Casely E. Coan

The Southwest Folklife Alliance (SFA) is a non-profit organization working to build more equitable and vibrant communities by celebrating the everyday expressions of culture, heritage and diversity in the Greater Southwest. SFA is the National Endowment for the Arts’ State Folk Arts Partner to the Arizona Commission on the Arts and serves hundreds of traditional artists and communities annually through festivals, research & documentation, storytelling, training, and direct cash support to heritage-based artists in the region. The Leading Edge Fellow will join SFA’s staff team as a Research Manager to conduct a field scan of the existence and efficacy of support systems for traditional artists in the Southwest region. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, the fellow will produce a report that will help inform strategic directions for the wellbeing of the heritage arts economy in the region, identifying patterns, gaps, networks, and opportunities. The fellow will also work with the editor of SFA’s online journal, “Borderlore,” to use the data collected to help inform and craft profiles, narratives, and featured stories that can amplify advocacy efforts.