For Immediate Release
The Philadelphia Folklore Project presents
Folk Arts of Social Change

(August 1, 1999) The Philadelphia Folklore Project announces the opening of a unique new exhibition, Folk Arts of Social Change on Thursday, September 9, 1999, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catherine Street. Based on two years of interviews with Philadelphia-area activists and artists, Folk Arts of Social Change exhibits the arts and artifacts born out of ordinary people's struggles to make their community, city, country, and world a better place. The public is invited to share performances, discussions and refreshments at the opening party and celebration at Fleisher on Friday, September 17, 1999 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Folk Arts of Social Change runs from September 9, 1999 to October 24, 1999. Regular gallery hours are: Monday to Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Friday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Tours for school children and other groups can be arranged after September 9 by calling the PFP office, 215.726.6250.

Folk Arts of Social Change is free to the public and is made possible by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Independence Foundation, the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative (funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by the University of the Arts), the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the William Penn Foundation and the Philadelphia Folklore Project's members and friends.

Curated by Philadelphia Folklore Project exhibition director, artist Teresa Jaynes, Folk Arts of Social Change embraces and expands traditional definitions of folk art. Jaynes brings a creative vision and energy to the exhibition that makes Folk Arts of Social Change a dramatic visual rendering of impassioned personal and collective struggles for freedom. Folk Arts of Social Change incorporates stories, songs, buttons, slogans, chants, flyers, banners, posters, scrapbooks, photographs, craft work, and art into six principal themes.

"Freedom is My Badge" is a section inspired by the words of William H. Crawford. In an interview with Teresa Jaynes and Judy Claude, Crawford explains, "Freedom was my badge, which I got from my great-grandfather, having been a slave and escaped, that was a very powerful influence...." Bill Crawford and his wife Miriam Crawford have been political activists in Philadelphia for well over 40 years. They were the former owners of the New World Book Fair, and their dining room, a site of numerous political planning meetings, is one of the main installations in the exhibit.

There is a lot of folk wisdom about "walking the walk" and about "following in the footsteps" of those who went before. "Big Shoes to Fill" is an installation of shoes worn by people who have struggled in many ways for social justice, whether in the streets, in the classroom, around kitchen tables, in the courts, and elsewhere. The shoes displayed in this section represent the real steps and invisible labor that many different mentors and role models have contributed to movements for freedom, justice, and equality. The shoes exhibited belong to a wide range of individuals including Sonia Sanchez, Joan Myers Brown, Harvey Finkle, Sister Falaka Fattah, Judy Wicks, Bernie Dinkins, Steven Gold, Kathleen O'Donnell and many others.

"Stories To Live By" is an installation of objects that commemorate both legendary and little-known struggles for justice and freedom. Stories associated with these objects of memory elaborate universal themes: epic sagas of conflicts between good and evil, the exploits of clever tricksters and venerable sages, and tales of great risks and of how people have "paid the price." All of these themes have been played out, like great social dramas, in the streets of Philadelphia and they are still being played out today. Included is a 1968 calendar owned by Father Paul Washington, preserving some of the words and sayings that have been guideposts for him, as well as a record of the first Black Panther Party convention in Philadelphia at the Church of the Advocate. There is an issue of Yellow Seeds (1973), a Chinatown community newspaper loaned by Mary Yee. Yee explains, "It was really important that we were able to disseminate information to the community through bilingual media. We were the first bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in Philadelphia. Without that paper which included articles in Mandarin, the older people would not really have understood the issues at hand...." Alternative means of communication, and alternative stories are conveyed through the objects in this section.

"Tools of Survival, Sites of Resistance" is an installation of folk arts that work to link people to heritage and lost homes, that tell stories of tragedy to the rest of the world and that create resources for resistance. The collection illuminates the subtleties of resistance located in folk arts that allowed people to imagine and rehearse freedom in times and places where political repression or oppressive systems make direct opposition impossible. One such object is Cambodian immigrant Chamroeun Yin's classical dance costume: the dance was an important part of resistance against the Khmer Rouge. "If they found out you were a dancer, or a singer at the palace, the Khmer Rouge would have killed you. And many dancers died. There are not so many people who know all the stories the dances tell, or how they teach Khmer values. When I was learning the dance in the refugee camps, they were always thinking dance was for the ladies only and the people called all of us boys...'aktoeuy'...like saying faggot.' But my teacher told us ...You know who you are. You know how to do the dance. You have to preserve your culture...If you stop dancing, you lose." "Tools of Survival, Sites of Resistance" includes powerful works and stories from Native American, Latino American, Asian American, African American and European American folk artists.

The signs, banners, puppets, t-shirts, and other objects in "The People United Will Never Be Defeated" represent the visible parts of collective efforts, of naming a position and acting on beliefs. "The People United Will Never Be Defeated" reflects a wide range of social change movements. There is a sign in the shape of a tombstone used in efforts to include condom distribution and safer sex education in Philadelphia public high schools, courtesy of ACT UP Philadelphia. There is a mixed media sign "Abomino's Pizza" used during the Domino's Pizza boycott during the 1990s. "The People United Will Never Be Defeated" samples four decades of initiatives for social change in Philadelphia, showing the traditions of display and expression that have aided these efforts.

The Philadelphia Folklore Project is a 13-year-old independent public folklife agency that documents, supports and presents local folk arts and culture. PFP offers exhibitions, concerts, workshops, and assistance to artists and communities. Staff conduct on-going field research and organize around issues of concern. PFP also maintains an archive, issues publications and shares resources. For further information, contact Philadelphia Folklore Project, 735 South 50th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143.

Last update: February 19, 2006