Abstract Bruce Harkness photographed the area known as “Poletown,” a multi-ethnic, multi-racial urban area on Detroit’s East Side, from February to December 1981. These photographs document the hundreds of buildings and businesses that were demolished to make way for the construction of a General Motors assembly plant. In addition, Harkess captured vibrant urban exteriors and interiors, neighborhood landmarks, residents, and street scenes. The collection is comprised of 200 8’x10’ silver gelatin,...

Abstract The Folklore Archive, established in 1939 by WSU English professors Emlyn Gardner and Thelma James, contains the oldest and largest record of urban folk traditions in the United States. Between 1983 and 1984, the Department of Greek and Latin at Wayne State University, in conjuction with the university's Folklore Archive and funded in part by a grant from the Michigan Council for the Humanities, undertook a project, "The Greek-American Family: Continuity Through Change," to document the Greek...

Abstract The Folklore Archive, established in 1939 by WSU English professors Emlyn Gardner and Thelma James, contains the oldest and largest record of urban folk traditions in the United States. In 1981, as the Wayne State University Folklore Archive's contribution to the Great Lakes Art Alliance's Regional Folklife Project, field researcher Patricia Radecki documented the folk traditions of Southern Appalachian whites who had migrated to the metropolitan Detroit area, in part through oral history...

Abstract The Folklore Archive, established in 1939 by WSU English professors Emlyn Gardner and Thelma James, contains the oldest and largest record of urban folk traditions in the United States. To document these traditions, Wayne State University students conducted field research projects that included oral history interviews. Collection consists of audio recordings of 55 interviews (or aggregations of multiple interviews on a single topic) conducted by student interviewer-collectors, some of which,...

Abstract The Folklore Archive, established in 1939 by WSU English professors Emlyn Gardner and Thelma James, contains the oldest and largest record of urban folk traditions in the United States. To document these traditions, Wayne State University students conducted field research projects, some of which included photographic records. Collection consists of 71 projects (or aggregations of multiple projects on a single topic) conducted by student interviewer-collectors. Student field research projects...

Abstract The Folklore Archive, established in 1939, contains the oldest and largest record of urban folk traditions in the United States. To document these traditions, Wayne State University students conducted field research projects covering a broad range of topics. The archive is strong in modern industrial and occupational folklore, reflecting the rich ethnic diversity and work-oriented heritage of Detroit and southeastern Michigan. The Folklore Archive: Studies and Research Projects Records contain...