The post brings up an interesting point. Is the study of folk arts elitist because of the image that people have for it in their minds?

Folk Arts cover a broad area of research and history.

I think that there are elitists in the folk music field but the study itself is anything but elitist because it deals with the national fabric of history and legend. People who created this form of expression were not themselves elitist but representative of various cultures, many who were working-class and some at the poverty level. The study of this form of expression is
analogous to the study of any social science which in itself can hardly be called elitist although there are academic elitists in every field.

I get it that there are folkie practitioners who are snobby or exclusive in their interest but to generalize like this makes no sense whatever.

The common denominator of the folk arts expression to me is that it reveals the cultural life of the people from where it comes. It is also an accessible form of expression which makes it anything but elitist.

For example, it takes not too much rigorous discipline to sing the chorus of a folk song.
It is available to any who enjoy it. This is more basic then the skills it takes to sing opera,
classical music or sophisticated jazz.

The question should be "are folkies elitist"? and I would answer some are and some are not.