K(entucky)IND(iana)folk

KINDfolk is a folklife organization serving Kentucky and Indiana, a region known as Kentuckiana, where the Ohio River serves as a permeable border. KINDfolk is unique in that it not only serves communities in two different states, it serves communities in two different regions, the South and Midwest.

The Kentuckiana region is home to diverse, thriving folklife. At the heart of KINDfolk is our desire to see these traditions celebrated and shared for the purpose of cultivating deeper intercultural understanding. We are passionate about connecting educators and community partners with artists and tradition bearers.

KINDfolk is a 501c3 organization.

MISSION

The Mission of KINDfolk is to celebrate and share the vibrant and diverse cultural traditions of Kentuckiana. through education, advocacy, and public programming, KINDfolk seeks to provide equitable opportunities to engage individuals and communities through folk arts to help them recognize the beauty in their own traditions and the traditions of others. By recognizing the inherent value in the rich and varied cultural heritage of the region, we believe can become better, kinder neighbors.

LEADERSHIP

TAYLOR DOOLEY BURDEN is the Executive Director and Founder of KINDfolk. Taylor holds an MA in Folk Studies and BA in History and Organizational Leadership from Western Kentucky University.. She has interned at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the Kentucky Folklife Program, and Local Learning: The National Network of Folk Arts and Education and has done contract fieldwork for Traditional Arts Indiana. Additionally, she was a 2022 Archie Green Fellow at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Taylor is a part-time instructor in the Folk Studies and Anthropology department at Western Kentucky University and is the Reviews Editor for the Journal of Folklore and Education.

BOARD

Dr. Betty Belanus is our Board President. Betty has served as Curator, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage since 1987 and has curated many Smithsonian Folklife Festival programs, including Massachusetts (1988), Family Farms (1991), Working at the Smithsonian (1996), African Immigrants (1997), New Hampshire (1999), Water Ways (2004), The Roots of Virginia Culture (2007), Wales Smithsonian Cymru (2009), Smithsonian Inside-Out (2010), Campus and Community (2012), Fiftieth Anniversary Weekend (2017), and Earth Optimism × Folklife (2022). Her recent research culminated in the web feature American Ginseng: Local Knowledge, Global Roots. She partners with the Arts School Network and University of Southern Florida on the Race, Equity, Arts and Cultural History grant from the Department of Education. Publications include the novel Seasonal (2002) and the children’s book Caravan to America: The Living Arts of the Silk Road (2002). Betty was formerly the state folk arts coordinator for the Indiana Arts Commission. She holds an MA and PhD in folklore from Indiana University and a BA in American studies from Smith College.

Sue Eleuterio is our Board Treasurer. Sue is a professional folklorist, educator, and consultant to non-profits. Holding an MA in American Folk Culture from the Cooperstown Graduate Program (SUNY/Oneonta) and a BA in English/Education from the University of Delaware, Eleuterio serves as an adjunct faculty member of Goucher College’s Master’s in Cultural Sustainability program and helped to create Goucher's Graduate Virtual Writing Center. She has conducted fieldwork and developed public programs including exhibits, performances, folk arts education workshops and residencies in schools, along with professional development programs for teachers, students, adults, and artists for schools, museums, arts education agencies and arts organizations across the United States. Additionally she serves as a consultant in exhibit development, public programming, and K-12 curriculum for the Center for Folklore Studies at the Ohio State University’s Placemaking in Scioto County project. She also serves as the Board Treasurer for Southern Ohio Folklife and is Co-Chair of the American Folklore Society’s Media and Public Outreach Committee.

Ellie Dassler is our Board Secretary. Ellie is the Program Director for Folk and Traditional Arts at Mid Atlantic Arts, where she manages the Central Appalachia Living Traditions program and other traditional arts initiatives.. Originally from Hampton Roads, Virginia, Ellie holds an MA in Folk Studies from Western Kentucky University and a BA in Anthropology from the College of William & Mary. She has worked and interned at South Arts, the Kentucky Folklife Program, the Journal of American Folklore, the North Carolina Arts Council, and Long Island Traditions, and she was a 2017-2018 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. 

Marcus Cederström is the community curator of Nordic-American folklore for the “Sustaining Scandinavian Folk Arts in the Upper Midwest” project in the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+ at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Cederström teaches folklore courses, conducts fieldwork with Nordic-Americans throughout the Upper Midwest, and works with artists and culture workers throughout the region to create public programming and productions supporting traditional folk arts in various contexts. His work focuses on Scandinavian American folklife, sustainability, folklife and education, as well as the intersections of immigration, labor, and creative expression. Most recently, he co-edited, along with Tim Frandy, Culture Work: Folklore for the Public Good. Cederström earned his B.A. from the University of Oregon in Sports Business, History, and Scandinavian Studies and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Scandinavian Studies and Folklore from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.