Mission
& History
Our Mission
The National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk and traditional arts in the United States. Founded in 1933, it is the nation’s oldest producing and presenting organization with such a focus. Its programs celebrate and honor deeply rooted cultural expressions—music, dance, crafts, rituals and stories passed on through time in families, communities, and tribal, ethnic, regional and occupational groups. Traditional arts have proven to be a force for cultural cohesion and social understanding in the complex cultural communities of our nation. In the 21st century, this force will be essential to our democratic society. These are the vibrant, living cultural treasures of the American people and, as such, will play a central role in the future health of all American communities.
The NCTA continually strives to expand awareness and appreciation of the richness of America’s multicultural, living heritage through exciting, thoughtfully curated live programs that create dynamic cultural encounters between artists and the public. These programs celebrate what we have in common, not what separates us. They are healing and exhilarating experiences that promote a deeper understanding of America’s collective identity, antidotes to the messages of distrust and fear that bombard us daily. Stressing excellence and traditionality, NCTA presents the nation’s very finest traditional artists in festivals, tours, international cultural exchange, workshops, demonstrations and exhibitions, media productions, school programs, and other activities. It works in partnership with communities across America to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that deliver lasting social, cultural and economic benefits. The NCTA champions the interests of folk and traditional artists and organizations in the arena of public policy.
Our Values
The NCTA is committed to presenting those arts that collectively define us as a people, that represent continuity from the past to the present and into the future. It believes that bringing grassroots artists of the highest caliber, hailing from cultural communities across America, to the people of our nation and the world creates powerful cultural experiences that are transformative, fostering cultural understanding and strengthening civil society. The NCTA’s community collaborations are exercises in cultural democracy, and demonstrate the organization’s commitment to working at the grassroots level in its many endeavors.
Our History
The NCTA is the nation’s longest-running folk and traditional arts presenting organization. Through ten decades of festivals, tours, symposia, exhibits, and media productions, the NCTA has showcased the very best of the myriad grassroots folk, tribal, and ethnic cultures that comprise our nation.