Kentucky Folklife Program

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For over 30 years the Kentucky Folklife Program (KFP) has been dedicated to the mission of documenting, presenting, and conserving the diverse traditional culture and heritage of the Commonwealth. The Kentucky Folklife Program is proud to call the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology home and strengthen our partnership with the WKU Folk Studies academic program.

Founded in 1989 as an inter-agency partnership between the Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Arts Council, KFP moved to its current home at Western Kentucky University in 2012. Now housed in the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology at WKU, KFP is physically located in the Pioneer Log Cabin on WKU’s campus. The Kentucky Folklife Program has remained focused on practical folklife and traditional arts projects as we continue to understand the evolving needs of local constituents throughout Kentucky, those who have a crucial stake in documenting the folk traditions of their regions. With our vantage point at WKU, KFP is always exploring exciting and innovative partnership opportunities with other organizations, universities, and folklife programs throughout the nation.

KFP has many projects and partnerships, many of which are ongoing (some are on hold due to COVID-19), including:

• The Kentucky Folklife Network and Kentucky Folklife online magazine
• Oral History Projects
• Exhibits
• The Homer Ledford Award
• Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange
• Log Cabin Jams
• Pioneer Log Cabin Concert Series
• KFP’s Folklorist in the Park Program
• The Kentucky Arts Council’s Community Scholars Program

Folk Studies graduate students also have the opportunity to take part in KFP programming, including KFP projects held in conjunction with:

• Hammer-In at the Kentucky Museum
• Horse Cave Heritage Festival
• WKU’s “International Year of” Program
• The Kentucky Arts Council's annual Kentucky Crafted: The Market

 

For more information on our programs and projects, visit our website: www.kentuckyfolklife.org

Email: kyfolklife@wku.edu | Subscribe to our newsletter

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