May 5 lunch lecture: El Maíz en Sonora
April 18, 2022
SFA and Alianza para el Folclore y el Patriomonio Cultural del Norte join Pueblos del Maíz, a month-long celebration of the rich traditions of maíz across four UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy (Tucson, San Antonio, Merida, and Puebla). Presented by Tucson City of Gastronomy, the Tucson segment of the festival kicks off May 5-8. SFA
Support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will help us grow transborder folklife initiatives
March 9, 2022
Southwest Folklife Alliance Receives $750,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support transborder folklife initiatives and capacity building We’re thrilled to announce we’ve received a grant of $750,000 from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support transborder folklife initiatives in Northern Mexico and Tucson, Arizona for the next three years. The Mellon funding will
James “Big Jim” Griffith: July 30, 1935-December 18, 2021
January 14, 2022
It is with humility and sadness that we share our beloved teacher, elder, and Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival co-founder, Dr. James S. “Big Jim” Griffith has transitioned from this earth. Big Jim passed quietly and peacefully at his home. His love for these lands and their cultures is a light that will continue to
NEA Funds Tucson Meet Yourself 2022
January 12, 2022
We are thrilled to share that we’ve been awarded a $35,000 Grant for Arts Projects from the National Endowment for the Arts in support of our annual folklife festival, Tucson Meet Yourself. To be included in the NEA’s first round of awards for 2022 is an honor, and these funds monies will help us produce
Announcing the 2021 Master-Apprentice Artist Awardees
December 15, 2021
We are delighted to announce the SFA Master-Apprentice Artist Awardees for 2021! (Just in time.) This award program supports master traditional artists/culture bearers with $5,000 to work with emerging-artist mentees ($500) in a yearlong exchange to support the transmission of traditional cultural knowledge and practice. The first award program of its kind in Arizona, it
December 2021: Shining light on new narratives, old words, and ever-present darkness
December 9, 2021
Check out the latest stories from BorderLore: This month: Kimi Eisele visits emerging artists in Douglas and Agua Prieta who are creating safe spaces to shift border narratives, Mele Martinez considers the valuable project of reclaiming language in New Mexico and beyond, and we revisit the archives for a 2017 interview with bereavement specialist Mary
From the Folklife PAR Network Blog: Convivencia: Living Together Like Family
December 9, 2021
Participatory Action Research Fellow and theatre-maker Paul Flores writes about his Somos Esenciales project, which documents the stories of Latinx day laborers, domestic workers, and volunteers at the Mission Food Hub and how COVID has, paradoxically, brought people together. Read Paul’s blog post and others at the Folklife (PAR) Network.
October 2021: How Ancestral Roots and Foodways Are Nourishing Us Now
November 4, 2021
Check out the latest stories BorderLore.org. This month: Adiba Nelson makes a personal journey to find Black farmers and ranchers in Southern Arizona. Maria Parra Cano, a 2020 SFA Master-Apprentice Artist Awardee, shares how ancestral foods and a new food forest is helping her heal herself, her family, and her community. And Jennifer Nalewicki explores
From the Folklife PAR Network Blog: Ground Zero Is Fertile Ground
October 4, 2021
Participatory Action Research Fellow Laura Rios-Ramirez writes about how Nahuatlaca Indigenous ways reveal folklife and participatory action work can lead us toward a more liberated and sovereign future. Read her blog post and others at the Folklife (PAR) Network.
Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival Returns to Downtown Tucson Oct. 8-10
September 9, 2021
This year’s festival is an in-person scaled-back event … because Culture and Community Are Resilient TUCSON, AZ –The 48th Annual Tucson Meet Yourself (TMY) Folklife Festival returns to downtown Tucson, allowing the public to reconnect with its diverse and distinct cultures. As always, innovation and adaptation are emblematic of shifting traditions, and this year festival
Audio Stories of End-of-Life Caregivers: Record and Share Your Story
September 5, 2021
Are you or is someone you know an end-of-life caregiver? Listen to, record, and share their story. End-of-life (EOL) care is tender and important work, but too often end-of-life caregivers go unseen and unheard. This project seeks to change that. How to Participate: REVIEW and download our EOL Caregiver Audio Stories How-to Guides here: How
SFA Receives One-time Gift from Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett
June 15, 2021
For Immediate ReleaseJune 16, 2021 Contact:Bryan Falcón, SFA Board of Directors at 520-240-5180 (c) e-mail: bryanf@southwestfolklife.orgLeia Maahs, SFA Director at 520-903-4175 (c) e-mail: leiam@southwestfolklife.org Tucson, AZ.- The Southwest Folklife Alliance Inc. (SFA) has been selected to receive a one-time gift of $1.5 million to support the organization’s general operations. Known for its regional support and