Festival Blog

In reflecting on our experiences at the 2012 Folklife Festival, the team of interns from the Citified: Arts and CreativityRead More

Ellie Mannette, born in Trinidad in 1927, is considered “the father of the modern steel drum.”  He is the director ofRead More

Gert McMullin, one of the original volunteers with The AIDS Memorial Quilt, reflects on her experiences during the early stagesRead More

The 2012 Folklife Festival was closed on one day due to storm damage. The Smithsonian and Festival teams worked tirelesslyRead More

Mike Smith, co-founder of The NAMES Project Foundation, discusses the inspirational power of The AIDS Memorial Quilt. Through the storyRead More

The University of Illinois is home to the oldest post-secondary disability support program in the world. In this video, EmilyRead More

Albus Cavus is a non-profit collective of artists, educators, and visionaries who use art, science, and technology to improve publicRead More

Known as the “Yo-Yo Queen” for her use of fabric medallions (yo-yos) to decorate quilts, Marquetta Bell-Johnson translates her skillsRead More

Funk, soul, R&B, and jazz are some of the many influences on multi-instrumentalist Meshell Ndegeocello’s complex musical style. Here, sheRead More

The New Orleans-based funk band Dumpstaphunk performs “Do Ya” from their album Everybody Want Sum on the National Mall. TheRead More