Archives West Finding Aid

The Montana Arts Council was created, by executive order, on April 22, 1965, to "promote the arts for the benefit of Montana citizens and to provide a cultural climate favorable for the attraction of new business." In addition, the Council served in a re-granting and regulatory capacity for federal arts programs, such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The 46th Session of the Montana State Legislature (1979), through the Montana Folklife Preservation Act (H.B. 675), created the Folklife Project within the Montana Arts Council. The Project was run by the State Folklorist. The major duties of this position were to gather and disseminate information about traditional cultures and art forms in Montana, and provide guidance to cultural groups seeking assistance from the federal government for their local projects. The earliest documentation collected by the Folklife Project came through the work of a Library of Congress survey conducted during the summer of 1979. For nine weeks, July 13-September 5, 1979, the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress conducted a field survey to document traditional life in Montana. The survey was conducted in cooperation with the Montana Arts Council, although the fledgling Folklife Project was not yet operational. Field workers divided the state into five regions, choosing Missoula, Havre, Miles City, Billings, and Butte as their bases of operation. From those cities the fieldworkers travelled to various small towns, conducting interviews, taking photographs, and writing field reports. The latter were based on information gathered from contacts and from their own personal experiences and observations. Areas of particular interest included Native American arts such as bead and leather work; ethnic cultural arts such as cooking, quilting, music, religious ceremonies, and storytelling; and work-related arts such as saddlery, stone cutting, beaver slide construction, and violin making. The Folklife Project, initially funded for only two years, was re-authorized by the State Legislature through the 1980s and into the 1990s. Some of the major projects accomplished in that time include publications on cowboy poetry and range rhymes; production of a radio show featuring Montana artists and musicians; workshops and conferences on Native American artistry; folklife educational classes in the public schools, including college level courses; and projects documenting cattle and ranching culture in eastern Montana. The major goal of the project was to educate the public in the importance of preserving folklife in the state, by sponsoring workshops, presentations, and cultural events. Mike Korn was the first State Folklorist, beginning in November of 1979 and serving in that position until 1989. Nicholas Vrooman took over the Project in the Fall of 1989 and remained until early in 1994 when Francesca McLean assumed the job. Ms. McLean was the State Folklorist until September of 1996.