Welcome to the Alabama Folklife Association (AFA)
What is folklife?
Folklife includes expressions of traditional culture such as foodways, music, lore, games, festivals, annual events, and material items including pottery, quilts, baskets, clothing, fish traps, and brooms. These cultural expressions demonstrate knowledge and skills passed down from one generation to the next through family, community, group, or region. The folklife of Alabama has taken root in the social life, history, and experiences of the people of this state, and informs our fundamental notions of who we are, what we value, and how we relate to the world.
What is the AFA?
The AFA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created in 1980 to document, preserve, and promote the folkways of Alabama through research, education, and programs. A partner program of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the AFA fulfills the mission through funding scholarly research and the Archive of Alabama Folk Culture; presenting and disseminating folk and traditional arts through CDs, publications, programs, exhibits, and web sites; and providing scholars, authors, artists, and educators with the resources, skills, and tools to enhance their contributions and carry out projects consistent with the mission of the AFA. Through web sites and social media, the AFA works to promote traditional artists, events, festivals, folkways, and local organizations and institutions dedicated to the field.
What does the AFA do?
(click above for calendar)
May and June!
Exhibit: Birmingham Public Library Central Branch
May 11 - June 25
Folk E-News Archives
2011-2014 HERE
Archived Newsletters
>DISSEMINATE and PRESENT
The AFA disseminates and presents folklife
research through:
- Web Sites include one for AFA and one for each exhibit.
- Productions
>PROMOTE and DEVELOP
The AFA builds awareness of and support for
artists, scholars, communities, and festivals through:
- Programs
- Internships
- Partners
- Social Media
Three facebook pages are Common Threads, AFA, and AFA exhibits.
> DISCOVER, COLLECT, and PRESERVE
The AFA identifies, documents, and preserves
traditional arts and folkways through:
> EDUCATE
The AFA develops community scholars and supports arts in education through:
- Training (see Education and/or Research pages)
- Workshops (see Education and/ or Research pages)
P: 205.956.9888
Mailing Address
5709 Belle Ridge Trail
Birmingham, AL 35210
or
P.O. Box 4697
Montgomery, AL 36103-4697
