Folk Arts at the Down Jersey Folklife Center

Reflections and Expressions

Nelly Sanchez (they/them/their) was one of this summer's Diversity in Arts Leadership interns in the Southern New Jersey cohort and applied their skills as a multifaceted graphic designer, photographer, and programmer to projects at the Down Jersey Folklife Center. Nelly describes their excitement with working with the folklife center, “... It has allowed me to understand how communities have adjusted and redeveloped.” In this issue of Passing It On, we caught up with Nelly and the Down Jersey Folklife Center director, Iveta Pirgova, to find out more about the robust work of the center and Nelly's contribution to an exciting upcoming project.

The Down Jersey Folklife Center is housed within South Jersey’s internationally recognized Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center; an arts village dedicated to supporting a thriving community of artists and so much more. This is the site of Iveta's work which brings to the forefront the identities of people from the multicultural communities living in the region. Through culminating exhibitions, performances, and other events, both in-person and virtual, she curates experiences for visitors to step outside of their own version of normal and appreciate different cultural perspectives, while perhaps deepening their own. "Reflections and Expressions" is the Center's most recent embodiment of that value.

Opening this fall, "Maya Traje: A Tradition in Transition" is a major exhibition featuring some of the finest Guatemalan fiber arts. In this enchanting collection, you will see “old” and “new” techniques collide as weaving and embroidery masters preserve and transform tradition to showcase Mayan living and multi-cultural identities in America. The exhibit will open September 25th from 4 pm - 6 pm and will include performances by traditional spiritual elder Genaro Jacinto Calel, master weaver Julia Sánchez, and musical group Marimba Maya AWAL.

Continuing to explore Mayan tradition and culture, the Folklife Center will be hosting two workshops led by Master Guatemalan artist, Unaldo Sánchez. The first will be a two-day feature in which participants can create a sawdust carpet, exploring the stories of Ixchel, Goddess of the moon and Mayan people in traditional regional garments. The second workshop will emphasize the rhythmic heartbeat behind Latin and World music - the maraca! Aiding in bringing in talented artists, such as the ones instructing these workshops, Nelly has been able to expand their horizon on Mayan culture and foster spaces of inspiration for the South Jersey community. In our conversation, Nelly touches on their contribution to this project and the opportunity to work with Iveta.

Q & A with Nelly and Iveta

Passing It On: How will the programming for “Reflections and Expressions” look different from programs done in the past two years?

Iveta Pirgova: Our fall programs are going to be hybrid! Virtual and in-person under the umbrella of the same projects. For the most part, we are opening back up in stages and are not fully operational in person yet. We are planning for all in-person events to be socially distanced as well as take advantage of our outdoor space. We are fortunate to have the capacity to do things that way.

PIO: Nelly, in interning with WheatonArts, how are you able to give life to the project?

Nelly Sanchez: I am currently recruiting artists for the exhibition. Specifically, I am looking for traditional or folk artists that are South and Central American. Throughout the weeks I have been researching and reaching out to organizations ranging from churches to community centers and recreational clubs. When discovering potential artists, we work toward an interview in order to understand more about their artwork and traditions.

PIO: What do you want people to take away from attending the upcoming fall programs?

NS: Inspiration! Instead of cultures just being presented, allow yourself to learn and be curious to learn more.

IP: The action of normalizing what is found in another culture. We’re brought up in a culture that we deem normal, and what others do is not normal. Also, a sense of new aesthetics. For instance, listening to a sound. If not trained in this aesthetics of music a person may not deem a sound as beautiful. The difference between music and noise; one person may define something as music while another may only hear sound. Allow room to change your perception. Everything then becomes something of relativity and this idea translates to other art forms as well. So, how then can we change our idea of beauty?

PIO: With all that there is to find at WheatonArts, do either of you have a favorite piece of work on display?

NS: It’s amazing to see the evolution and the different techniques that come into play. There is so much history there. It is hard to select just one. Storytelling is amazing - how you can show storytelling through glass!

IP: I do not have a single favorite. Each piece has stories behind them. The object itself is not so much in focus, but what is the meaning of this object to the artist or the culture they want to represent through the art work? This multitude of storytelling is what it’s all about. They are all my favorite.

*For more information about Reflections and Expressions or other Folk Arts programs at the Down Jersey Folklife Center, please contact the center director, Iveta Pirgova.

This issue of Passing it On was created by guest writer and Diversity in Arts Leadership NJ intern, Maya Mangum. Maya will soon be a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University having majored in painting and printmaking. As she plans to continue her studies in arts administration and curatorial work, Maya is looking forward to a future in arts leadership and advancing equity in the field. Check out more of Maya's creative work here.

The Diversity in Arts Leadership (DIAL) New Jersey program is a co-sponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Rowan University's College of Performing Arts, in partnership with Americans for the Arts. The DIAL National Program is also supported by the Kutya Major Foundation.

The title for this publication was inspired by Rita Moonsammy's book,

Passing it On, Folk Artists and Education in Cumberland County, NJ, 1992. Photos used were included with permission from the participants. Generous support for the Council's Folk and Traditional Arts Programs provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.

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