It is with humility and sadness that we share our beloved teacher, elder, and Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival co-founder, Dr. James S. “Big Jim” Griffith has transitioned from this earth. Big Jim passed quietly and peacefully at his home. His love for these lands and their cultures is a light that will continue to illuminate new ways to come together in community. Tucson Meet Yourself and the Southwest Folklife Alliance board and staff send our deepest condolences to the Griffith family, especially his wife and TMY co-founder, Loma.
Dr. Griffith was formerly the director of the Southwest Folklore Center at the University of Arizona, where he earned his PhD in cultural anthropology and art history and retired from a faculty position at the University in 1998, though he continued to teach and lecture on Southern Arizona folk arts throughout the region.
He published numerous books, including A Border Runs Through It: Journeys in Regional History and Folklore (2011), and most recently, Saints, Statues, and Stories: A Folklorist Looks at the Religious Art of Sonora (2019). He will be remembered with a banjo in hand and field notebook in his pocket, and for his deep respect for the cultures and communities who call the Southwest and U.S.-Mexico Borderlands home. A celebration of his legacy will be planned in the New Year.
Descanse en paz.
¡Big Jim Presente!
Read and watch tributes to Big Jim here.
James “Big Jim” GriffithJ
July 30, 1935 — December 18, 2021
Thank you, Tucson, for an incredible 2021 reconnection!
More of you came to the festival than we ever imagined. We appreciate the efforts you made to keep festival artists, vendors, and each other as safe as possible, and to take care of yourselves, as well, when things felt too crowded. We put so much heart into this year’s festival and we were moved to see you enjoying it. We are ever grateful for your continued support and respect. Until 2022, please stay safe and be well.
—Blessings, the TMY team
Because culture and community are resilient.
Enjoy food from more than 30 cultural communities. Spacious eating areas provided on Jacome Plaza and Stone Avenue. Rope walkways help maintain social distance in the event of wait-lines. Limited reserved parking for quick food take-out!
Food
50 folk artists sharing manual and visual arts, spaced 6-feet apart, so visitors can view their work and process. No hands-on activities for visitors this year. Select artists will share work and process in a demonstration tent for short periods of time.
folk artists
Two stages this year showcasing over 60 performance groups sharing music and dance from over 30 cultural regions. Limited seating in tent areas to maintain safe social distance.
performance
Highlights for 2021
The Dukes Car Club of Tucson presents 10 lowrider cars plus demonstrations on how to trick out your own car.
Lowrider Car Craftsmanship
TMY and TMC Healthcare present the inaugural Arizona Ethnic and Traditional Dance Festiva on Thursday, Oct. 7. This one-night event features the region’s most celebrated ethnic and traditional dance companies. This is a ticketed event at Tucson’s Fox Theatre.
Arizona Ethnic & Traditional Dance Festival
Back by popular demand, this contest celebrates corridos, a musical genre and oral tradition from Mexico. From the Spanish “correr,” to run, corridos are running accounts of historical events put to verse. Original corridos written and sung by locals. Let your applause choose the winner!
Corrido Contest
Amidst celebration, we acknowledge loss and ongoing grief. Find comfort with music and dances of healing, add to the Wall of Losses, contribute to a community jukebox, chat with a Tucson End-of-Life Doula, or share stories of solace. Sponsored by the Arizona End-of-Life Care Partnership.
Loss & Remembrance Space
For over 50 years, Los Changuitos Feos (The Ugly Little Monkeys) have brought mariachi music to the region and expanded opportunities for young people. A new documentary on the original band members, 1964-69, will include a scene at this year’s festival. Come be an “extra” in this finale seen when you happen upon it.
Mariachi POP-UP PERFORMANCE & Documentary Film Finale
To ensure a better experience …
Traditional Artist & Culture Bearer Relief Fund
COVID-19 has revealed deep vulnerabilities within many of those we serve. To provide direct support to these artists and culture/heritage practitioners, we’ve launched the Traditional Artists & Culture Bearer Emergency Relief Fund with seed money from the Arizona Commission on the Arts (10K) and individual donors, including over $5000 from community members on Arizona Gives Day and are continuing the campaign to help artists in need.
Apply or donate to the fund here.