The Experience
Whether it’s tap dancing, drumming, basket weaving, photography, or gospel singing, the Philadelphia Folklore Project (PFP) leaves no form of folk culture unremarked. Through educational workshops, performances and exhibitions, PFP preserves a record of Philadelphia’s folk life, past and present. Its resources include more than 45,000 archived items.
Among others, PFP has worked with the Italian, Lithuanian, Cambodian, Latino and African-American communities to create full-scale public events that celebrate the unique contributions these ethnic groups make to American life. Its traveling exhibitions crisscross the country, offering Americans a sense of Philadelphia’s nearly 500-year-old folk culture. In 1997 PFP ushered in the first annual Philly Dance Africa program (co-produced with Odunde festival) connecting the city’s numerous African communities to its grass-roots African-American dance companies.
History
In preparation for the 100th anniversary of the American Folklore Society in 1989, folklorist Debra Kodish founded the PFP in 1987. One thousand folklorists came to mark the anniversary during Philadelphia Folklore Month. Soon the PFP grew into a permanent nonprofit that uniquely serves Philadelphia’s needs in preserving its folk history.