Founding Director Paddy Bowman and Executive Director Lisa Rathje at the 30th Anniversary Celebration.
We recently asked a very special group of individuals, “Do you remember where you were 30 years ago?” Because at Local Learning, we did. In 1993, the Folk Arts in Education Roundtable held at the National Endowment for the Arts explored the intersections of folk arts and education, including its practitioners, pedagogy, toolkits, and potential. They crafted a vision for a National Task Force for Folk Arts in Education to support and serve folk arts in education, and as a result, Local Learning.
We recently celebrated this important anniversary—30 years of Local Learning supporting our national network—by recognizing the aspirational thinkers who envisioned the potential for this work at City Lore, our long-time partner, during a gathering in New York City.
Inspired, our Board of Directors worked with past Board members to raise $3,000 to celebrate 30 years as a Challenge Fund. They now ask YOUR support to match this goal. Your gift celebrates the past and helps us prepare for the future. Current needs from mounting efforts to shut down diverse traditions, knowledge, and perspectives in schools outpace our capacity. Be a bold part of Building Intercultural Understanding, Creating Stronger Communities, and Transforming Learning through your support. (You may link here to our secure PayPal page.)
Thank you for helping us to celebrate and contributing to the match for this Board-supported Challenge Fund!
With gratitude,
Lisa and Paddy
PS–Read the document “Folk Arts in the Classroom” that came from this 1993 gathering, linked here. The last pages include a list of the Working Group and Task Force who we honored earlier this fall.
