Traditional Arts in Upstate New York. Traditional Arts of Upstate New York
53 Main Street
Canton, NY 13617
(315) 386-4289
Featured Photo
Details of 4'x4' Barn-Quilt-Inspired New Works by Carrie Hill, Kathy Montan, and Marina Loew created for the "St. Lawrence County Barn Quilts" exhibit (opening February 29, 2020).

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 A nonprofit organization dedicated to showcasing the folk culture and living traditions of New York's North Country. Explore this site to discover the diverse customs and traditions--like storytelling, music, crafts, foodways, and folk art--that make life special in our region, from the St. Lawrence River to the Adirondack Mountains.

TAUNY is the North Country's only non-profit organization dedicated to identifying, recording, and preserving the rich, living cultural heritage of our region. For over 30 years, community members like you have been contributing their time, money, and talent to help us accomplish our mission.

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We Have a Winner! Congratulations!
 
Carol Coakley, Canton, is the winner of the Tulips & Pinwheels barn quilt painted and donated by TAUNY Board member Ruth McWilliams as an incentive for our summer appeal, now underway. TAUNY turns 35 this year. In honor of this occasion, the first 35 donors who contributed $150 or more were entered in a raffle for this barn quilt. Our sincere thanks to Carol and the other 34 donors who led the way on participating in TAUNY's fundraiser.

TAUNY's summer appeal will end July 30. Thank you to all of you who have already donated. If you have not done so yet, please join others who have contributed. TAUNY is a community project and we cannot continue what we do without broad-based support from everyone who values our mission to connect people through sharing and experiencing the diverse cultures of our North Country. Please donate here today.
 
TAUNY turns 35 this year! In honor of this occasion, we’ll bring you our 35@35 series, featuring highlights from TAUNY’s history.

From the very beginning, we’ve loved developing exhibits at TAUNY. Through exhibits, we’ve been able to share so many wonderful people and places in our North Country. Here’s our list of 35 favorite exhibits from the past!
It's not too late to offer your feedback on TAUNY's Folkstore!
 
Attention TAUNY family and friends! We'd love your feedback about TAUNY's Folkstore, what you love and what things you'd like to see us do going forward. It will take 2-3 minutes to complete this survey. Your responses will help us better serve the North Country community. Click here to fill out the survey. Thank you.

In July through October, TAUNY’s Grow and Tell project, part of the new Folk to Table initiative, will host a series of garden tours with project partners littleGrasse Community Farm (Canton, NY), as well as Jane Desotelle (Plattsburgh, NY), and Jean Williams (Indian Lake, NY), offering the community a chance to explore and share how the food we grow reflects and helps sustain our food traditions.

All tours have limited spots, with registration required.

July: littleGrasse Community Farm Garden Tour:
Family and Cultural Traditions, Canton, NY
August: Jean Williams/ADK Finnish homesteader, Indian Lake, NY 
September: littleGrasse Community Farm: Homestead Gardening, Canton, NY
October: littleGrasse Community Farm: Seed-Saving, Canton, NY

Stay tuned for further details about upcoming garden tours!

Folk Arts All Around Us

New Exhibit Showcases Folk Art from Glens Falls Collection


Bald Eagle woodcarving by Alan Hill (Gansevoort, Saratoga County, NY).


The current exhibition at The TAUNY Center is featuring over 120 items from the folk art collection of the Folklife Center at the Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, NY. Folk Arts All Around Us is open at The TAUNY Center. Curated by Folklife Center Director Todd DeGarmo, who has had primary vision and responsibility for building the collection during his long tenure at the Center, the exhibition is a colorful and varied display that demonstrates DeGarmo's eclectic approach to collecting. Ranging from exquisitely fine wood carvings to bright Papier-mâché festival masks, the selections include items that reflect the rural context in which DeGarmo works, such as a turkey call and hand-knit mittens. Baskets have been a focus of the collection; visitors to the exhibition will see stunning examples. Dolls have also been a focus, and examples representing different cultural backgrounds are included in the exhibition. Folk Arts All Around Us will be on display through October 23. Due to the pandemic, there will not be an opening reception on February 13, but there are plans to schedule a reception with DeGarmo later in the year.

If you are not able to visit us in person just yet, watch the videos below to enjoy the exhibition and the stories behind some of the pieces.
 
Walk through Folk Arts All Around Us Exhibition with Curator Todd DeGarmo
A Walk through the Folk Arts All Around Us Exhibition
Folk Arts All Around Us Exhibition Virtual Event: A Discussion with Curator Todd DeGarmo
Folk Arts All Around Us Exhibition Virtual Event: A Discussion with Curator Todd DeGarmo

A “Grow and Tell Project” Call: Share Your Story! 


Will you be growing anything this year that is connected to your personal, family, community, or cultural food traditions? 
As part of our collaboration with littleGrasse Foodworks Community Farm on the 2021 “Grow and Tell Project”, we’re looking to learn about how the food we grow reflects and helps sustain our food traditions. From a single potted plant to small kitchen gardens to homestead plots and everything in between—we’d love to hear your stories of the food you grow, the meaningful meals you make with it, and more! Drop us a line at camilla@tauny.org or 315-386-4289.
Photo Captions: Starting top left, moving clockwise: First fresh greens of the season in the littleGrasse Foodworks Community Farm greenhouse, March 2021. Growing and preserving food are important North Country traditions. Over the years, Dawn Atkinson of Pierrepont, NY (TAUNY North Country Heritage Award recipient) has regularly preserved hundreds of jars of vegetables, meat, jams, pickles, and more in a season, all from her farm and garden. Rosemary growing in the TAUNY Center classroom window.

TAUNY's Open Call for Personal Collections

Do you or does someone you know have a collection related to folk art and/or traditional life in the North Country? We’d like to hear about it! In 2021, we’ll showcase collections from around our region in a revival of our popular Personal Collections Series. Contact TAUNY Executive Director Jill Breit, jill@tauny.org, 315-386-4289.

Note: All images, text and other material found in this website © 2021 TAUNY. All rights reserved.