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Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1996 Festival of American Folklife

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Object Details

Introduction
In 1996, questions of national unity and purpose remained as salient as they had been twenty years before, for the Bicentennial Festival - yet there was also much to celebrate, and good cause to do so. On the state level, the year marked the 150th anniversary of Iowa statehood; on the international level, it marked the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympics; and for the nation and the world, the Smithsonian celebrated its 150th anniversary. Each of these anniversaries recalled what we value as Americans and helped set our course for the future. The 1996 Festival joined with the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games to present a program on the culture of the American South, both on the National Mall and, before a world audience, back home in Atlanta during the Olympic Games. The Olympics symbolize people from the world over coming together in common athletic and artistic purposes. Just as a watershed is fed by the confluence of numerous streams, so too does the culture of the South represent the confluence of Native American, African, and European traditions, joining together with a stream of visitors from around the globe. Iowa, which celebrated its sesquicentennial on the National Mall, is known as the land between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and symbolizes an important cultural watershed. For many, Iowa represents grassroots America, our heartland. The land and the rivers give Iowans a strong sense of purpose, and have nourished the value of community life as a centerpiece in our national consciousness - a value that was ever-present in the Iowa Festival program. The Smithsonian, which has grown into the world's foremost national scientific, historical, and artistic complex, represents yet another kind of cultural watershed. It collects aspects of America's heritage, documenting the ebb and flow of history over the years and across the nation, and encourages visitors to find themselves in its never-ending course. For its 150th anniversary, visitors had a chance to peer behind the scenes and to meet Smithsonian workers in every field. The Smithsonian saw the Festival as a wonderful way to help celebrate the anniversaries of these institutions, for like them, the Festival stands as a tribute to our own ability to speak with each other, to share our cultures and traditions, and to do so in a civil, tolerant, respectful, and enlightening way. The Festival itself is an enduring institution, and in 1996 it marked its own thirtieth event in typical fashion - by working hard to amplify the voices of others. The 1996 Festival took place during two five-day weeks (June 26-30 and July 3-7) between Madison Drive and Jefferson Drive and between 9th Street and 13th Street, south of the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History (see site plan). It featured three programs and a special event, the second Ralph Rinzler Memorial Concert. The 1996 Program Book included schedules and participant lists for each program; essays provided background on the Festival and on each of the programs. The Festival was co-presented by the Smithsonian Institution and National Park Service and organized by the Center for Folklife Programs & Cultural Studies. Center for Folklife Programs & Cultural Studies Richard Kurin, Director; Richard Kennedy, Deputy Director; Diana Parker, Festival Director; Anthony Seeger, Director, Smithsonian/Folkways Recordngs; James Early, Director, Cultural Studies & Communications; Thomas Vennum, Jr., Senior Ethnomusicologist; Olivia Cadaval, Chair, Research & Education; Betty Belanus, Marjorie Hunt, Diana Baird N'Diaye, Peter Seitel, Curators, Folklorists, Educational and Cultural Specialists; Carla M. Borden, Program/Publications Manager; John W. Franklin, Program Manager; Arlene L. Reiniger, Program Specialist; Jeffrey Place, Archivist; Stephanie Smith, Assistant Archivist; Roland Freeman, Ivan Karp, Alan Lomax, Worth Long, Kate Rinzler, Research Associates & Collaborators Folklife Advisory Council and Folkways Advisory Council Roger Abrahams, Jacinto Arias, Michael Asch, Jane Beck, Don DeVito, Pat Jasper, Ella Jenkins, Jon Kertzer, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, John Nixdorf, Bernice Johnson Reagon, John Roberts, Carol Robertson, Gilbert Sprauve, Jack Tchen, Ricardo Trimillos, Carlos Vélez-Ibáñez National Park Service Roger Kennedy, Director; Robert G. Stanton, 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
Topic
Folklore
Folk art
Food habits
Folk music
arts and crafts
World music
Folk festivals
Creator
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
See more items in
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1996 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 1996 Festival of American Folklife was produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies 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 26-July 7, 1996
Archival Repository
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
Identifier
CFCH.SFF.1996
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Contracts
Plans (drawings)
Videotapes
Digital images
Slides (photographs)
Business records
Memorandums
Correspondence
Sound recordings
Audiocassettes
Photographic prints
Notes
Video recordings
Audiotapes
Negatives
Citation
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1996 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Arrangement note
Arranged in 5 series. Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera Series 2: The American South Series 3: Iowa - Community Style Series 4: Special Events Series 5: Working at the Smithsonian
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
Contracts
Plans (drawings)
Videotapes
Digital images
Slides (photographs)
Business records
Memorandums
Correspondence
Sound recordings
Audiocassettes
Photographic prints
Notes
Video recordings
Audiotapes
Negatives
Scope and Contents note
This collection documents the planning, production, and execution of the 1996 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.
Forms Part Of
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1996 Festival of American Folklife forms part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival records . Smithsonian Folklife Festival records Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: Papers 1967 Festival of American Folklife records - [Ongoing]
Related Archival Materials note
Within the Rinzler Archives, related materials may be found in various collections such as the Ralph Rinzler papers and recordings, the Lily Spandorf drawings, the Diana Davies photographs, the Robert Yellin photographs, and the Curatorial Research, Programs, and Projects collection. Additional relevant materials may also be found in the Smithsonian Institution Archives concerning the Division of Performing Arts (1966-1983), Folklife Program (1977-1980), Office of Folklife Programs (1980-1991), Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies (1991-1999), Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present), and collaborating Smithsonian units, as well as in the administrative papers of key figures such as the Secretary and respective deputies. Users are encouraged to consult relevant finding aids and to contact Archives staff for further information.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1503511513422-1503511513441-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5f26e8d56-a110-478c-b70b-af8a0ca1dee5

In the Collection

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  • Festival Recordings: South Studio Stage: Birmingham Sunlights; Freedom Singers; Warwickwith Louisiana Hayride Band

  • Iowa Fieldwork: "Looking Through" Craig and Rick recorded by Mark Knudsen

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Community Hall: Meskwaki Singers

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Interview with Jann Thompson (department of paleobiology, NMNH) by Robert Sayers

  • Iowa Fieldwork: The Deer Creek Boys - 'He's Coming'

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Sally Maran

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Interview with Marjorie (Marge) and Edward (Ed) Nejdl in Cedar Rapids, Iowa by Erin Roth (tape 16 of 27)

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Josephine Burman

  • Festival Recordings: South Studio Stage: Warwick with Louisiana Hayride Band; Beausoleil

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Cafe: Blues Music

  • Iowa 96 FAF – Cliff Weston (Fieldworker) – 4 of 7 – Randolph Dean

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Interview with Marie and Matthew Yellow Bull

  • Morgan, Jerri & DeWall, John (Fieldworkers) – 5 of 7 – Paul Braunger; Frank Casaday

  • Working at the Smithsonian: Interview with Teresa Singleton (anthropology, NMNH) by Robert Sayers

  • Festival Footage: Working at the Smithsonian: Narrative Stage: Reinterpreting First Ladies

  • Working at the Smithsonian: Miles Roberts

  • FP-1996-CT-0740: Iiowa 96 FAF – 9/11/95 – Erin Roth (Fieldworker) – 12 of 27 (cont. from 11) – Swedesburg, IA – Bonnie Bloom, Nancy Sandeen, Louise Unkrich, Jane Wickham

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Civic Center: Scandinavian-American Dance; Dance Party- Cuban-American Music

  • Iowa 96 FAF – Cliff Weston (Fieldworker) – 6 of 7 – Pep Culpepper; Barbershop

  • Iowa 96 FAF – 9/26/95 – Caroline Trumpold (Fieldworker) – 5 of 6 – Glenn Wendler (Zither player, church elder, construction Co. owner); Mary Wendler (Cook, singer, quilter, antiques collector / seller)

  • Festival Recordings: Celebrations Stage: Arnold Richardson (flute), Littleturtles, Willie Lowery, The Georgia Sea Island Singers (Frankie and Doug Quimby) Tape 1 of 2

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Steven Bostwick

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Interview with Jay Mixdorf

  • Interview of Barb Small, Jeff Berens, Karen Walden, Mary Black

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Cafe: Mexican Songs & Ballads; Meskwaki Music & Culture

  • Festival Recordings: Dance/Evening Concert: Mexican Songs & Ballads; Eddie Pennington, Kentucky Thumbpicker; Blues Dance

  • Festival Footage: Working at the Smithsonian: Narrative Stage: Stories from the Deep; Taxidermy at the Smithsonian

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Talk Radio: Taking Part in Political Life; Radio & Newspaper Communities; Caring for the Community

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Interview with Reuben Jackson (NMAH) by Erin Roth

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Labor Institute: Interview with Kirk Vandenberger of Argyle, Iowa (fiddle player, disc jockey) who records Bluegrass Sunday Night on WBKR in Owensboro, Kentucky

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Interview with Jack Libbey, tape 2

  • Special Events

  • Festival Recordings: It's Public Knowledge: The War of Words

  • Iowa 96 FAF Michael Zahs (Fieldworker) – Washington, IA – 8 of 13 – Bob and Phyllis Carter (farmers, educators, gravemaker experts)

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Denise - 'Joyful in Christ'

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Cynthia Hoover

  • Audio Log Sheets

  • Interview of Calimex (Mexican Band) – Des Moines – (Interview in Spanish & English)

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Cafe: Blues Music; Family Music Making

  • Fieldwork

  • Festival Recordings: Hall of Musical Instruments: Smithsonian Chamber Players; Robert White

  • Festival Recordings: Meyer Auditorium/Freer Gallery: Zuttermeister Family and the Hoopii Brothers

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Talk Radio: Working on the Water

  • Smithsonian Workers Program: Mary Sangrey, Dept. of Botany, NMNH, Interviewed by Robert Sayers

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Volkor K. Schmeissner

  • Festival Recordings: South Music Stage: Treme Brass Band; Warwick with Louisiana HayrideBand

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Community Hall: Louis & Blues Review; Deer Creek Quartet

  • Photographs

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Interview with Linda Edquist (conservation specialist, Postal Museum)

  • Rosenberg, Janice (Fieldworker) – 2 of 6 – Des Moines, IA – Bill Ohringer (Jewish, lay-rabbi, storyteller, deli owner)

  • Peggy Linds and Larry Collins

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Doug Evelyn

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Sharon Reinckens

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Interview with Dr. Margaret Collins 1 of 2 (department of entomology, NMNH) by Robert Sayers

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Civic Center: Karl L. King Municipal Band

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Dennis Whigham

  • Working at the Smithsonian: Interview with Martin Kotler (frame conservator, SAAM) by Malisel

  • Festival Recordings: South Music Stage: Beausoleil; Ife Ile

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Interview with Chris Geary (SAAM)

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Robert Harding

  • The American South Fieldwork: Dennis Banks "Still Strong" (demo)

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Stephen "Pat" Belcher, Louise D. Belcher

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Nurses Assocation 4 of 6: Interview with Kathy Hopkins (continued); Dr. Felton; Verna Welte (U.P. Nursing patient services)

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Cordelia Benedict

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Community Hall: Psalms; Everett Kapayou, Meskwaki Singers; Matney Sisters, Deer Creek, Harmony

  • Dixie Hummingbirds "In Good Health" (commercial cassette)

  • Festival Recordings: South Studio Stage: Freedom Singers; Warwick with Louisiana Hayride Band

  • Festival Footage: Iowa Program: Talk Radio: Singing the Blues; Growing Up in Iowa

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Interview with Clara Twiner-Lee and Habeebah Muhammad (Anacostia Museum) by Diane N.

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Interview with Steven L. Wolfe

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Martin Kaufna

  • Smithsonian Workers Program: Field Interview with Lauren Grant by Richard Kurin and Pablita Abeyta: "Making of NMAI" For Working at the SI program of the 1996 F.A.F.

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: B.C. May

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Interview with Elizabeth C. Dietrich (MSC Move coordinator, NMNH) by Robert Sayers

  • Festival Recordings: Meyer Auditorium/Freer Gallery: Djimo Kouyate

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Interview with Derrell Lyles and Rosa Proctor (growers, SI Greenhouses, Soldiers House, Division of Horticultural Services)

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Narrative Stage: Stories from Deep; Taxidermy at the Smithsonian

  • Working at the Smithsonian: Interview with Manuel Melendez

  • Iowa 96 FAF – Schmidt (Fieldworker) – 6 of 8 – Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen (Polka Music); Lyle and Brass Notes

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Interview with Herb Plambeck (agriculture and WHO radio) Des Moines, Iowa by Lee Kline

  • Working at the Smithsonian: Charlie Pitchett and Carl Wheatley,

  • Lewis, Catherine (Fieldworker) 8 of 14 Shana Greazel & Kim Lacina (how to give a presentation); Maggie & Lara Mishler (how to make a gift bag)

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Talk Radio: Iowa Community Spirit; Women's Work

  • Festival Footage: Working at the Smithsonian: Narrative Stage: Living & Working in Space; Paleobiology Research & the Mo

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Interview with Robert Hall

  • Harry Oster (Fieldworker) – Mount Zion Men's Chorus

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Interview with Karen Bryan (WOI radio, classical music, drama, film) Ames, Iowa by Lee Kline

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Cafe: Farm Talk; Blues Music; Mexican Songs & Ballads

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Narrative Stage: Creative Expressions; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Early

  • Festival Recordings: Iowa Civic Center: Polka Dance; Karl L. King Municipal Band

  • Iowa 96 FAF – Schmidt (Fieldworker) – 1 of 8 – Manning & Harlan, IA – German Festivals & Music of Western Iowa

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: John Gibson

  • Iowa 96 FAF – James Skurdall – 12 of 13 – Decorah, IA – Lloyd Strinmoen

  • Festival Recordings: Dance/Evening Concert: Bands from Iowa & the American South

  • Working at the Smithsonian Fieldwork: Garber Facility Suitland, Maryland (NMAH offsite storage) 2 of 2

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Interview with Ann Schrader by Donald Jonjack

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Carol Glover

  • Iowa Fieldwork: Interview with Karmen Mehmen (#2)

  • Festival Footage: Working at the Smithsonian: Narrative Stage: Paleobiology Research & the Modern World

  • Festival Recordings: Smithsonian Memories: Interviewee: Steptoe Wren

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