Welcome to "Envoye à Maison" – A Franco American Homecoming, a cultural exchange project developed to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the foundation of Quebec City and linking Quebec artists and communities with northern New York and the states of Vermont and Rhode Island through a series of performances, workshops, dances and crafts demonstrations on both sides of our common border.
The project is managed by Winnie Lambrecht, Director of Folk/Traditional & Community Arts at the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts in partnership with the "Centre de valorisation du patrimoine vivant" ("Center for the Promotion of Living Cultural Heritage", Quebec City, Quebec), "Corporation Les Vieux Métiers, métiers vivants" (a traditional crafts organization from Longueuil, Quebec), the New York State Council on the Arts, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, and the Vermont Folklife Center. All activities are taking place in communities that are home to immigrants who came from Quebec and French-speaking surrounding regions to take advantage of economic opportunities in upstate New York and New England, as farmers, as factory workers or to work in the lumber industry.
The project is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Government of Quebec ("Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition Féminine du Québec"), “Le Centre de valorisation du patrimoine vivant” (Québec), the New York State Council on the Arts, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, the Crandall Public Library, and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.
Events are taking place in several locations between mid-June and early October 2008.
For information, please contact the Folk/Traditional & Community Arts Program at RISCA: Winnie@arts.ri.gov or 401-222-6996.
- Vermont Folklife Center
- Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
- Traditional Arts in Upstate New York
- Crandall Public Library