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services >> finding aids >> individual collectionsFinding Aids to Individual Collections in the Archive of Folk CultureTHE CHICAGO ETHNIC ARTS PROJECT COLLECTIONAFC 1981/004Library of Congress SUMMARYThe Chicago Ethnic Arts Project Collection consists of audio recordings, photographs, manuscript materials, publications, ephemera, and accompanying documentation related to the 1977 Chicago Ethnic Arts Project field survey. At the request of the Illinois Arts Council, the American Folklife Center assessed and documented the status of ethnic art traditions in more than twenty ethnic communities in Chicago. Fourteen professional folklorists conducted the fieldwork, interviewing artists, talking with community leaders, and documenting the arts through still photographs and audiotape recordings. The final project report presented to the Illinois Arts Council summarized the current conditions and folk arts needs in these communities. Materials from post-project activities such as workshops in the ethnic communities and a traveling photographic exhibit are included in the collection. Access and Reproduction: Listening and viewing access to the collection
is unrestricted. Duplication of the recorded materials may be governed
by copyright and other restrictions. Key Subjects: Communities activities; dance--performance, social, and folk; foodways; music--instrumental and vocal; religious celebrations; textile arts; and wood carving. Ethnic groups: African-American, Austrian, Chinese, Croatian, Cuban, Czech, Danish, Finnish, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Jewish, Korean, Latino, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Native American, Norwegian, Polish, Puerto Rican, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, and Ukranian. Languages and Dialects: Calabrese, Italian, Korean, Lithuanian, Neopolitan, Polish, Slovenian, Spanish, Ukranian Physical Description: Location Numbers: Audio Recordings Graphic Materials Moving Images SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTEThe Chicago Ethnic Arts Project Collection contains the audiorecordings, photographs, publications, ephemera, and accompanying manuscript materials associated with the 1977 survey of ethnic artistic expression in Chicago conducted by the American Folklife Center. The Center undertook the project on behalf of the Illinois Arts Council, following a directive from the Illinois legislature to increase programming for ethnic arts. The purpose of the survey was to assess living ethnic art traditions in a contemporary urban American setting. This was accomplished by examining factors such as history, transmission, social structures, and individual artists' lives. The final project report, which summarized the status of existing ethnic arts and provided recommendations for future support, was submitted to the Illinois Arts Council for use in program planning. The project occurred between February and November 1977 and involved three phases: initial planning and background research, fieldwork in Chicago, and analysis and preparation of the final report. It was organized by Center director Alan Jabbour and staff members Elena Bradunas and Carl Fleischhauer. Research assistants Carol Armbruster and Peter Bartis prepared background material. Greta Swenson coordinated the fieldwork in Chicago; Jonas Dovydenas served as photographer and media specialist. Fieldworkers included fourteen professional folklorists and cultural specialists. After the collection was arranged and housed, Lucy Long prepared a detailed inventory. The ethnic groups studied during the project were chosen according to two criteria: representation in the 1970 census and the availability of a professional cultural expert for that group. Fieldworkers spent one to three weeks interviewing community leaders and artists and documenting various arts and activities. The fieldworkers compiled information on the following ethnic groups: African-American, Austrian, Chinese, Croatian, Cuban, Czech, Danish, Finnish, German, Greek, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Jewish, Korean, Latino, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Native American, Norwegian, Polish, Puerto Rican, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, and Ukranian. Subjects best represented in the collection include instrumental and vocal music, performance, social and folk dance, textile arts, foodways, religious celebrations, wood carving, and community activities such as social club meetings and neighborhood gatherings. Two smaller projects resulted from the survey; materials from both are included in the collection. The first project was a series of concurrent weekend workshops held in November 1977 in seven Chicago ethnic communities: Greek, Irish, Italian, Latino, Lithuanian, South Slavic, and Ukrainian. Conducted by project fieldworkers who surveyed those groups, the workshops focused on community cultural preservation. The second project was an exhibit of photographs taken by Jonas Dovydenas during the fieldwork. "Inside Our Homes, Outside Our Windows" was mounted at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art in 1979 and at several other venues in 1980. The collection not only documents the lifespan of the project and recommendations presented to the Illinois Arts Council, but also records and preserves the life histories and folk arts of specific urban ethnic communities in Chicago. The materials span the years 1976 to 1981, with the largest portion concerning the project in 1977. The collection is divided into four series by format: manuscripts, sound recordings, graphic material, and moving images. The inventory to the collection, photographic logs, and sound recordings concordance (materials not included in this register) provide detailed descriptions of the contents. Series I: Manuscripts The manuscript materials provide supporting documentation for the entire project, including the follow-up workshops and the photographic exhibit. Documents pertaining to the planning and administration of these activities are found here. Publications such as books, brochures, articles, maps, and so forth provide background on Chicago and specific ethnic groups. Documentation includes fieldnotes, daily journals, logs describing the content of the photographs and sound recordings made during the fieldwork, and related ephemera. This series also contains summaries and reports on the project, including a final copy of A Report on the Chicago Ethnic Arts Project. Series II: Sound Recordings This series includes the 344 audiocassettes and reel-to-reel tapes used to document the fieldwork undertaken. They provide a record of interviews, music, and social events. The series also includes selected recordings from the entire set. Logs that identify the content of the recordings are found in Series I. Series III: Graphic Images More than 13,000 images document the fieldwork performed in Chicago. They include black and white negative rolls, contact sheets, and miscellaneous photoprints. Color transparencies and reference fiches are also included. The series also contains photographs taken during the workshops, as well as slides documenting the installation of the photographic exhibit, the matted photoprints themselves, and reference slides of the photoprints. Logs describing the content of the field photographs are found in Series I. Series VI: Moving Images This series contains two videocassettes related to the photographic exhibit, "Inside Our Houses, Outside Our Windows." One describes the exhibit and the other contains remarks by the photographer, Jonas Dovydenas. Logs of these videotapes can be found in Series I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SERIESSERIES I: MANUSCRIPTS
SERIES II: SOUND RECORDINGS
SERIES III: GRAPHIC IMAGES
SERIES IV: MOVING IMAGESBox 18 One 3/4" sound, color unedited videotape of remarks by Jonas Dovydenas on the Chicago Ethnic Arts Project. December 1980. AFC 1981/004:V1. Box 18 One 3/4" sound, color videotape program used at the National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs installation of the photo exhibit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. January 1981. AFC 1981/004:V2. ARTICLES ABOUT THE COLLECTIONAmerican Folklife Center, "Chicago Project Highlights." Folklife Center News I, no. 2 (April 1978): 3, 8. ______________, "Chicago's Ethnic Communities and Their Artistic Expression." Folklife Center News I, no. 1 (January 1978): 6-7. Boyer, Bruce Hatton. "Ethnic Folk Arts in Contemporary Chicago." Chicago History: The Magazine of the Chicago Historical Society X, no. 4 (Winter 1981-1982): 248-255. "Chicago Ethnic Project to Study Traditions." Library of Congress Information Bulletin, 36 no. 6. April 22, 1977: 1-2. Melville, Annette, "Chicago Ethnic Arts Project Collection." In Special Collections in the Library of Congress, 61. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1980. |
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