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Southwest Folklife Alliance

Preserving and presenting the unique cultural and traditional arts, music, food and dance of our region

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  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • Who We Are
    • History
    • Funders
    • Media
  • Our Work
    • Tucson Meet Yourself
    • Master-Apprentice Artist Award Program
    • BorderLore
    • End of Life Programs
    • Documentation & Cultural Criticism
    • Learning Folklife
    • VozFrontera
    • Videos
  • Building Capacity
    • Cultural Planning & Development
    • Equitable Evaluation & Ethnography
    • Supporting Folklife
  • Give
  • News
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Mission
Hula dancer at Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival. Photo by Steven Meckler

Mission

We build more equitable and vibrant communities by celebrating the everyday expressions of culture, heritage, and diversity in the Greater Southwest.

We do this by:

  • Celebrating culture and heritage in the region through festivals, storytelling, and public programs that increase understanding and respect for folklife practices.
  • Providing direct support to heritage-based artists in the region.
  • Amplifying models and methods of meaningful partnerships and alliances that center traditional knowledge, cultural equity, community, and collaboration.

Download our 2018 Annual Report.

 

Social Equity Statement

Social equity is an integral part of our work at the Southwest Folklife Alliance. We understand equity work as an ongoing responsibility where we orient—always—towards justice. We pay attention to power dynamics and look for ways to expand access to resources for those who need it. We make space at the table for those who have been left out. We work to redistribute wealth and eliminate barriers to opportunity. We recognize that systems of oppression impact folk and traditional communities and their ability to express themselves with dignity and respect. We “lead from behind” with the intention of building respect for multiple worldviews and a platform to amplify traditional knowledge and folklife practices. We actively make opportunities that encourage cooperation, collaboration, and inclusion. At the Southwest Folklife Alliance, we embrace a just society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

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Who We Are

The Southwest Folklife Alliance is an affiliate non-profit organization of the University of Arizona, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. We are the designated Folk Arts Partner of the Arizona Commission on the Arts with the support of the National Endowment of the Arts.

Our Mission: We build more equitable and vibrant communities by celebrating the everyday expressions of culture, heritage and diversity in the Greater Southwest.

Folklife: Everyday things people make, say, or do with shared meaning in small groups.

© 2020 Southwest Folklife Alliance · Site design by Kimi Eisele and Julie Ray Creative