Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
odd: label: Introduction
content: The 2011 Festival featured three programs featuring cultures from the United States and many countries around the world. In collaboration with Colombia's Ministry of Culture and several non-governmental organizations, a bi-national research and curatorial team explored the confluence of nature and culture in six major regional ecosystems and the three largest cities - Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín. More than one hundred participants from these regions brought this research to life on the National Mall. They represented the diverse faces of Colombian culture - some of which might have been unfamiliar even to Colombians themselves.

For the Rhythm and Blues program, the Festival joined with the National Museum of African American History and Culture to recount the development of this uniquely American music. The performances and stories of veteran artists revealed how this music has been shaped by the reordering of race relations after World War II, the civil rights movement, and the interplay between the commercial industry and the artists. The participation of emerging artists demonstrated how the music continues to transform and stay vital.

The third program, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, featured returned Peace Corps volunteers and host country nationals from fifteen of the 139 countries in which the Peace Corps has served. By demonstrating the role of culture in furthering social development, the program highlighted one of the Peace Corps' primary goals, "Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans."

In the 2011 Festival, more than three hundred people who are prime bearers of their unique cultural traditions offered Festival visitors abundant opportunities to experience - person-to-person - craftsmanship, occupational skills, musical styles, dance, and culinary traditions that they might not otherwise encounter. In learning of their accomplishments, audience members could expand their own sense of "the art of the possible"; learn about themselves; and foster an optimism based in curiosity and empathy.

The 2011 Festival took place for two five-day weeks (June 30-July 4 and July 7-11) between Madison Drive and Jefferson Drive and between 9th Street and 14th Street, south of the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History (see site plan). It featured three programs and special events including the Rinzler Concert. 

The 2011 Program Book included participant lists for each program; keynote essays provided background on each of the programs; a separate brochure provided a site plan and daily schedules.

The Festival was co-presented by the Smithsonian Institution and National Park Service and organized by the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Daniel Sheehy, Director; Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Stephen Kidd, Festival Director

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Advisory Council

J. Scott Raecker, Chair; Libby O'Connell, Vice Chair; Mounir Bouchenaki; Jennifer Cover Payne; Mickey Hart; John Herzog; Bill Ivey; Enrique R. Lamadrid; Ellen McCulloch-Lovell; Ann Elizabeth Sheffer; Cathy Sulzberger; Deborah Wong; Patricia Shehan-Campbell (ex officio); Daniel Sheehy (ex officio); Richard Kurin (ex officio); G. Wayne Clough (ex officio)

National Park Service

Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director; Woody Smeck, Acting Regional Director; Karen Cucurullo, Acting Superintendent, National Mall and Memorial Parks

The Festival was supported by federally appropriated funds; Smithsonian trust funds; contributions from governments, businesses, foundations, and individuals; in-kind assistance; and food, recording, and craft sales. Smithsonian Channel was a Supporter of the Festival. General in-kind support was provided by WAMU-88.5 FM and WPFW, Pacifica Radio, 89.3 FM.
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
place: label: Place
content: Latin America
label: Place
content: Caribbean Area
label: Place
content: Jamaica
label: Place
content: Colombia
topic: label: Topic
content: Food habits
label: Topic
content: Folklore
label: Topic
content: Folk festivals
label: Topic
content: Folk art
label: Topic
content: arts and crafts
label: Topic
content: World music
label: Topic
content: Folk music
creator: label: Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
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 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival was produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage 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 30-July 11, 2011
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.2011
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Digital images
label: Type
content: Contracts
label: Type
content: Business records
label: Type
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Type
content: Photographic prints
label: Type
content: Audiotapes
label: Type
content: Videotapes
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Plans (drawings)
label: Type
content: Audiocassettes
label: Type
content: Negatives
label: Type
content: Notes
label: Type
content: Memorandums
arrangement: label: Arrangement note
content: Arranged in 5 series.

Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera

Series 2: Colombia: The Nature of Culture

Series 3: Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Promoting World Peace and Friendship

Series 4: Rhythm and Blues: Tell It Like It Is

Series 5: Special Events
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Digital images
label: Genre/Form
content: Contracts
label: Genre/Form
content: Business records
label: Genre/Form
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographic prints
label: Genre/Form
content: Audiotapes
label: Genre/Form
content: Videotapes
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
label: Genre/Form
content: Plans (drawings)
label: Genre/Form
content: Audiocassettes
label: Genre/Form
content: Negatives
label: Genre/Form
content: Notes
label: Genre/Form
content: Memorandums
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: This collection documents the planning, production, and execution of the 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. 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: 2011 Smithsonian Folklife Festival 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.