The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #121085 Message #2641792
Posted By: glueman
27-May-09 - 07:23 AM
Thread Name: Are 'Folk Arts' Elitist?
Subject: RE: Are 'Folk Arts' Elitist?
Jon, rather than acknowledge any common 'vernacular' response to music or art is a folk response, the revival, like the art market, has a strict set of criteria as to what can be considered folk based on a set of criteria that must be met. These criteria are fairly exacting and designed to keep things out rather than include, adapt, amend and change with time, thus retaining a status quo.
As myself and others have suggested the thread has gone some way to showing that folk arts are perceived as elevated things that can only be conveyed through education (in a modern sense), special pleading and pubic funds whereas these arts are all around and require little or none to participate.