making an enduring and hospitable place? Local peoples' conversations (traced on our walls, continuing outside them) open the experiences of immigrants and long-time Philadelphians. This first community exhibition reflects learnings from PFP's inaugural "Community Folklife Documentation Workshop." Listen, look and share. . .
November 11
6 -8 PM
WHEN MY MOTHER BROKE HER LEG (and came to live with me)
Veteran media-maker Barbara Grant turns to folklore and oral history in a very personal project about aging, advocacy, and health care policy - and her mother. In her multi-media performance piece, she reconsiders her role and her knowledge of family history, and raises questions about equity in health care, especially for elders. (PFP hosts an artist-designed program.)
December 4
7:30 PM
Crossroads Music / Calvary Center for Culture and Community, 801 S. 48th St.
EATELEH: A LIFE IN KLEZMER
ELAINE HOFFMAN WATTS, SUSAN LANKIN WATTS and FRIENDS
PFP premieres a new documentary on these amazing women, third and fourth generation klezmorim. After the screening, enjoy a concert and party with the musicians and special guests. The Hoffman family has had a major impact on Philadelphia musical culture for a century. Elaine and Susan continue to break new ground. The documentary tells the story of these women and this family tradition. Tickets: $10 - $30. A collaboration with Crossroads Music. More information: PFP, 215.726.1106
May 8
10 AM - noon
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOP: SUMMER GRANT DEADLINES
Focus on upcoming grant opportunities in folk and traditional arts. FREE but limited space. RSVPS required: 215.726.1106
May 14
7 PM ($5)
Scribe Video Center
4212 Chestnut St., 3rd floor
PLENTY OF GOOD WOMEN DANCERS (and other films)
Screening as part of Scribe's Storyville series.
June 4
6 - 8 PM
June 5
10 AM - 1 PM
HOME PLACE (Exhibition opening)
The first public sharing of the work of participants in PFP's new Community Folklife Documentation Workshop. Meet participants and see excerpts of their work exploring the role of local folk arts in countering displacement, and in making sustainable local places. Our galleries showcase local folk and traditional arts - vernacular and alternative expression. We are open October - June on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM - 6 PM and by appointment. FREE. More information: 215.726.1106
OTHER ON-GOING PFP PROGRAMS
Technical Assistance Workshops
Hands-on workshops for grassroots artists and cultural heritage workers, aiming to build resources in our communities.
Art Happens Here
These public programs are collaborations with folk and traditional artists and grassroots community groups; they aim to sustain alternative and significant vernacular traditions. Artists introduce work in progress, or developed during residencies. If you are a Philadelphia-area community-based folk or traditional artist, let us know about your project by writing a letter (or e-mail pfp@folkloreproject.org).
Folk Arts House Programs
Intimate salons, workshops and gatherings help people share local knowledge, develop folk arts and build community.
Exhibitions
Our galleries showcase local folk and traditional arts - vernacular and alternative expression. We are open October - June on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM - 6 PM and by appointment. FREE (but donations appreciated). We are happy to arrange tours for groups. More information: 215.726.1106. We also loan traveling photo exhibitions on local folk art. Rental rates are modest (and free to sites serving low-income communities.) Currently available is "All that we do", a photo exhibition by James Wasserman profiling local women working in traditional art. Call us for info or visit our exhibitions page.
Folk Arts Education
Folk Arts and Multicultural Education (FAME) is our arts education program, including on-going residencies in which traditional artists work with young people at the Folk Arts - Cultural Treasures Charter School (which we helped Asian Americans United to found) and in community sites. Residency artists include masters of diverse local cultural traditions - African American, Chinese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Liberian dance and music. At the Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Charter School, we are also involvedin developing folk arts education curricula, standards and programs there. For more information about our FAME program, or to inquire about being a FAME site or artist, view our FAME page.
Home Place Project
PFP is supporting local people in documenting folk arts relating to displacement: including arts and stories of gentrification and loss of home right here, as well as war and immigration from a previous homeland. Part of our new workshop / training program, this pilot year will result in a series of exhibitions and programs.
Media and Publications
We develop documentary resources to widen the public record about local folk arts and issues. (Browse some examples here). Our long-running magazine, children's books, books and exhibition catalogs, and documentary videos and DVDs are on our list. Purchase of our publications helps support PFP efforts.
