Building folkart networks of teachers and learners, or, Ukrainian embroidery for English speakers

Do you have specific Neighborhood(s) in mind?

any

Which group(s) does your idea focus on? Select as many as apply.

Youth

Older Adults

Limited English Speakers

Immigrants/ Migrants

Describe the challenge you want to address:

Being an immigrant is an intense and exhausting experience. Understandably, creating traditional folk arts fall to the wayside and the cultural meanings they hold fade in importance. Once 2nd or 3rd generation family members want to learn them, in order to integrate (and not lose) their cultural background with their American life, no one remembers how they are done.

What is the solution to the challenge?

The solution is to actively build networks of teachers and learners. One could think of this as "grandma sharing". The example that I know best is Ukrainian embroidery, which carries centuries of meaning but is almost impossible to learn without fluency in the language. The organization that takes on this idea would have to identify community members with folkart skills and give them space and materials for workshops. This idea is adaptable to other immigrant groups.

Please provide your Zip Code

10301