Object Details
- Introduction
- The 1987 Festival took place for two five-day weeks (June 24-28 and July 1-5) between Madison Drive and Jefferson Drive and between 10th Street and 14th Street, south of the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History (see site plan). Held on parkland among many of the nation's most treasured memorials and institutions, the Festival explored the city beyond Washington's federal buildings. Visitors learned of its diverse, vibrant and evolving musical traditions - a hometown to Americans of many cultures. In any culture language is a primary source of unity and pride. Through the 1987 Festival visitors had the opportunity to learn about the valued role of language in some of America's linguistic communities. Culture and language have played an important role in shaping the character of each state in the union. In this, Michigan's sesquicentennial celebration year, traditional craftspeople, musicians, cooks, woodworkers, boatmen, and others shared with Festival-goers the particular history and culture of their state. The 1987 Program Book included schedules and participant lists for each program; the Program Book essays provided a larger context for the Festival presentations, without being limited to traditions actually presented at the 1987 Festival. The Festival was co-presented by the Smithsonian Institution and National Park Service and organized by the Office of Folklife Programs. Office of Folklife Programs Peter Seitel, Director; Richard Kurin, Deputy Director; Diana Parker, Festival Director; Thomas Vennum, Jr., Senior Ethnomusicologist; Alicia María González, Director, Folklife Quincentenary Programs; Marjorie Hunt, Phyllis M. May-Machunda, Frank Proschan, Nicholas R. Spitzer, Folklorists; Peter Magoon, Archivist National Park Service William Penn Mott, Jr., Director; Manus J. Fish, Jr., Regional Director, National Capital Region
- Shared Stewardship of Collections
- The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.
- Creator
- Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
- Names
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival
- Place
- Caribbean Area
- Topic
- Food habits
- Folk art
- Folklore
- arts and crafts
- Folk music
- World music
- Folk festivals
- Creator
- Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1987 Festival of American Folklife
- Summary
- The Smithsonian Institution Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998. The materials collected here document the planning, production, and execution of the annual Festival, produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present) and its predecessor offices (1967-1999). An overview of the entire Festival records group is available here: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.
- Historical note
- The Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998. The 1987 Festival of American Folklife was produced by the Smithsonian Office of Folklife Programs and cosponsored by the National Park Service. For more information, see Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.
- Extent
- 1 Cubic foot (approximate)
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements note
- The Rinzler Archives is continually engaged in digitization of archival materials to facilitate preservation and ready access by users. However, given the diversity of legacy formats of the originals, some older materials may not be available. Notably, certain older audio recordings cannot be played because of deterioration of the tape stock, and the Archives has no playback equipment for EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) or multi-track audio recordings. Where listening or viewing copies are available, this is generally indicated for each item. Users are encouraged to contact Archives staff to verify that the materials of interest to them are already accessible, or to determine if they can be digitized as needed.
- Date
- June 24-July 5, 1987
- Archival Repository
- Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
- Identifier
- CFCH.SFF.1987
- Type
- Collection descriptions
- Archival materials
- Notes
- Slides (photographs)
- Sound recordings
- Digital images
- Correspondence
- Negatives
- Photographic prints
- Business records
- Videotapes
- Audiocassettes
- Memorandums
- Audiotapes
- Contracts
- Plans (drawings)
- Video recordings
- Citation
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1987 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
- Arrangement note
- Arranged in 4 series. Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera Series 2: Cultural Conservation and Languages: America's Many Voices Series 3: Metropolitan Washington Series 4: Michigan
- Rights
- Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
- Genre/Form
- Notes
- Slides (photographs)
- Sound recordings
- Digital images
- Correspondence
- Negatives
- Photographic prints
- Business records
- Videotapes
- Audiocassettes
- Memorandums
- Audiotapes
- Contracts
- Plans (drawings)
- Video recordings
- Scope and Contents note
- This collection documents the planning, production, and execution of the 1987 Festival of American Folklife. Materials may include photographs, audio recordings, motion picture film and video recordings, notes, production drawings, contracts, memoranda, correspondence, informational materials, publications, and ephemera. Such materials were created during the Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as well as in the featured communities, before or after the Festival itself.
- Restrictions
- Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
- Record ID
- ebl-1503511975491-1503511975497-0
In the Collection
View Slideshow
