Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1981 Festival of American Folklife
odd: label: Introduction
content: In 1981, the fifteenth annual Festival of American Folklife returned to the summer, resuming the schedule of two five-day weeks that had characterized Festivals in the 1973-1975 era. The 1981 Festival would be the last held on a site on the National Mall later to be occupied by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, between 14th and 15th Streets and between Constitution Avenue and Madison Drive (see site plan).

Preparations for the Festival's return to summer involved going back to many old friends in mid-winter and asking them if they would make one or two kiln-loads of pottery in mid-spring for the coming Festival. The Folklife Program asked others, "Can you come to Washington for two weeks around the Fourth of July?" In keeping with the International Year of Disabled Persons, Festival organizers asked still others, 'Will you help us with a special program on the folklore of Deaf people?" The Smithsonian encountered approval at almost every turn. A return to summer was greeted with enthusiasm as was the combination of old themes with some new ones. The lengthened two-week format was appealing, and Fourth of ]uly weekend in the Nation's Capital sounded just fine, too.

The Smithsonian also turned to the Folk Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts to help out because the return to summer involved producing two Folklife Festivals in less than one year, and time for fieldwork was limited. The result was a series of daytime programs and evening concerts that drew on five years of intensive work on the part of the Arts Endowment in supporting folk arts performance and documentation. 

The 1981 Program Book provided information on each of the programs.

The 1981 Festival was again co-presented by the Smithsonian Institution and National Park Service, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy and Music Performance Trust Funds. It was organized by the Office of Folklife Programs. 

Folklife Advisory Council

Wilcomb E. Washburn, Chairman, Roger Abrahams, Richard Ahlborn, Richard Dorson, William Fitzhugh, Lloyd Herman, Robert Laughlin, Scott Odell, Ralph Rinzler, Peter Seitel, Richard Sorenson, Thomas Vennum

Office of Folklife Programs

Ralph Rinzler, Director; Richard Derbyshire, Archivist; Susan Kalcik, Folklorist; Jeffrey LaRiche, Program Coordinator; Jack Santino, Folklorist; Peter Seitel, Senior Folklorist; Thomas Vennum, Ethnomusicologist; Steve Zeitlin, Folklorist

National Park Service

Russell E. Dickenson, Director; Manus J. Fish, Jr., Regional Director, National Capital Region
label: Fieldworkers and presenters
content: Erdye Betrand, Peggy Bulger, Simon Carmel, Marda Freeman, Monica Goubaud, Nick Hawes, Glen Hinson, Geraldine Johnson, Walter Mahovlich, Richard March, Brooks McNamara, Peter Nabokov, Alyce Newkirk, Earl Nyholm, Jo Radner, Kate Rinzler, Robert Sayers, Daniel Sheehy, Robert Teske, Margaret Yocom
label: Shared Stewardship of Collections
content: 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.
name: label: Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
label: Names
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival
topic: label: Topic
content: Folk music
label: Topic
content: Folk festivals
label: Topic
content: arts and crafts
label: Topic
content: Folklore
label: Topic
content: World music
label: Topic
content: Food habits
label: Topic
content: Folk art
creator: label: Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1981 Festival of American Folklife
abstract: label: Summary
content: 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.
bioghist: label: Historical note
content: 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 1981 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.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Cubic foot (approximate)
phystech: label: Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements note
content: 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.
unitdate: label: Date
content: June 24-July 5, 1981
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.1981
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Business records
label: Type
content: Plans (drawings)
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Digital images
label: Type
content: Audiotapes
label: Type
content: Audiocassettes
label: Type
content: Notes
label: Type
content: Contracts
label: Type
content: Videotapes
label: Type
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Type
content: Negatives
label: Type
content: Memorandums
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Photographic prints
arrangement: label: Arrangement note
content: Arranged in 10 series.

Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera

Series 2: Adobe Architecture

Series 3: Arts Endowment Folk Arts Program

Series 4: A Celebration of the American Tent Show

Series 5: Children's Program

Series 6: Folklore of the Deaf

Series 7: Music and Crafts of the Southeastern United States

Series 8: Northeastern Music and Dance

Series 9: Ojibwa Culture

Series 10: South Slavic Americans
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Business records
label: Genre/Form
content: Plans (drawings)
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
label: Genre/Form
content: Digital images
label: Genre/Form
content: Audiotapes
label: Genre/Form
content: Audiocassettes
label: Genre/Form
content: Notes
label: Genre/Form
content: Contracts
label: Genre/Form
content: Videotapes
label: Genre/Form
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Genre/Form
content: Negatives
label: Genre/Form
content: Memorandums
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographic prints
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: This collection documents the planning, production, and execution of the 1981 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.
relatedmaterial: label: Forms Part Of
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1981 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]
label: Related Archival Materials note
content: 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.