Articles
	Vision for the Arts
	Arts and Humanities Month
	On the National Front
	Jean Ritchie Honored
	START News Update
	Poet Laureate Nominations
	Craft Marketing Jury Results
	Arts in Education
	911 Remembered
	Kentucky On stage
	On Center at Centre
	Art Behind Bars
	Kentucky Visions Tours
	Accessibility Services
	NASAA Convenes
	Focus on Folklife
	Message from the Director
	Quotable Quote
	Hot Dates

The BlueMoon is published bi-monthly by the Kentucky Arts Council. Please send comments, questions and information to The Blue Moon, Kentucky Arts Council, Old Capitol Annex, 300 West Broadway, Frankfort, KY 40601-1980 or call 502/564-3757V/TDD Toll Free: 1-888-833-2787
E-mail: kyarts@mail.state.ky.us

Since 1997 the Kentucky Folklife Program, with the support of the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Historical Society along with many traditional artists and community volunteers, has presented the Kentucky Folklife Festival on the grounds of the Old State Capitol each September. The Kentucky Folklife Festival, which included five stages and over 35 exhibit areas, has become Kentucky's premier venue for presenting traditional arts and culture—both new and old. Hundreds of artists from across the state have participated in the festival over the years, and thousands of Kentucky citizens—including an average of 10,000 school children—have visited the festival each year to eat, dance, listen to and experience the rich diversity of traditions that are alive in Kentucky.

The September/October issue of the Blue Moon usually contains exciting news about what to expect at this year’s Kentucky Folklife Festival…so what is going on this year? After the fifth and most successful festival last fall, the Kentucky Folklife Program announced that a one-year hiatus was needed in order to build a strategic plan that will sustain this successful educational event into the future. As the success of the Kentucky Folklife Festival has grown, so has the amount of money and staff time that is needed to make it happen. In addition to challenges of funding and time, the Folklife Program is addressing issues such as community participation and sponsorship, local ownership and long-range planning to ensure a solid future.

Over the last year, Folklife Program staff and others with an interest in continuing the festival (such as artists, representatives of Frankfort business and tourism groups, folklorists and state tourism representatives) have begun the process of evaluating the festival and using those assessments in planning for the 2003 festival and beyond. In regular meetings over the last year, the Folklife Program and partners have discussed what has gone well and what areas are in need of improvement in years to come. They have also worked to identify new sources of funding at this time of severe state budget constraints. Late this summer, committees were formed around specific evaluation and planning needs.

One source that has been a tremendous help in this evaluation process has been the results of a visitor survey conducted at the 2001 Festival by the Kentucky Department of Travel. This survey provides the Folklife Program with a better understanding of the needs of festival visitors, and ways to broaden outreach efforts to increase participation. While the results are still being studied, they have provided a clearer definition of who the typical festival visitor is, and what their expectations are at the festival.

The Kentucky Folklife Festival has become an important event to Kentucky school children, artists and citizens in all parts of the state. Please watch the Blue Moon and the Folklife Program Web site over the next year for more information about the exciting plans for the 2003 festival.

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