The Traditional Arts Foundation
Frequently asked questions

What is the Traditional Arts Foundation?
What are the traditional performance arts?
What does the Traditional Arts Foundation do?
What are the aims of the Traditional Arts Foundation?
How will the Traditional Arts Foundation develop?

The Traditional Arts Foundation is a registered charity currently based in Birmingham, trading under the name of the Traditional Arts Team Ltd. The members include storytellers, bands, musicians, and anyone else who is interested in supporting the traditional performance arts.

Its mission is to promote an understanding of the contemporary relevance of the traditional arts, to encourage participation in them by the creation of community related events and to present high quality performance events in the Midlands.

Activities using music, dance, song and storytelling which were traditionally learned and passed on by ear or word of mouth. Even if the texts or the tunes are nowadays learned from books, or have been written or composed by contemporary artists, the performance styles can still be based on those of traditional performers. Such activities may be indigenous to the British Isles or drawn from the traditions of people who now live here.

We run a range of traditional performance arts events and training in the West and East Midlands, supported by national and local funders including Arts Council England and Awards for All.

The Storytelling Cafe is the most successful series of storytelling events in the country. It brings the best local, national and international traditional performances to the Midlands, with extended touring to arts and community venues across England and Wales.

We have an educational programme, bringing the Cafe storytellers into schools and out-of-school activities; running workshops for beginners; helping storytellers to gain professional skills; and bringing forward the next generation through our Young Tongues projects and Young Storyteller of the Year events.

Our music events provide opportunities for singing, dancing and making music in an informal and friendly environment. We run regular traditional song sessions, ceilidhs and barn dances, while the Moseley Village Band welcomes all musicians, plays at local events and enjoys occasional day workshops with inspirational tutors.

All these activities are organised by the Traditional Arts Team.

• to provide a platform for traditional arts activities in the Midlands
• to develop an audience for the traditional performance arts
• to develop skills in the traditional performance arts
• to use the arts to run educational projects with all age groups
• to use the traditional arts as a tool for community development
• to encourage collaboration between traditional and mainstream artists and across different art forms
• to publish materials about the traditional arts in printed, recorded and electronic form
• to establish and foster links with like-minded organisations in the Midlands, the UK and overseas
• to establish a folk arts development agency for the Midlands

Using the traditional arts we plan to extend the range of our activities by running performances, workshops and training weekends. These will aim to develop the skills of existing performers and encourage new people to take up the traditional performance arts. We will work in education to promote the traditional arts, using them to develop community, citizenship and social inclusion.