Florida Folklife Program
Overview
The Florida Folklife Program documents, presents and preserves Florida’s vibrant folklife and traditional culture.
Folklife encompasses the living traditions, folk arts and cultural knowledge shared within communities by word of mouth and example. These expressions are rooted in and reflective of a community’s shared standards of beauty, values and experiences.
Through a wide range of projects, Florida Folklife supports the preservation of traditional arts and promotes engagement with Florida’s dynamic folk culture. A component of the Florida Department of State, Florida Folklife was established in 1979 by the legislature, and is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Folk and Traditional Arts Program.
Updates
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Award Deadline: October 1, 2020To make a Florida Folk Heritage Award nomination, click here. |
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2019 Florida Folk Festival Video HighlightsWatch highlights from the 2019 Florida Folk Festival on our YouTube Channel. |
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2019-20 Apprenticeship Teams AnnouncedTo see a full list of the 2019-2020 Folklife Apprenticeship awardees, click here. |
Florida Folklife Celebrates 40 Years!
2019 marked the 40th anniversary of The Florida Folklife Program. To celebrate this milestone, Florida Folklife is working with artists who have been involved in the program to capture their stories, how they have seen the program impact their lives and their perspective on the affect of the program on the lives of others.
Click here or on our new logo to join the celebration!
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Apprenticeship Program
Established in 1983, the Folklife Apprenticeship Program provides an opportunity for master folk artists to share technical skills and cultural knowledge with apprentices in order to maintain their art as a vital part of our heritage. The Folklife Apprenticeship Program highlights Florida's traditional arts within artists' communities and throughout the state, ensures the preservation of many vanishing traditions, and increases communities' pride in their heritage.
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Folk Heritage Awards
The Secretary of State, with the recommendations of the Florida Folklife Council, confers Florida Folk Heritage Awards annually. The awards are given to outstanding folk artists and folk culture advocates who have made long-standing contributions to the folk cultural resources of the state. Established in 1985, the program parallels the National Heritage Fellowships.
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Research
Folklife programs are grounded in knowledge about Florida's traditional culture. In order to maintain and expand our information base, the Florida Folklife Program undertakes annual surveys on selected topics to identify and document folklife.
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Artist-in-Residence Series
The Statewide Outreach Initiative broadens the impact of folklife programs by reaching diverse audiences around the state through a variety of formats.
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Folklife Council
The Florida Folklife Program is advised and assisted by the Florida Folklife Council. The Florida Folklife Council consists of seven members appointed by the Secretary of State to provide geographical, cultural and professional representation.
