DESCRIPTION:
2017 Conference theme and registration opening announcement.

Kansas City, MO (May 24, 2016)

In an event held at the National World War I Museum and Memorial, Folk Alliance International (FAI) today unveiled the official artwork, theme and keynote speaker for the 29th annual conference slated for February 15-19, 2017, at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri. The event included the release of six doves, symbolically sending word of this year’s theme to the five North American regions of the organization and one for the international community.

The theme for the 2017 conference, Forbidden Folk, is designed to celebrate activism in art by exploring the past and present role of folk music in civil, labor, pacifist, and environmental movements.

The Keynote Speaker for the 2017 conference is English singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg whose 30-year career has focused on social change and engaging audiences through folk music, punk rock and protest traditions.

Folk Alliance International (FAI) is the leading international voice for folk music - connecting artists and leaders to sustain the community and genre. A global non-profit arts organization, FAI is proudly based in Kansas City, Missouri. www.folk.org