Folklife community,

 

Northwest Folklife is excited to announce our 2021 Cultural Focus, 50 Years of Northwest Folklife: A Look-Back, A Look Ahead along with our commemorative anniversary logo.

This Cultural Focus honors the milestone of 50 years of stories, songs, and traditions of the Pacific Northwest region with a year-long community celebration. As we look towards a half-century mark, the organization celebrates the ways in which folklife is a part of each of our lives— past, present, and future.
 

In honor of our upcoming 50th anniversary, Northwest Folklife is excited to share its commemorative logo, inspired by the special moments and the communities that make up its programs.

This celebratory 50th logo was designed to feature the core of our organization and one that encompasses who we are—and that is YOU, our community. We’re excited to share that this special logo focuses on the people and the communities who make Northwest Folklife and all of our programs what they are today.

Inspired by photographs taken at programs such as the Northwest Folklife Festival and Our Big Neighborhood events, this logo highlights the true root of Northwest Folklife, which is the community.

Visit our website for a behind-the-scenes look at this logo and the photographs that inspired its creation.
 

A Look at Our Past: 50 Years of Folklife will look back to our roots to celebrate, recognize, and honor the cultural endowment of those legacies that have served as the foundation for our organization. This program includes in-depth audio interviews and podcasts with culture bearers of the region's communities including co-founder of Northwest Folklife Vivian Williams, a display of archived memorabilia such as festival posters and buttons, and more.

A Look at Our Present: Northwest Folklife will bring the community together through conversations and interactive town hall discussions on current-day arts and culture, the environment, heritage and identity, social equity, and more.

A Look at Our Future: Northwest Folklife will look toward the future and spotlight youth partners and culture bearers who will forge this work into the next 50 years.

What are your favorite stories and memories from the Northwest Folklife Festival? Share your memories with us through social media using the hashtag #Folklife50. We will gather these community testimonies and share these stories throughout 2021 and its programs. Stay tuned!

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Your support keeps the living legacy of Northwest Folklife vibrant and community-powered! Here are a few ways to uplift Northwest Folklife’s year-round programs and continue amplifying arts and culture in our region.

As we continue to build a year of celebration and reflection together, YOUR stories, YOUR traditions, and YOUR support will propel Northwest Folklife into the next 50 years and beyond! THANK YOU.