California Folk Arts Festival

   The California Folk Arts Festival is an annual event produced by the students of ANT 341, Folklore. Each year approximately twelve local culture bearers and traditional artisans are invited to demonstrate their craft and lore as part of the campus-wide CSUDH Unity Fest celebrating regional cultural diversity and unity. The project involves students in researching and documenting the cultural background, history, and folkcraft of each artisan and then assisting the artisans in demonstrating their craft and lore during the festival.

   The California Folk Arts Festival provides the opportunity for students and the public to meet, interactively learn about, and explore the many ways that people of various cultures create meaning and express emotion and ideas through handicrafts and the lore associated with them. The Festival presents traditional knowledge from diverse local cultures and brings together scholars and audiences with differing perspectives, disciplines, and backgrounds. Because it brings people together in a way that stimulates interest, learning, and goodwill, this project fosters multi-cultural understanding and strengthens community life.

Artisans:

   Some artisans featured in previous years include Craig Torres, Santa Ana - culture and traditional crafts of the Tongva people of Southern California.

Ms. Manu Tala'aho Tu'uholoaki, Los Angeles - Tongan bark cloth. If you would like more information on Tongan culture, you may contact Ms. Manu at 310-412-3392.

Adriana Wrzesniewsky, Santa Ana - Ukrainian decorative eggs.

Olga Ponce-Furginson, Hawaii - Mexican paper cutting.

Angela Briggs, Inglewood - African Wrap Dolls. You can see more about Angela's work at http://www.khatitiwrapdolls.com

Dates and Location:

   The California Folk Arts Festival is held each year on the last Thursday and Saturday of April, as part of the CSUDH Unity Fest, a free to the public, campus-wide event featuring the food, music, and arts of the diverse populations found on the CSUDH campus and in the surrounding communities.

The Folk Arts Archive:

   All materials collected by students on the artisans, cultural lore, and crafts is placed in an archive on the CSUDH campus.

Support:

   The California Folk Arts Festival is produced with support from the CSUDH Multicultural Center. The festival has also been funded through grants from the California Council for the Humanities, the CSUDH Center for Teaching and Learning, and CSUDH Community Service Learning Curriculum Development.

For more information please contact:

Dr. Susan Needham, Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
(310) 243-3485
sneedham@csudh.edu