How does the State help preserve traditional arts?
The folk and traditional arts are rooted in the cultural life of a community. Community members may share a common ethnic heritage, cultural mores, language, religion, occupation, or geographic region. Their artistic traditions are shaped by values and standards of excellence that are passed from generation to generation through demonstration, conversation, and practice. Each generation builds on the core but keeps the core traditions. Genres of artistic activity include music, dance, crafts, oral expression, and more.
The Connecticut Office of the Arts partners with the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History through a Strategic Partnership Grant and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the State of Connecticut. This funding helps to support the Connecticut Cultural Sustainability Program (formerly the CT Cultural Heritage Arts Program - CCHAP) and folk and traditional artists, communities and organizations throughout the state.The CT Cultural Sustainability Program provides a range of programs and services that support folk and traditional arts across Connecticut.
- Fieldwork is conducted to locate and interview and document traditional artists and cultural communities.
- Projects feature traditional artists through exhibits, performances, demonstrations, radio broadcasts, etc. The public events provide opportunities for audiences to interact directly with a wide range of communities and their artists.
- Documentation that is accessible to the public is available in the archive and includes images and recordings from over 25 years of fieldwork.
- Technical assistance for artists is a significant services provided by the Cultural Sustainability Program and they connect traditional artists with appropriate resources.
- Education for public audiences and traditional artists are offered. Offerings include workshops, panel discussions, school programs, training sessions and the Southern New England Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program.
COA further supports fieldwork through Folk & Traditional Arts Community Impact Coordinators which partner with our DRSO network.
For questions about the Folk & Traditional Arts programming in Connecticut, contact:
Kate Schramm, Cultural Sustainability Director at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History
Tamara Dimitri, COA Liaison to the Cultural Sustainability Program