Mariposa Folk Festival is seeking donations of archival material currently in private hands. Donated items will fill gaps in our official archive collection housed at the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections at York University. Supplementary items not needed by the university will be used to expand the in-house collection held by the Mariposa Folk Foundation.
For inquiries about the appeal, or placing items in one of our collections, please email us at archives@mariposafolk.com.
In 2007, Mariposa Folk Foundation donated its collection of archival materials to the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections at York University. These materials have been expertly preserved and catalogued.
Freely accessed by musicologists, researchers, journalists, and the general public, the collection is a unique treasure, providing rare information, artifacts and insights into Mariposa’s storied history and important contribution to the North American music scene.
The Mariposa collection at the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections at York University is used by researchers from a variety of disciplines to further their understanding of the historical, economic, and cultural impact of the iconic Canadian cultural institution. Archival material is also used by Mariposa Folk Foundation and the Festival in a variety of ways, including Artistic Committee research of workshop ideas, content for the website, display at the Festival, as well as office and outreach displays and presentations.
The Mariposa collection is significant, but incomplete. We need the help of current and past audience members, and their heirs, to get these materials where they can be preserved and accessed for generations to come, in the safe keeping of Mariposa Folk Foundation and the Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections at York University.
Please bring your memorabilia to the Archive Tent at the Festival, or to the Mariposa Folk Foundation office. Be sure to include a Submission Form with your item(s) so we will have the information needed to process and catalogue them. Forms will be available at the Archive Tent if you don’t get a chance to complete one in advance.
The digitization of our historical artifacts has been taking place over the past few years. Many of these artifacts (early 1980′s, 1970′s and 1960′s) are on exhibit in a virtual collection called Mariposa : celebrating Canadian folk music, produced by York University. Additional items (2010′s, 2000′s, 1990′s and 1980′s) are in development, and can be viewed in the Archives section of the Mariposa Website.
The Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections at York University is specifically seeking audio-visual film, any materials from early Festivals, recordings from the 1960s, the 1965 program, and photos of Bob Dylan at the ’72 Festival.
The Mariposa Folk Foundation is specifically seeking 1980s posters and the 1975 double LP.
We are also looking for items that are currently unknown to us such as former organizers’ notes, atypical emporium merchandise, print items, and photos in private collections. We are also interested in acquiring, or being notified about, digitized items on the internet such as on photo and video sharing sites. We generally do not need materials associated with the Festival’s that have taken place since the return to Orillia.