Welcome to the International Organization of Folk Art (IOV) homepage.

With the General Assembly behind us and the 2012 IOV World Youth Congress fully booked, it’s time to shift our attention to the Fifth IOV World Congress. The Congress will take place in Ulan Ude, Republic of Buryatia (Russian Federation) in September, 2012. Dr. Victor Kitov, chair of the festival and director of Sounds of Siberia, a festival of Eurasian folk music which runs concurrently with the Congress, says applications from interested participant/observers will be accepted for just two more weeks. If you haven’t registered, do so today! More information is available on this web site.

Our Mission

The mission of IOV is to protect, preserve and promote all forms of folk art and folk culture as elements of the intangible cultural heritage; to foster understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity among all peoples, and thereby enhance the prospects for world peace.

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History

IOV is a worldwide organization of individuals and institutions working to document, preserve and promote all forms of folk art, both tangible and intangible. IOV sponsors national and international folk art festivals as well as cultural exchanges of performing ...

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Our Goals

We encourage and promote the living traditions of all through the advancement of all forms of folk art. To reach our objectivees, we encourage the cooperation of individuals and institutions who will join us as we strive:

To identify and research all forms of folk and traditional arts, including, but not limited to dance, music, rituals, narratives...

Welcome to IOV World

IOV is a worldwide organization of individuals and institutions working to document, preserve and promote all forms of folk art, both tangible and intangible. The organization was founded in Belgium in 1979 and is registered under the laws of Austria, where the Office of the IOV Secretariat is located.

IOV sponsors national and international folk art festivals as well as cultural exchanges of performing artists and visual art. Through its scientific and pedagogical symposia and workshops, IOV encourages scholarly research, documentation and publication on topics related to folk art and traditions. Recent conferences have explored aspects of storytelling, children's games, legends, crafts, folk tales, dance, weaving and textiles, tool making, religious practices, costuming, architecture, social practices and seasonal celebrations. The UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, with its emphasis on research and documentation, provides the framework for IOV programs and projects.

IOV News 2012 Spring

The IOV Communications and Publications Commission invites you to accept this introductory copy of the new quarterly newsletter, IOV-NEWS. IOV-NEWS will be distributed via email in PDF format each quarter to all registered members. IOV NEWS is intended to strengthen the IOV network by providing a resource for disseminating information about past and upcoming IOV events, initiatives, programs and reports as well as highlighting select projects of constituent individuals, organizations and national sections.

The newsletter is divided into 5 sections: 1.) Letters and Reports, 2.) Communications, 3.) Performance and Practices, 4.) Research, and 5.) Additional Resources.

The first section contains official letters and special reports from the IOV Board of Directors and Executive Officers. The following three sections are dedicated to each IOV Commission: the Communications and Publications Commission, the Performance and Practices Commission, and the Research Commission.

Announcement: IOV World Congress EURASIA

Sounds of EURASIA

The V World Congress of the International Organization of Folk Art (IOV) will take place on the shores of the sacred Lake Baikal in September 2012. Scientists from many countries of the world will discuss pressing questions about how to preserve traditions in the field of national instrumental music. In the XXI century, national culture, which is the basis of the originality and uniqueness of nations of the world, should serve as a mutual enrichment of various cultures.

Read the IOV Thirty Year Anniversary Report

Please follow this link to read about the IOV Thirty Year Anniversary Report.

Message By Carmen D. Padilla President of IOV

carmen-padilla Dear IOV Colleagues,

This website is a way in which IOV brings news to a wider audience. The members are encouraged to printout the news for distribution to the members who are not yet online.

Since the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of IOV in Nanjing China which coincided with the 2nd IOV Youth Congress, the IOV Presidential Council (IOVPC) has done some serious review and evaluation of the workings of the organization. The IOVPC met in the Czech Republic through the kind invitation of IOV Czech Republic and the National Folklore Organization of the country, under the Presidency of Mr. Zdeneck Psenica.

The meeting focused on the review and the future plans of the IOV. For the first time, the online participation of some members of the IOVPC was welcomed as a new approach to holding a meeting. There is no reason to excuse anyone from being absent if the meeting can be held online. We wish to commend Etienne Vankeirsbilck from Belgium and Atty George Frandsen from the USA for attending the meeting online. Present in person were Rikus Draijer from Netherlands, Emma Chen Hoefler from China, Jutta Widor from Austria and Hans Holz from Austria, Carmen D. Padilla from the Philippines.

Every Ralli Quilt tells a story

Ralli Quilts are remarkable, very traditional quilts made by women in the areas of Sindh, Pakistan, western India, and in surrounding areas. They are just now gaining international recognition, even though women have been making these quilts for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. Ralliquilt.com is dedicated to providing quality information about the tradition of ralli making. provides information about the beautiful, unique, hand-made textiles and crafts from Pakistan and India. The lives of the people who make the textiles are woven into each piece. The symbols of flowers and animals used in the decoration and colors are imaginative and exotic.

IOV Youth Congress Success In Nanjing

The Second IOV World Youth Congress and IOV Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration, which took place in Nanjing, China, from October 21 through 26, have concluded. The participants, who numbered nearly 400 at the Opening Ceremony, have returned to their homes countries with memories to last a lifetime.

Message from the Secretary General, George Frandsen

Dear IOV Members,

The past few months have been eventful for IOV. In January, we learned that the IOV application for Consultative Relations with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, has been unanimously recommended by the 19-member review committee. In July, the full council will vote to accept IOV into Special Consultative Relations.

In February, we received a letter from UNESCO telling us that IOV has been reclassified and is now in Formal Consultative Relations with UNESCO. This is effective immediately and requires no further action from UNESCO. We are happy that IOV has received this recognition for its contributions to UNESCO’s work.

The IOV World Youth Congress, which takes place in Sweden the end of June received 250 applications. Only 100 could be accepted, so arrangements will be made for the congress to be streamed live over the Internet to any member who would like to watch. Turning down so many qualified young people was difficult. We appreciate the positive attitudes of everyone concerned and hope to be able to accommodate everyone at a future congress.

The Third IOV World Youth Congress 2012

“Youth empowerment in the Intangible Cultural Heritage”

Sweden will be the location of the third IOV World Youth Congress 2012.

The IOV World Youth Congress is an international gathering of young people, which takes place every two years. The theme 2012 is “Youth Empowerment in the Intangible Cultural Heritage”. You can follow discussions between the congress participants at the facebook site IOV World Youth Congress 2012.

If you have any questions or would like to come in contact with the organizing committee, please send an e-mail to Esta dirección electrónica esta protegida contra spambots. Es necesario activar Javascript para visualizarla .