It is so hard to believe all the programs that will be impacted by this one act of Governor Bush. Dear Friend of Florida Folklife: The Florida Folklife Program is in imminent danger of being eliminated if the Governor's current budget proposal is passed by the legislature. We need your help. The Florida Folklife Program (FFP), modeled after the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, is the state's official organization solely dedicated to nurturing the cultural heritage and traditional arts of all people living in Florida through documentation, education, public programming, and advocacy. Its staff of trained folklorists use ethnographic fieldwork to identify tradition bearers and to document tangible and intangible cultural heritage--elements of culture rooted in the past and passed on as part of the life of a community-family, ethnic, religious, occupational, and regional groups. Through fieldwork the staff develops close relationships with community members that enable them to collaboratively develop programming. The Florida Folklife Program is vitally important to the state because it strives to include the voices of all people regardless of longevity in the state or social, economic or political statusâmany of whom are overlooked in public funding and other programming. It works with communities from the Native Americans to the most recent arrivals, valuing each for its long traditions and cultural contributions to contemporary life. In contrast to most arts and culture agencies, the nature of the Folklife Program's work ensures that ethnic, rural, occupational and family traditions statewide will be included. The Folklife Program's work is highly valued by many for its ability to bridge the gap between smaller, little understood groups and the larger community. The Program has an excellent 24-year track record working with ethnic, regional and occupational groups statewide. Its organizational partners have included the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, University of Central Florida, Florida State University, Museum of Florida History, Florida State Archives, Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Florida State Parks, City of Eatonville and Preserve Eatonville Community Inc., Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science, Community Classroom Consortium, Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, Panhandle Pioneer Settlement, and Southern Arts Federation, to mention a few. Selected Florida Folklife Program accomplishments: · Since 1997, the FFP has obtained more than $297,000 in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and other sources. · Music from the Sunshine State-This series of eight one-hour radio programs is presenting Florida musical traditions to more than 231,000 public radio listeners from Florida to Alaska. The listening audience continues to grow. · Folklife Apprenticeship Program-Since 1983, 119 master artists have passed their folk arts and cultural knowledge to 178 apprentices. · Florida Folk Heritage Awards-Since 1985, 80 folk artists and cultural advocates have been honored. · Florida Music Train-This elementary/secondary educational resource with CD, lesson plans, extensive notes, and poster is distributed to educators statewide. · Folklife Days-During the last 3 years, more than 10,000 students have attended this event featuring demonstrations by Florida folk artists in three different locations. · Folklife InReach Education Program-This new in-school program will provide about 3,500 students from lower socioeconomic levels in 10 schools statewide with performances by folk artists and classroom presentations about folklife. · National Heritage Fellowships-FFP staff facilitates nominations of Florida folk artists for this prestigious award. Four Floridians have received the award. · National recognition for Florida artists -FFP staff has coordinated presentations at the National Folk Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, National Black Arts Festival, Folk Masters concerts and other nationally significant events. · International Recognition for Florida Artists-FFP staff has collaborated with arts presenters and media to coordinate live and televised presentations by Florida folk artists in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. · National Public Radio-FFP staff has assisted NPR staff for productions which presented Florida folk artists on Morning Edition and All Things Considered. · Statewide Outreach Programs-An estimated 155,000 Floridians from Key West to Pensacola were reached from July 1998 through September 2002. Despite drastic reductions in staff since 1995, the Florida Folklife Program continues to provide exceptional services to the state. Although it has continually proved its worth through programming, significant statewide audiences, technical assistance, and outside grant support, the Florida Folklife Program has remained low on the list of priorities at the Florida Department of State. With the Governor's new budget proposal, all remaining positions and thus the Florida Folklife Program will be eliminated. We need your help now! The Legislature goes into session on March 4, but committees are already in session to work on the budget. Here is what you can do: · contact your state representative and state senator. You can find out who they are and their phone number/addresses at this website: http://www.leg.state.fl.us/ ; · contact members of the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development (Webster, Atwater, Hill, Lee, Sebesta) Siplin), who will consider the proposed budget. You can view members and their meeting calendar at: senate = http://www.flsenate.gov/cgi-bin/View_Page.pl?Tab=committees&Submenu=1&File=i ndex.html&Directory=committees/senate/atd/ ; house= http://www.leg.state.fl.us/house/committees//house_committee_assignments2002 -2004.pdf ; · contact incoming Secretary of State (2/26/03) Glenda E. Hood at (850) 245-6500; · contact the Office of the Governor, The Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0001, 850-488-4441, 850-487-0801 (Fax), [email protected] · express your concern and support to local media. When voicing your support, it is important to stress the Florida Folklife Program is best positioned within the new Department of State and Community Partnerships in Tallahassee. Transferring the program without positions to another agency will result in the termination of all programming efforts and, effectively, the Folklife Program. Sincerely, Gregory Hansen Florida Folklore Society _______________________________________________ FHSagora mailing list [email protected] http://list.florida-historical-soc.org/mailman/listinfo/fhsagora ================================= Sponsored in part by: * Cocoa Village Publishing, Inc * www.CocoaVillage.us =================== .