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This collection has access restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 76.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 41,000 items) |
| Abstract | Folk Alliance International is a nonprofit membership organization that supports folk music and folk arts communities through advocacy, education, professional development, and consumer and audience development. The collection contains audiovisual materials compiled by the organization and files maintained by white writer and concert promoter Art Menius, who served as the first president of the board of directors of what was then the North American Folk Music Association and was manager of the Alliance from 1991 to 1996. Files represent a broad swath of folk organizations, festivals, musicians, bands, artists, record companies and distributors, music venues and presenters, agents, and print and broadcast media outlets, especially radio stations. Materials include organizational newsletters, publications, and annual reports; correspondence; promotional packets for artists and bands; publicity photographs; tour schedules; catalogs and directories; brochures and programs; press releases; flyers; and applications for the Folk Alliance Showcase. Files pertain chiefly to bluegrass, folk, old time, and country music. Other arts represented include jazz, storytelling, and clogging. Audiovisual materials consist of audio and video recordings related to the organization's meetings, conferences, and lifetime achievement award ceremonies. |
| Creator | Folk Alliance International. |
| Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Folklife Collection. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Processing Information
Processed by: Southern Folklife Collection Staff, 1998; Emma Evans and Anne Wells, April 2018; Amy Morgan, June 2018
Encoded by: Laura Smith, November 2017
Updated by: Jodi Berkowitz and Anne Wells, June 2018; Anne Wells, March 2019; Patrick Cullom, December 2019; Nancy Kaiser, October 2020
Updated by: Laura Hart, February 2021
Since August 2017, we have added ethnic and racial identities for individuals and families represented in collections. To determine identity, we rely on self-identification; other information supplied to the repository by collection creators or sources; public records, press accounts, and secondary sources; and contextual information in the collection materials. Omissions of ethnic and racial identities in finding aids created or updated after August 2017 are an indication of insufficient information to make an educated guess or an individual's preference for identity information to be excluded from description. When we have misidentified, please let us know at wilsonlibrary@unc.edu.
Until 2019, some of photographic materials in this collection were originally part of the "SFC General Photograph Collection." Materials in the SFC General Photographic Collection were individually numbered in a sequential manner that spanned collections. Materials that have a number with a "P-" indicate inclusion in this collection. These numbers have been retained so that previous uses of the images and additional description remain connected to the materials.
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Related Collections
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Historical Information
Folk Alliance International is a nonprofit membership organization that supports folk music and folk arts communities through advocacy, education, professional development, and consumer and audience development. Founded in 1989 as the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance, the organization had several name changes to accomodate changes in the scope of activities and objectives. In 2008, the name was changed to Folk Alliance International.
The following historical note was compiled by Southern Folklife Staff in 1998.
Clark Weissman, Elaine Weissman, and the California Traditional Music Society founded the North American Folk Alliance (NAFA) in 1989. It was created to foster and promote traditional, contemporary, and multicultural folk music and dance and related performing arts in North America. The Alliance seeks to strengthen and advance organizational and individual initiatives in folk music and dance through education, networking, advocacy, and professional and field development.
The organization's goals are:
The Folk Alliance is composed of members who are performers, agents, media, record companies, merchandisers, presenters, festivals, folk societies and their volunteers, back-porch players, and other organizations and individuals actively promoting and fostering culturally diverse traditional and contemporary folk music, dance, storytelling, and related performing arts in North America.
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Scope and Content
The Folk Alliance International Collection contains files maintained by Art Menius, first president of the board of directors of what was then the North American Folk Music Association and the manager of the Alliance from 1991 to 1996, as well as audiovisual materials compiled by the organization.
North American Folk Alliance files represent a broad swath of folk organizations, festivals, musicians, bands, artists, record companies and distributors, music venues and presenters, agents, and print and broadcast media outlets, especially radio stations. Materials include organizational newsletters, publications, and annual reports; correspondence; promotional packets for artists and bands; publicity photographs; tour schedules; catalogs and directories; brochures and programs; press releases; flyers; and applications for the Folk Alliance Showcase. Files pertain chiefly to bluegrass, folk, old time, and country music. Other arts represented include jazz, storytelling, and clogging.
Audiovisual materials consist of audio and video recordings and supporting documentation related to the organization's meetings, conferences, and lifetime achievement award ceremonies. Audio recordings are made up mostly of presentations and panels from the Folk Alliance annual conference. Other audio recordings found in the collection include Folk Alliance International meeting minutes, award ceremonies, dubbed radio programs featuring segments on the organization, and demos by artists affiliated with Folk Alliance. Videotapes consist mostly of recordings of Folk Alliance Lifetime Achievement Awards ceremonies. Other videotapes include recordings by or about particular folk music subjects, including Moe Asch, Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, Utah Phillips, and Jean Ritchie, among others. Audio recordings are on audiocassette, Digital Audio Tape (DAT), and digital files, while video recordings are on Betacam-SP, U-Matic, VHS, and digital files. Supporting documentation consists of memos, letters, order forms, printed materials, and ephemera found with the audiovisual materials in the collection.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. North American Folk Alliance Papers and Photographs, 1982-1996.
Arrangement:
Processing information: The original deposit was arranged and described by staff of the Southern Folklife Collection in 1998. The original paper inventory compiled in 1998 was digitized and then encoded for this finding aid in 2018. The containers' contents were not verified against the original inventory. As such, the arrangement outlined below may have inaccuracies, and some material may no longer be present.
Papers noted as Addition consist of materials from accessions listed above and were merged according to series prior to processing in 2018.
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1.1. Organizations, circa 1983-1996.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by the name of the organization.
Series contains files about organizations associated with the North American Folk Alliance. Materials include organizations' newsletters and bulletins, correspondence, press releases, and advertisements.
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Subseries 1.2. Showcase Applications, circa 1995-1996.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by the name of the artist or musical group.
Series contains applications to perform at the 1996 North American Folk Alliance Showcase received from individual artists and musical groups. Applications include press and publicity, photographs, biographies, and handwritten notes.
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1.3. Festivals, 1985-1995.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by the name of the festival.
Series contains files about folk festivals held primarily in the United States and Canada. Materials include calendars, programs, brochures, press releases, correspondence, and advertisements.
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1.4. Print Media, circa 1982-1996.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by the title of the magazine or newsletter.
Series contains magazines, newsletters, catalogs, brochures, and other printed materials related to folk music, dance, and arts.
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Subseries 1.4A. Print Media (Addition).
Arrangement: Alphabetical by title of publication.
The print media addition consists of newsletters, catalogs, and other publications collected and acquired by Folk Alliance International.
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1.5. Administrative Files, 1992-1994.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by title of the file.
Series contains working files for conferences held in American and Canadian cities.
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Subseries 1.5A. Administrative Files (Addition).
Arrangement: Original file arrangement has been maintained.
Files relate primarily to the conferences hosted by Folk Alliance International, as well as the Board of Directors of the organization and the organization's newsletter.
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1.6. Artists, circa 1995.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by the name of the artist or group.
Series contains artist files about members of the North American Folk Alliance. Materials include promotional kits, photographs, and biographical information.
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Subseries 1.6A. Artists (Addition).
Arrangement: General material is followed by material arranged alphabetically by name of artist or group.
Papers consist of artist files about members of Folk Alliance International. Materials include promotional kits, photographs, and biographical information.
| Box 94 |
Artist promotional material(16 folders) |
| Box 95 |
Miscellaneous(10 folders) |
| Box 96 |
Name File: A(2 folders) |
Name File: B(3 folders) |
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Name File: C(3 folders) |
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Name File: D(2 folders) |
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Name File: E(2 folders) |
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Name File: F(2 folders) |
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Name File: G(3 folders) |
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| Box 97 |
Name File: H(3 folders) |
Name File: I(2 folders) |
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Name File: J(2 folders) |
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Name File: K(2 folders) |
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Name File: L(2 folders) |
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Name File: M(3 folders) |
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Name File: N(2 folders) |
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| Box 98 |
Name File: O(2 folders) |
Name File: P(2 folders) |
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Name File: Q(2 folders) |
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Name File: R(3 folders) |
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Name File: S(3 folders) |
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Name File: T(2 folders) |
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Name File: U |
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Name File: V(2 folders) |
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Name File: W(3 folders) |
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Name File: X-Y |
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Name File: Z |
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Subseries 1.7. Record Companies and Distributors, circa 1992-1996.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by the name of the company.
Series contains files about record companies and record distributors for folk music.
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Subseries 1.8. Venues and Presenters, circa 1994.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by the name of the venue or presenting agency.
Series contains files about venues for folk and roots music.