This month, we are taking an extensive look at Folkways, a pivotal force in fostering culture and community in the FM area. Explore the details of an organization that champions artistic activities and local businesses while enhancing community bonds through each event and impact. We’ll meet the dedicated team behind these efforts, alongside a sit down with leadership. Whether it’s a market or a seasonal festivity, each placemaking effort reflects Folkways’ dedication to creating a sense of belonging in Fargo, putting culture and community in motion.

Some may have heard of Folkways before, and many have probably attended an event hosted by the nonprofit. The first thing to understand when taking a look at who and what Folkways is—placemaking.

placemaking [plesmekn] noun

creating vibrant public spaces (or in other words, tending to the garden. Folkways is the gardener and the community is the seeds to be grown)

Folkways’ Executive Director Joe Burgum explains it simply, “Placemaking for us is—vibrant public space.”

There are a few components to the term—physical space (operations, maintenance, seating, design), as well as other things like entertainment (entertainers, food trucks, or games in the space, for example). And, most importantly—there’s an ability to connect with people there.

Traditionally in the United States, there are two main spaces we occupy, our work and home (or school and home); but there has been an increase in conversation around the topic of third spaces—a space we go that is not work or home, a place that we can have community in.

A large focus of Folkways’ mission, fought through creating these third spaces (ie: placemaking), is combatting loneliness in American society due to these isolating first and second spaces and lack of third. While some may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of that third space community if they are, let’s say, a regular at a coffee shop or a bar. They know that when they walk in, the workers will know their name and they’ll see a friend sitting in the corner—but not everyone has that, or has the ability to create it.

“Those are the things that take you from being just like an invisible person in a town to a part of the community,” Joe said.

Another component of placemaking is something the Folkways team likes to call, “planned spontaneity.”

This concept is best explained with an example from childhood—when you were a kid, you ventured out into the neighborhood, not because you had specific plans, but because you knew there was a chance that you’d run into any of your friends and you all could play.

The idea that you can run into friends (community) out in these public, third places, and have a moment to connect (fight isolation), is exactly what placemaking is about—and that’s exactly what Folkways is doing.