Texas Heritage, Winter 1985 Page: 18

View a full description of this periodical.

ironworkers, shrine makers, festival
arts specialists, ceramicists, etc., represent
a major cultural component of
the city and, through their work, continue
to .demonstrate the viability and
continuity of traditional culture within
the Mexican American community.
However, TFR's work toward presentation
of the folk arts will not be limited
to the museum or to the material arts.
In fact, the organization foresees many
possibilities for introducing the public
to the spectrum of folklife and folk arts
in the State through the development
of film documentation, book publication,
educational programming in the
schools, and festival production. In
addition, Texas Folklife Resources
plans to work on a technical assistance
and consultancy basis with other nonprofit,
arts, and cultural organizations
interested in folk arts and folklife programming.
In conjunction with the
Archdiocese of Austin, for instance,
TFR will assist with the organization
and mounting of the 4th annual Mariachi
Festival to be held in that city. The

festival will draw mariachi groups
from around the state, and possibly the
Southwest and Mexico, to attend a
series of workshops and performances
to be held in late November 1985.
The artistic legacy of Isabel Robinson's
basketry, Robert Shaw and Lavada
Durst's barrelhouse blues, or the timehonored
tradition of Mexican American
mariachi music should not be
viewed solely as instances of individual
creativity. Rather, they are integral
to the fabric of cultural life in Texasmade
in Texas, created out of the
Texas experience, for all Texans to appreciate
and enjoy. It is the goal of
Texas Folklife Resources to preserve
and present these and other traditions
in a manner that pays homage to the
integrity of traditional artists and communities
throughout the state. By
documenting fully the range of traditional
communities and artists in
Texas, by creating new performance
and marketing opportunities for traditional
artists and by advocating comprehensive
public policy that recog

nizes the importance of maintaining
cultural traditions, TFR will work to
preserve the State's unique heritage.
For more information about the services
provided by Texas Folklife Resources,
contact staff at P.O. Box
49824, Austin, Texas 78765 or call
(512) 482-9217.
Betsy Peterson is a devoted candidate
in Folklore at Indiana University. She
has been involved in public sector folk
arts and folklife projects throughout
the south and midwest for many years.
Her most recently completed project
was a 1984 state fair program for the
Texas Department of Agriculture entitled
TEXAS FOLK ARTS AND AGRICULTURE.
She joined associates Pat
Jasper and Kay Turner as the current
staff of Texas Folklife Resources in
Austin.

Pining Away continued from page 14

John Henry: Yes, and interestingly
enough, we won it on a fascinating
point. The guys that were for clear cutting
argued that this gave employment
to people out there and what we wanted
to do was mean, because in many communities
the little local mills out there
hired local people and they depended
on this as a way of life. The guys that
were attacking the clear cutting and
wanting to put a stop to it argued that
this would be the death of private
enterprise, because once you clear cut
and plant one of those new pine forests,
one man on one machine can harvest
the whole thing, just like you harvest
corn with a big combine.
Dianne: Well, Henry, is it already
getting harder to find old pine?
Henry: Yes, and the costs are rising
accordingly. It won't be many years
before we can no longer find even reclaimed
longleaf pine for restoration.
18

John Henry: Henry, are you planning
an early retirement since you're
running out of your product?
Henry: Not yet, but the source is
dwindling fast. However, let's don't
miss it 'til it's gone.
Dianne: John Henry, would you
sum this all up for us?
John Henry: I just want to reiterate
my original position. The glories
of our forests that were ecological wonderlands-great
balances of naturethe
hardwood trees growing among the
bigger pines. It was all terribly important
to the housing of the animal life
there. All the wonders of the forest,
it was just unbelievable-and it's all
gone now. It's as though it is our right
to obliterate everything forever.
What has happened with the lumber
industry in North America from the

Pacific Northwest right down to the
deep forests of Texas is almost a microcosm
of what's happening to mankind
on earth as he despoils his resources
and leaves himself for generations to
come naked before his enemies, as it
were. The waste of our forests is a
comment on the complete indifference
to the preservation of something for
those who will come after us. It's come
to a great crescendo now across this
continent. In our total disregard for tomorrow,
we're turning whole areas of
our country into deserts.
Dianne David is an art and antique
expert with a special concern for the
world ecology. Formerly the owner
and director of the David Gallery in
Houston, she is now a resident of
Austin. Ms. David is currently
working on a book, Notes for the
Final Address.

Upcoming Pages

Here’s what’s next.

upcoming item: 19 19 of 40
upcoming item: 20 20 of 40
upcoming item: 21 21 of 40
upcoming item: 22 22 of 40

Show all pages in this issue.

This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.

Tools / Downloads

Get a copy of this page .

Citing and Sharing

Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.

Reference the current page of this Periodical.

Texas Historical Foundation. Texas Heritage, Winter 1985, periodical, February 1, 1985; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45443/m1/18/ocr/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.

Univesal Viewer

International Image Interoperability Framework (This Page)

Back to Top of Screen