Please check back for upcoming NYFA Folk Artist Development Program Events.

Saturday, September 15, 2012, 2:00-4:30pm

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) in collaboration with the Asian American Arts Alliance (a4) and Queens Botanical Garden (QBG) presented The Gift of Wisdom as part of Locating the Sacred Festival - A Showcase of Master Artists from the NYFA Folk Artist Development Program.

In the village setting of an autumnal garden, Master Artists from the NYFA Folk Artist Development Program presented the sacred traditions that have been passed on to them through lineage and legacy. Imbued with reverence for the artists' teachers, performances included a devotional Odissi dance (classical dance form of India) by Mala Desai, a Hindustani classical composition on sitar by Ikhlaq Hussain, powerful songs of praise for elders on the kora (African harp-lute) by Alhaji Papa Susso, and a seasonal improvisation on the kayagum (Korean zither) by Yoon Sook Park. These artists, all masters of their own tradition, collaborated, rehearsed together and learned about each other's traditions, to give an enchanting performance to a diverse, family-filled audience.

Featuring:

MALA DESAI, Master of Odissi Dance
In the style of her Guru Mayadhar Raut, Desai performs an Odissi temple dance in praise of Lord Ganesh for granting her wisdom. She invokes an auspicious beginning with Mangalacharan and a floral offering of Pushpanjali. Desai then seeks blessings and forgiveness from the earth with Bhoomi Pranam, a prayer in the form of Sanskrit poetry. The performance culminates in the Trikhandi Pranam with salutations to the Lord, the Guru, and the audience, which are essential to the completion of the dance. This is then followed by the devotional piece Nachonti Krishna, which harmoniously blends expressive dance and rhythm. It celebrates the god Krishna, who is omnipresent in every garden. In a collaborative performance, Desai dances with Park and Park's daughter Yusun Park to the Korean love song Sarangga

Mala Desai from NYFA on Vimeo.

ALHAJI PAPA SUSSO, Master Kora Player and Oral Historian
On the melodic Kora, a 21-stringed African harp-lute, Papa Susso sings a sacred song called Bani, which is dear to the Mandinka people of Gambia, West Africa. It recounts the culture's respect for nature and how all living things are interconnected. With this performance, he brings to life a classic composition inspired by his long lineage of Griots.

Alhaji Papa Susso from NYFA on Vimeo.

YOON-SOOK (DOOYI) PARK, Master of the Kayageum, accompanied by Indang Kim on the Janggu, an hour glass-shaped drum
On the Kayageum, a Korean zither of 12 strings, Park entrances us with the Kayagum Sanjo, a 6th century piece of improvisation. It consists of several movements in different rhythmic cycles and subtle melodic decorations. She performs it in the Yoo, Dae Bong Style, which exhibits a masculine strength and depth in flowing technique and harmonization with the Janggu. In a dramatic vocal performance of the Byeongchang, Park sings the short poem Pansori, distinct in its harmony of a woman's soft, clear voice with the elegant and subtle tones of the Kayageum. The poem tells of a brief spring time, and reflects on the transience of life.

Yoon-Sook (Dooyi) Park from NYFA on Vimeo.

IKHLAQ HUSSAIN, Sitar Maestro
Hussain begins with a Raga Kafi, a significant example of Hindustani classical music with a direct folk lineage in India that expresses spiritual and devotional songs. The lively Raga Bhimpalasi follows, a versatile piece performed in many genres of Indian music. Hussain concludes with the famous O Lal Meri Pat - Dama Dam Mast Qalandar, a song in honor of the prominent Sufi mystic Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, who was a poet and noble man that brought peace between Hindus and Muslims.

Ikhlaq Hussain from NYFA on Vimeo.

The showcase concluded in an eden-inspired collaborative performance by the artists.

This event was part of the Asian American Arts Alliance's Locating the Sacred Festival, and was presented by Queens Botanical Garden in association with the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Questions? Contact Karen Demavivas, Program Officer, NYFA Immigrant Artist Project, at kdemavivas@nyfa.org or 212-366-6900 x249.

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Sunday, May 27, 2012, 7:00-8:30pm

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) in collaboration with Greenwich House Music School presented Celebrating Water - A Showcase of Master Artists from the NYFA Folk Artist Development Program.

Celebrating Water brought together master artists from the NYFA Folk Artist Development Program for an evening of dance, music, and incantations inspired by rituals around water. The performances reflected on this essential element in relation to community, reciprocity, and reverence for nature. Throughout the night, a revered story-teller from Sierra Leone wove words and praises into the performances: from a Bangladeshi folk dance of a fisherman bound by bounty to rivers; to a percussive Brazilian offering to Yemanjá, an Afro-Brazilian deity of fisherfolk and abundance; to ritual vèvè drawings meditating on Vodou spirits of water. The fluidity of these expressive forms treated all to a joyous immersion. This event was made possible through the generous support of the MetLife Foundation.

Featuring:

IVO DE ARAUJO
Master Conductor and Percussionist of Manhattan Samba School with Fernando Saci, Conductor and Percussionist, Vocalist Catarina dos Santos, and percussionists and samba dancer from the Manhattan Samba School. The group performed a percussive offering to the Afro-Brazilian deity Yemanja who provides protection and bounty from the waters. They concluded the program by leading all the performers onto and off the stage for a bateria procession.

Ivo Araujo, Master Conductor and Percussionist of Manhattan Samba School from NYFA on Vimeo.

ANNIE FERDOUS
Performances by Annie Ferdous, Bangladeshi Choreographer and Dancer, and her students. They performed two Bangladeshi folk dances that highlight a fisherman’s joy of living. The fishermen of Bangladesh are closely bound to water bodies, specifically rivers. They have lived communally for many generations, creating their own history, distinct traditions, and patterns of daily life.

Annie Ferdous, Bangladeshi Choreographer and Dancer from NYFA on Vimeo.

KEWULAY KAMARA
Master of Ceremonies and Performance by Kewulay Kamara, Finah or Oral Historian and Poet from the Mandeng Tradition in Sierra Leone, with Master Kora Players Saleu Suso and Malang Jobarteh. Kamara began the performance with an invocation that brings peace, reconciliation and harmony among members of a community and spirits past and present. Through the artistry of spoken word, he expressed the reciprocity between community and water, giving back to the spirit of water. He engaged artists and audiences in a celebration of this vital life force of water that represents the unity of all living beings.

Master of Ceremonies and Performance by Kewulay Kamara from NYFA on Vimeo.

KESLER PIERRE
Presentation and Demonstration by Kesler Pierre, Visual and Performing Artist of Vodou Rituals and Objects. He presented intricate bottles he created as vessels of libation for Vodou water spirits called Lwa. They inspired his demonstration of ritual vèvè drawings that consist of curving lines of corn meal and coffee grounds, which form sacred symbols representing the Lwa. The vèvè serves as an invitation to the spirits to join a ritual ceremony.

Kesler Pierre, Visual and Performing Artist of Vodou Rituals and Objects from NYFA on Vimeo.

Questions? Contact Karen Demavivas, Program Officer, NYFA Immigrant Artist Project, at kdemavivas@nyfa.org or 212-366-6900 x249.

Saturday, March 31, 2012 & Sunday, April 15, 2012, 2:00-5:00pm

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and Flushing Town Hall presented Workshops (For All Ages) on Traditional Arts from the Andes, Mexico, and Puerto Rico by Master Artists from the NYFA Folk Artist Development Program. The series focused on the theme of how these art forms are transmitted and transformed from the artists' homelands to the multicultural context of NYC. See flyer below for details.

Saturday, March 31, 2012, 2:00-5:00pm

MEXICAN PAPER ART WORKSHOP
Master Mexican paper artist, Aurelia Fernandez, gave a workshop based on the tradition of celebrating spring by giving children feathers in school. This lively workshop showed children and adults alike how to make animal hats from paper and found objects.View a video of the workshop below.

Workshop: Aurelia and Zafiro Fernandez from NYFA on Vimeo.

ANDEAN INSTRUMENT-MAKING WORKSHOP
Juan "Pepe" Santana lead a workshop in making Andean instruments from Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Participants had the opportunity to build a pentatonic panpipe called palla and learned how to play simple Andean melodies. View a video of the workshop below.

Workshop: Juan "Pepe" Santana from NYFA on Vimeo.

Sunday, April 15, 2012, 2:00-5:00pm

VEJIGANTE MASK MAKING WORKSHOP
Felipe Rangel lead a fascinating workshop on the Puerto Rican Vejigante mask tradition used at celebrations in New York and at home in Puerto Rico. Felipe discussed the techniques of making these elaborate masks and taught participants to create a small mask of their own. View a video of the workshop below.

Workshop: Felipe Rangel from NYFA on Vimeo.

MEXICAN PAPER FLOWER MAKING WORKSHOP
Colorful Mexican paper flowers and the intricate papel picado (cut paper banners) are used in both secular and religious celebrations throughout the year including weddings and holidays. Participants joined Margarita Larios from Puebla, Mexico and crafted paper flowers or papel picado in celebration of their specific theme or event. View a video of the workshop below.

Workshop: Margarita Larios from NYFA on Vimeo.

Sunday, April 22, 2012, 1:00-3:00pm

In collaboration with New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and New York Folklore Society, the museum’s education department presented an afternoon dedicated to celebrating spring through learning traditional paper art techniques from Mexico. Families learned how to tear, twist, and create their own vivid spring bouquet.

Workshop instructor Aurelia Fernandez is a Mexican master artisan and participant of the NYFA Folk Artist Development Program, which helps senior members of immigrant communities build professional skills and resources to carry forward their traditional art forms.

Questions? Contact Karen Demavivas, Program Officer, NYFA Immigrant Artist Project, at kdemavivas@nyfa.org or 212-366-6900 x249.

The NYFA Folk Artist Development Program is made possible through the generous support of the MetLife Foundation.