Contemporary Canadian ethnic folk art : an exploratory and descriptive sociological study of two ethnic groups in Winnipeg

Abstract

The socio-cultural complex associated with ethnic folk art is explored in this paper. Two Canadian ethnic groups are studied. These are the Latvians and Ukrainians. In Winnipeg the groups are strongly differentiated by size and social organization. The central problem is to determine the applicability of Milton C. Albrecht's institutional schema of art to Latvian and Ukrainian folk art. Twenty-five Latvian and Ukrainian folk artists took part in the project. A case study approach was used. Personal interviews were conducted. The material collected demonstrated the general applicability of the schema. The most important specific finding was the artists' utilization of their art as a means of identifying with their ethnic group. An attempt was made to specify the types of relationships that, may exist between three basic components of the schema.