Wikipedia has a good description of folk art.

Often we have wondered whether there is a fundamental flaw in Maslow's Hierarchy that claims that everyone must go through certain stages of development in a linear fashion and that the higher stages are not accessible for people in the lower stage. Our intrigue comes from our observation of folk art in Indian villages. The people may be poor and not have even the most basic needs and facilities, and yet, if you happen to see them during a local festival, the colors, the devotion, the expressions, the stories and the performances that transcend material existence will transport you to another world. Perhaps poverty could co-exist with the subtler, deeper human yearning for meaning, healing, sharing joy and seeing the world beyond its material forms. Perhaps this is what has kept folk arts alive.

What we have done so far:

While we were familiar with various folk arts and crafts in Indian villages while we were growing up, we had never looked at it from a social perspective. Four years ago, we got formally introduced to Indian folklore by Dr. M.D. Muthukumaraswamy, the director of the National Folklore Support Center (NFSS) when he had come to Stanford. The experience of listening to his lectures and stories and interacting with him over an extended time opened up a whole new world for us. NFSS defines folklore as, “a tradition based on any expressive behavior that brings a group together, creates a convention and commits it to cultural memory.”

What we intend to do:

We intend to collaborate with Muthu and find ways to help the people in the rural areas around Coimbatore beginning with the village we are settling in to, as NFSS says, “integrate scholarship with activism, aesthetic appreciation with community development.” We might use, when appropriate, digital technologies (photography, audio and video), to add another dimension to the current folk art.

Any experience, knowledge and ideas that can help combine art with service are welcome.