Folklife Field School registration

SALISBURY, MD--- Salisbury University, in conjunction with the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, sponsors the 2003 Folklife Field School at SU and in Crisfield, MD, Friday, June 13-Thursday, July 3.

This nationally recognized program is an intensive three-week course in professional development for cultural preservation and presentation through interviewing, photography and other techniques. This year's field school theme is particularly appropriate to the Eastern Shore: "The Passing of Tradition and the Passing of Time: Exploring a Maritime Community's Response to Cultural, Economic and Environmental Change."

Materials produced through the class will be eligible for display at the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage's 2004 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

A team of seasoned cultural specialists provide instruction through lectures, demonstrations, discussion and hands-on practice in University classrooms and at the Crisfield field site. The school is designed for adults who have a strong professional, academic, personal or artistic interest in cultural documentation, but little or no training or experience in techniques.

Organizers will choose 15 applicants for the school, with preference given to residents of the Middle Atlantic area, including Maryland, the Delmarva Peninsula and the Chesapeake Bay region. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply. Academic credit is available.

Participants must be age 18 or older. Cost for the class is $750, covering instruction, living costs, equipment use, travel to and from the field site and course materials. Application deadline is April 25.

For application information, call Dr. Polly Stewart at 410-548-4241.