About Detroit Folk School

Mission

Detroit Folk School connects and empowers people to share meaning and build community through education and events in the city of Detroit. We nurture self-expression through folk arts, including, but not limited to: music, dance, craft, and food traditions in a supportive and cooperative environment.

Vision

We envision sharing folk practices in Detroit where people of all ages and backgrounds come together, find common ground, develop new relationships and strengthen community ties. We imagine belonging and connecting within a network of groups with different cultural and ethnic traditions, who support each other and share food, music, dance, craft, and ideas.

Individuals and communities are empowered both to navigate challenges and to celebrate and play together. Traditional arts and practices continue to thrive and evolve, maintaining continuity and relevance as the world keeps changing.

Values

Local

Our focus is on the individuals, families, neighborhoods and communities of Detroit. We exist primarily to connect and elevate the stories and personal experiences of the people of Detroit and to offer alternatives to consumer culture and mainstream media.

Inclusive

We stand against all forms of discrimination and are committed to creating a welcoming environment. We benefit from intercultural and intergenerational experience. We do everything we can to use spaces that are accessible to people with disabilities. We strive to include people regardless of economic status.

Sustainable

All of our work is informed by a deep concern for future generations.

Joyful

We make space for learning and growth through play, experimentation, and collaboration. Participation, self-expression, and cooperation are valued over production. We look to cultivate joy and happiness through making and connection.

Guiding Principles

We believe non-competitive play is at the heart of creativity, joy, and innovation and supports a healthy self and community.

We recognize the prevalent physical isolation our age of convenience and digital accessibility has created and we look to foster social in-person connection independent of screens and devices.

We believe that keeping craft, music, dance, and food traditions accessible and relevant engages an individual with their community. We create spaces where these new cultural practices can take shape.

We value traditions passed down from ancestors. We look to the past, not as romantic or “the good old days,” rather a resource and history to learn from. We explore making and playing informed by the past, but not restricted by it, practices that look to the future.

We encourage people to explore and invest in their own culture that’s relevant to their experiences, families, and communities.