Folk arts and heritage collection, 1982-2016

Object Type: Folder
In Folder: Massachusetts Cultural Council (Record Group TR12)

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Folk arts and heritage collection, 1982-2016

In 1999, the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) established its Folk Arts and Heritage Program, the successor to its Folklife and Ethnic Arts Program (1987-1992). Its purpose “is to identify craftspeople, performers and cultural specialists, help sustain the practice of tradition where they live, and increase appreciation of their artistry within the community and beyond.” (http://massfolkarts.org/heritage_program.asp, accessed 2020-04-08). The MCC also provides direct support to individual artists through Artist Fellowships and Traditional Arts Apprenticeships. Records date from 1982-2016 (bulk 1999-2016) and document the practice, vocational skills, and expressive traditions of individuals and community groups in Massachusetts based on “shared ethnicity, religious belief, occupational tradition, or sense of place” (http://massfolkarts.org/about_folk_art.asp, accessed 2020-04-08). The records in the series were created by Folk Arts and Heritage Program staff, interns, contracted folklorists, and photographers. The collection is physically arranged in five segments, each organized by folklorist or intern: (1) files of individual folklorists that document field visits, including field logs, transcripts of recorded interviews, fliers and brochures for events, release forms, and correspondence between folklorists and contacts (2) color slides and black and white negatives of field visits (3) audiocassette and Digital Audio Tape (DAT) recordings of interviews, events, and performances (4) born-digital records consisting of field logs, images, videos, and audio recordings of field visits (5) Artist Fellowships and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship files from 2001-2015. Related series: Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities--Massachusetts folklife interview files, 1987-1988 (AF10/870X); Massachusetts folklife audiocassettes, 1987-1988 (AF10/871X). The Folk Arts and Heritage series was processed by Alejandra Dean, Assistant Digital Archivist, with assistance from Malcolm Clark, Digital Intern, Meghan Jones, Digital Intern, and Chris Norton, Archives Volunteer. After consulting with MCC staff, Archives staff decided to integrate digitized field documentation and born-digital field documentation in the Digital Repository per artist or practitioner and then by field visit if the contact was visited multiple times. Digital folder titles, photograph titles, and record descriptions derive from creator-supplied terminology indicated in field logs when present. The Assistant Digital Archivist decided to use creator-supplied terminology to preserve how folklorists originally documented and interpreted the individuals and traditions in the series and to make clear the connections between field documentation of differing formats (for example, between a photograph log for an accompanying set of 35mm slides). All other descriptions were created by the project team. The project team surveyed all release forms in the series and placed restrictions on materials in accordance with information indicated on the forms. If a release form was not present with the materials, the project team assessed whether or not to place a restriction based on other information present in the files. Personally identifiable information was redacted from access copies of textual records.

Record Details

Title: Folk arts and heritage collection, 1982-2016

Creator: Massachusetts Cultural Council

Description: In 1999, the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) established its Folk Arts and Heritage Program, the successor to its Folklife and Ethnic Arts Program (1987-1992). Its purpose “is to identify craftspeople, performers and cultural specialists, help sustain the practice of tradition where they live, and increase appreciation of their artistry within the community and beyond.” (http://massfolkarts.org/heritage_program.asp, accessed 2020-04-08). The MCC also provides direct support to individual artists through Artist Fellowships and Traditional Arts Apprenticeships.Records date from 1982-2016 (bulk 1999-2016) and document the practice, vocational skills, and expressive traditions of individuals and community groups in Massachusetts based on “shared ethnicity, religious belief, occupational tradition, or sense of place” (http://massfolkarts.org/about_folk_art.asp, accessed 2020-04-08). The records in the series were created by Folk Arts and Heritage Program staff, interns, contracted folklorists, and photographers. The collection is physically arranged in five segments, each organized by folklorist or intern: (1) files of individual folklorists that document field visits, including field logs, transcripts of recorded interviews, fliers and brochures for events, release forms, and correspondence between folklorists and contacts (2) color slides and black and white negatives of field visits (3) audiocassette and Digital Audio Tape (DAT) recordings of interviews, events, and performances (4) born-digital records consisting of field logs, images, videos, and audio recordings of field visits (5) Artist Fellowships and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship files from 2001-2015.Related series: Massachusetts Council on the Arts and Humanities--Massachusetts folklife interview files, 1987-1988 (AF10/870X); Massachusetts folklife audiocassettes, 1987-1988 (AF10/871X).The Folk Arts and Heritage series was processed by Alejandra Dean, Assistant Digital Archivist, with assistance from Malcolm Clark, Digital Intern, Meghan Jones, Digital Intern, and Chris Norton, Archives Volunteer. After consulting with MCC staff, Archives staff decided to integrate digitized field documentation and born-digital field documentation in the Digital Repository per artist or practitioner and then by field visit if the contact was visited multiple times. Digital folder titles, photograph titles, and record descriptions derive from creator-supplied terminology indicated in field logs when present. The Assistant Digital Archivist decided to use creator-supplied terminology to preserve how folklorists originally documented and interpreted the individuals and traditions in the series and to make clear the connections between field documentation of differing formats (for example, between a photograph log for an accompanying set of 35mm slides). All other descriptions were created by the project team. The project team surveyed all release forms in the series and placed restrictions on materials in accordance with information indicated on the forms. If a release form was not present with the materials, the project team assessed whether or not to place a restriction based on other information present in the files. Personally identifiable information was redacted from access copies of textual records.

Digital Origin: The records accessible in the Digital Repository include digitized, redacted copies of field logs and transcripts from segment (1), digitized copies of slides and negatives from segment (2), digitized copies of audiocassette recordings from segment (3), and born-digital audiovisual material from segment (4). Materials collected by MCC staff and folklorists (such as fliers, brochures, and ephemera), correspondence, DAT tape recordings, and documentation of Artist Fellowships and Traditional Arts Apprenticeships that did not coincide with field visits is not available in the Digital Repository. Folk Arts and Heritage Program records were digitized from June 2018 - February 2019 by the Massachusetts Archives. Originals for the entire series are located at the Massachusetts Archives.

Date: 1982-2016

Extent: 26.15 cubic ft. (19 record center cartons and 12 cassette boxes) ; Digital surrogates: [extent pending] ; Digital records: [extent pending]

Subject: Folk art--Massachusetts

Subject: Folk music--Massachusetts

Subject: Folklore--Massachusetts

Subject: Massachusetts--Politics and government--1951-

Collection Information: Part of Collection: Record group TR12 (Massachusetts Cultural Council)

Preferred Citation: Folk arts and heritage collection, 1982-2016. (TR12 / Series 2670) Massachusetts Archives. Boston, MA. Accessed [insert date accessed in format DD MM YYYY]. [insert URL of resource].

Rights Information

Access Restrictions: Staff at the Massachusetts Archives make every effort to review materials for privacy and copyright concerns before making records publicly accessible in the Digital Repository. To request the removal of online access for records in the Digital Repository that may infringe on an individual’s privacy or intellectual property rights, please contact us by email at archives[at]sec.state.ma.us and include: the reason for the removal request and sufficient information for Archives staff to identify and locate the record(s) in question. Upon receipt of an inquiry, staff will respond within 10 business days.

Terms of Use: Those records created by Massachusetts government agencies and institutions held by the Massachusetts Archives are not copyrighted and are available for public use. Copyright for materials submitted to state agencies may be held by the person or organization that created the document. Patrons are responsible for clearing copyright on such materials. For more information on copyright law, please see the U.S. Copyright Office's web page at lcweb.loc.gov/copyright.

Record Identifiers

Record Group: TR12

Series: 2670

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Folk arts and heritage collection, 1982-2016

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