The folk-art center as a phenomenon of ethnic artistic tradition

Abstract

The research of folk-art centers is based on the materials of the ethnic artistic tradition of the Ukrainian folk costume beaded decor. The folk-art center is presented as a unique place with a strong energy field. In such places, several artistic traditions are often born and developed. The birth of each new artistic tradition is always associated with the need for works of art as in the means for the realization of socially significant functions. In particular, the artistic practices within the tradition of the Ukrainian folk costume beaded decor have always been an effective means of ethnic self-identification. During the 1950s–1970s, the tradition of the Ukrainian folk costume beaded decor had been in the phase of extinction (reverberation), thus a significant part of knowledge had been lost. Nowadays, in the context of globalization, this tradition faces new challenges, such as the danger of cultural unification. The joint annual meetings of amateur and professional folk artists, organized on the basis of the traditional folk-art centers could become an effective means for the preservation and revival of the unique nature of such centers. An important condition for the success of such measures must be the participation as curators of the professional researchers of folk art, knowledgeable of local traditions.