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This collection has use restrictions. For details, please see the restrictions.
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | Linear Feet: 9.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately Items: About 100 items) |
| Abstract | Folkstreams.net is an Internet website designed to disseminate documentary films about American folk culture. Produced by independent filmmakers, these films give voice to the arts and experience of diverse American groups. Folkstreams.net was begun in 2000 by independent filmmaker and distributor Tom Davenport in collaboration with his wife Miriam Davenport, folklorist Daniel Patterson, and a committee of filmmakers, scholars, and computer specialists. The Folkstreams.net Collection consists of about 100 film prints, videotapes, and digital video discs of films that appear on the Folkstreams.net website. The films, originally made between the mid-1960s and 2003, document American folk culture and represent all regions of the United States. The collection includes work by Tom Davenport, Mimi Davenport, Bill Ferris, Alan Lomax, Tom Rankin, Jeff Titon, John Winninger, Elaine Lawless, and Betsy Peterson. Films cover such subjects as folk art, medicine shows, hunting, folk song, cowboy poetry, Zydeco music, Gandy dancers, religion, gospel music, folk story, Native American folk art, and Klezmer music. The films are in various high-quality media formats: 16mm print film, Betacam SP, Digital Betacam, mini digital video, and DVDs. |
| Creator | Folkstreams.net |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
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Historical Information
Folkstreams.net is an Internet website designed to disseminate documentary films about American folk culture. Produced by independent filmmakers, these films give voice to the arts and experience of diverse American groups. They are streamed on the website together with background materials that highlight the history and importance of the traditions and the films.
The potential of the Internet to connect documentary filmmakers with their audiences became apparent to filmmaker Tom Davenport and his wife and co-producer Miriam Davenport when they constructed a website in 1999 for their feature-length fairy-tale film Willa: An American Snow White. In 1999, Davenport was approached by two independent feature filmmakers, who wanted to put his films on the site of a video streaming company they had founded, AlwaysIndependentFilms.com.
In March 2000, Davenport discussed his idea with staff members at the National Endowment for the Humanities, who encouraged him to assemble a group of filmmakers, scholars, and computer specialists to work on development. Working with folklorist Daniel Patterson and others on the Folkstreams committee, Davenport submitted a proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities and received grant funds to build a prototype. The Folkstreams.net website allows users to stream films chosen by the Folkstreams committee about American folk culture, ranging in subjects from aging and agriculture to immigrant culture and music and covering all regions of the United States.
Expansion of Folkstreams.net is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, regional and state Arts and Humanities organizations, private foundations, and contributions from filmmakers, scholars, and collaborating institutions.
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Scope and Content
The Folkstreams.net Collection consists of about 100 film prints, videotapes, and digital video discs of films that appear on the folkstreams.net website. The films, originally made between the mid-1960s and 2003, document American folk culture and represent all regions of the United States. The collection includes folklorist Bill Ferris's Gravel Springs Fife and Drum (1972) and Black Delta Region (1973); Alan Lomax's The Land Where the Blues Began (1979); Tom Rankin and Jeff Titon's Powerhouse for God (1986); and John Winninger, Elaine Lawless and Betsy Peterson's Joy Unspeakable (1981). Also included are films in the American Traditional Culture Series by Folkstreams founder Tom Davenport. These films were made with Daniel Patterson and the Curriculum in Folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They include The Shakers, Being a Joines, Born for Hard Luck, A Singing Stream, The Ballard of Frankie Silver, and When My Work Is Over. Outtakes for these films are in the Southern Folklife Collection. Other films cover such subjects as folk art, medicine shows, hunting, folk song, cowboy poetry, Zydeco music, Gandy dancers, religion, gospel music, folk story, Native American folk art, and Klezmer music. The films are in various high-quality media formats: 16mm print film, Betacam SP, Digital Betacam, mini digital video, and DVDs.
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Folkstreams Films, 1969-2005.
Arrangement: Alphabetical.
Processed by: Susan Hester, December 2005
Encoded by: Emily Jack, February 2006
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