Interview: Executive Artistic Director Kelli Faryar talks about 47 years — and the future — of Northwest Folklife
Northwest Folklife is, per Wikipedia, “an annual festival of ethnic, folk, and traditional art, crafts, and music that takes place over the Memorial Day weekend in Seattle, Washington at Seattle Center.” That’s a good place to start, I suppose, but Northwest Folklife has a history going back almost fifty years (since 1971) and has events year-round. They showcase one of most diverse lineups you’ll ever see at an arts festival. Again, quoting Wikipedia, “Each year, the festival spotlights a particular ethnic community or folk tradition. In recent years, these cultural focuses have included maritime culture, Arab-American life, the Urban Indian, Bulgarian Culture and the passing of cultural traditions from generation to generation.”
That’s because Northwest Folklife has a different mission statement than most festivals: “Northwest Folklife creates opportunities for all to celebrate, share, and participate in the evolving cultural traditions of the Pacific Northwest.” Northwest Folklife is a great opportunity to explore the different cultures of your neighbors.
Living in a time where the country is governed by an administration that views multiculturalism as, at best, an inconvenience, it feels like Northwest Folklife is just more important and necessary than ever.
To learn more about this festival, and what happens outside of Memorial Day weekend, I got Executive Artistic Director Kelli Faryar on the phone to answer some questions about what her organization does exactly, and what we can expect from Northwest Folklife this year and going forward.
Could you please talk to me a little bit first about how you became involved with Northwest Folklife?
I’ve been with Northwest Folklife for coming up on 10 years now and have been part of the programming team here throughout the time, throughout all the different positions and it’s been an incredible organization, it’s been a wonderful team of people to work with. Every year, at least at the Northwest Folklife Festival we have hundreds of returning volunteers and staff and performers that come. They understand the importance of Northwest Folklife because it truly is a one of a kind event. It’s all access for all. It’s one of the largest free, no admission charge, festivals in the nation.
That’s one of things that I really love about it is that it’s free (or, at least accessible without buying a ticket) and open to the public in Seattle Center, but also that you try to represent everyone’s culture as well as you can.
The programming and most people don’t know this, but the programming is co-curated and in partnership with over 100 different community coordinators. These are identified leaders in the community and in the arts organizations, cultural organizations that partner with us to put on programming, all of our programming, whether it’d be at the Northwest Folklife Festival or the Seattle Children’s Festival.
For example, we would be working with a leader from the Hawaiian community who would come in put together and select music performers for the performances. That runs throughout the gamut, we also work with organizations like Arts Corps that come and represent who they are on their own terms in the community.
I think that’s so important because — not to knock Bumbershoot or Sasquatch or any other the music festivals because they’re doing something different from what you’re doing — but what you’re doing is offering people a chance to see the music of their culture represented on stage. I think that’s incredibly important, especially right now.
I would say on average we have over 850 performance, and with that there’s between 5 and 6000 performers who come. Each performer is donating their time. Not only is there no financial exchange as far as purchasing a ticket, but all performers are aware of that and are donating their skills and talents and showcasing who they are. It truly creates a different experience than one would say, from a music festival. It’s a community coming together to showcase who we all are.
One thing I wanted to ask about is with, an organization like Northwest Folklife, which I think does amazing work… I wanted to know how your mission has or hasn’t changed since November 2016? I think that’s kind of on everyone’s mind so I’m wondering if how you approach the festival has changed.
I would say as an organization outside of the festival, we’ve understood our role to become something much larger and something much more important than an events organization. We are a space to offer larger platforms for community voices, we are an organization that believes in cultural inclusion and that everyone is a bearer of the arts.
I think overall the organization here is looking to showcase that beyond putting on any events, the communities coming together to showcase who they are without a ticket price and for the sake of celebrating, for the sake of breaking down barriers of misunderstanding and stereotypes, it is first and foremost how we are fulfilling our mission and looking to do so.
You see that a lot in particular this year’s Cultural Focus and understanding that there’s no better time than the present to amplify those voices of Mexican, Mexican-American, Chicana communities right now and have them tell their story and have them showcase who they are, and have them envision their future here on this land.
Can you talk about what Folklife does beyond putting on the festival over the Memorial Day weekend?
Sure. One of programs that runs throughout the year is our Cultural Focus, and this year the titles are “Culture Focuses, Echo’s of Aztlan and Beyond.” We are highlighting, showcasing, offering a larger platform for Mexican American, Chicano/Chicana communities here in the Pacific Northwest.
We’re working with a Cultural Focus Committee of about 16 local folks who are artists, arts organizations, activists, and culture bearers who have put together a year round program. Not only will we see music, dance, film, cultural attire showcases, visual arts, all of that represented at the Northwest Folklife Festival, but we’ll also see it throughout the year as we partner with the committee members to promote the events that are already happening throughout the region.
What can you talk about for the festival coming up, I know the lineup hasn’t come up yet so I was wondering if you can talk about what’s, anything programming that’s different this year that you can talk about?
I would say definitely the Echos of Aztlan, a program that will be throughout the whole festival, and we’ll have a very large visual arts component. We’ll have a cultural attire showcase, we have a large Mexican Folklorico dance program that’s happening this year that will be in the McCaw Hall and that’s really showcasing intergenerational folklorico groups from around the region.
We’ll be continuing some of our partnerships with local organizations. I know I mentioned Arts Corp, we’ll have Massive Monkees back this year. Last year we deepened our relationship with KEXP and we’ll also have programming up in their gathering space this year and that’s a co-curated program.
The wonderful thing about the festival’s it’s truly is a place that with over 25 different stages, you can make a plan of what you come down to see, but what you see along the way and the people and cultures that you run into along that way is mind blowing.
What do people tell you after they’ve been to Northwest Folklife for the first time?
I think understanding the breadth of who we all are here in the Pacific Northwest. There’s so many different cultures and so many different folks and coming together and trying new things whether that’d be food, whether that’d be seeing the hurdy-gurdy for the first time, it’s all about exploration.
Some of my favorite stories are people meet up at the Northwest Folklife Festival every year and whether they’re coming out throughout the nation or just up from Kent, it’s one of a kind meetings. People dance for hours and hours and hours over the course of the four days.
I want to know if you can talk a little bit more about what drew you in to wanting to be part of Northwest Folklife?
For me, Northwest Folklife was you know, personally I was at a point in my life where I wanted to showcase, I wanted present music, I wanted to present dance. At the time I was performing myself and I was creating music and really understanding what is one of the largest outlets for cultures, music and community to come together that I could join and be a part of. Thinking outside of having that expression come through me, but is there an organization or a group that I could join that really, really was part of that larger pulley system of culture and acceptance and expression?
Northwest Folklife came to mind immediately, and it just so happened that there was a space on the team for me to join when I had gone on the website. It has been an incredible experience ever since. I mentioned before but working with the community coordinators is … these are relationships that I’ve been so honored to have with these folks for many, many years now. These are people who are passionate about who they are and their community and their culture and their heritage and their roots, and also looking ahead to their future and wondering how can they pass along those roots? How can they evolve? How can they keep those traditions going and invoke pride in their larger community and in their youth? It’s been an honor being a part of that and trying to figure out however many platforms and however many ways we can support that personally mission of communities.
How has Northwest Folklife changed since you first joined?
You know Northwest Folklife, it is constantly changing and I think as our mission truly serves the community, the community’s changed. We’ve been in response to, who is here in the Pacific Northwest? Who calls the Pacific Northwest home? That exact word of “evolve” was one that was added into our mission statement I think, five to seven years ago.
I think more importantly is as we see the landscape of Seattle and the surrounding areas change, communicating the importance and the impact of Northwest Folklife has become more so. We’re seeing cultural spaces change daily with the ever changing and expanding landscape here in our beloved city.
And, communicating that Northwest Folklife is a larger platform and a one of a kind experience for communities to come together. It’s not free, it’s supported by all of the volunteers, all of the musicians, all of the performers, all of the patrons that come and make it what it is. Talking about that more strongly with a lot the new folks that are arriving here has not evolved but it’s been something that’s been on the forefront.
It’s really easy to show up to a new region and look around you and see all of these people, but to see everyone come together in one place showcasing who there are is one of a kind, and it’s something that will take all of us to maintain us being around for another 50 years. We’re on our countdown now, three, two, one, fifty for Northwest Folklife. So it really is something for Northwest Folklife to see another 50 years, it will take all of us and all of the community coming together to ensure that.
Last question: can you can talk about what you say to someone who hasn’t been to Folklife, about what they could expect?
It’s a wonderful place to come and meet your neighbor. It’s a wonderful place to, whether this be at Seattle Children’s Festival or some of our new Our Big Neighborhood programs to come and experience cultures, try a new dance, try a dance with someone you’ve never met before and really see all of the beauty of who the Pacific Northwest is.
Around every corner there’s a new food. Around every corner there’s a new instrument that maybe you have not seen before or experienced before. It’s truly an experience for people of all ages to just celebrate and come together.
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