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Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Festival Video

The Musical Life of Chuck Brown


The 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival paid tribute to the late Chuck Brown, the “Godfather of Go-Go,” with a day ofRead More

December 3, 2012   No Comments

Women Making a Difference: The Women’s Collective, pt. 2


The Women’s Collective was founded in 1993 by Patricia Nalls as a safe place for women and girls living withRead More

November 27, 2012   No Comments

Call My Name: The Quilt at the Women’s Collective, D.C.


On March 3, 2012, a team from The NAMES Project Foundation came to The Women’s Collective in Washington, D.C., toRead More

November 6, 2012   1 Comment

Ellie Mannette: Father of the Modern Steel Drum


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

October 10, 2012   1 Comment

Gert McMullin: The Power of The Quilt


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

October 3, 2012   5 Comments

A Living Artifact of the Lives Lost in the Fight Against AIDS


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

August 21, 2012   No Comments

Power of the Panel


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

August 21, 2012   No Comments

Emily Hoskins: Paralympic Gold Medalist and University of Illinois Alumna


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

August 10, 2012   1 Comment

Albus Cavus Art Collective


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

August 10, 2012   No Comments

Marquetta Bell-Johnson: The Yo-Yo Queen


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

August 7, 2012   No Comments