Peter Magoon was interviewed by John McKiernan Gonzalez on July 7, 1996. Magoon was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1954. He began working for the Smithsonian as a member of the grounds crew for the Festival of American Folklife in 1982. He became grounds crew chief, and in 1985 he was technical director for the Festival of India. From 1985-1987, Magoon worked as an archivist for the Folklife Archives, and then for the Central Information Resource Center. Magoon left the Smithsonian and now works for Network Solutions in Herndon, Virginia. This interview discusses the course of Magoon's career at the Smithsonian, his educational background, why he left the Smithsonian, how he heard about the Festival of American Folklife, what he did as a member of the grounds crew, his responsibilities and work as technical director for the Festival of India, stories from the Festival of India, the Smithsonian compared to the private sector as an employer, visiting the Smithsonian, the diversity of the Festival, and the Smithsonian's museums compared to the Festival.

Object Details

See more items in: Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews; Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews / Interviews

Collection Citation: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9594, Smithsonian Memories Project, Festival of American Folklife Oral History Interviews