Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2003 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
odd: label: Introduction
content: For the 2003 Festival, tradition-bearers from Mali, Scotland, and Appalachia gathered on the Mall, in what might at first have appeared to be a puzzling juxtaposition. A visit to the Festival quickly revealed all sorts of cultural connections and relationships among them.

Consider "old-time" and bluegrass music from Appalachia. Although often viewed as quintessentially American, many of our American ballads came from Scotland, carried by settlers in the late 1700s. And the banjo, vital to both traditions, came from West Africa, from lands traditionally part of the Malian empire. The instrument was crafted and re-crafted by African Americans and became a central part of our musical heritage. In bluegrass bands you can hear a unique American story, the melding together of an African and European heritage.

The connections do not stop in America. Scots back home, reflecting upon their emigrant experience, invented dances and called one "America." Malian balladeers, strumming their lutes and singing of their brethren, incorporated the enslavement experience into their repertoire of historical tales. Cultural connections go well beyond home. The bluegrass band from East Tennessee State University includes students from around the world and performs for fans in Japan. Pipe bands play Scottish music all over the world - from official functions in Bermuda to weddings in India.

All three cultures preserve their history in song. Griots and story-singers in Mali have safeguarded the history of the place and the genealogy of its leaders for centuries; in Scotland and Appalachia, ballads and other narrative song styles have served a similar purpose. Major issues and events still inspire artists in all three cultures today. At the Festival, Carl Rutherford from Warriormine, West Virginia, Dorothy Myles of Appalachia, Virginia, and Brian McNeill of Falkirk, Scotland, all performed songs they wrote about coal mining and its economic, social, and health impacts. In unforgettable songs Oumou Sangaré of Bamako, Mali, and Karine Polwart of Scotland drew visitors' attention to the concerns of women in contemporary life. Adam McNaughtan performed his memorable songs about life in contemporary Glasgow. At the Festival these artists not only performed, they also discussed the role of song in the conscience of a people.

Appalachian flatfoot dancing, as performed brilliantly at the Festival by John Dee Holeman, has been linked by scholars to both British clogging and West African dance. Cooks in Mali and Appalachia foodways demonstrations made stewed chicken dishes and used okra and beans. Cooks from both Scotland and Appalachia demonstrated their recipes for meat pies and strawberry jams. A Family Activities Area drew participants from all three programs daily.

Americans trace their heritage to many sources, but none more strongly than the British Isles and West Africa. Many of the settlers who came to Appalachia were of Scottish and Scots-Irish descent, and many of the enslaved people who were captured and brought here against their will were from the area around Mali. The culture they brought with them enriches our lives in forms new and old. This Festival gave visitors the opportunity to recognize the artistic excellence in all three cultures.

The 2003 Festival took place during two five-day weeks (June 25-29 and July 2-6) 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 several special events. 

The 2003 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 and Cultural Heritage.

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Richard Kurin, Director; Richard Kennedy, Deputy Director; Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Diana Parker, Festival Director; Stephen Kidd, Project Manager; Carla M. Borden, Publications Manager, Chief Editor; Arlene L. Reiniger, Program Specialist; Charlie Weber, Media Specialist; Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: Daniel Sheehy, Director; Anthony Seeger, Director Emeritus; D.A. Sonneborn, Assistant Director; Ralph Rinzler Archives: Jeffrey Place, Archivist; Stephanie Smith, Assistant Archivist; Save Our Sounds: Frank Proschan, Project Director; Smithsonian Global Sound: Jon Kertzer, Project Director; Cultural Heritage Policy: James Early, Director; Cultural Research and Education: Olivia Cadaval, Chair; Thomas Vennum, Jr., Senior Ethnomusicologist Emeritus; Betty J. Belanus, Olivia Cadaval, Nancy Groce, Marjorie Hunt, Diana Baird N'Diaye, Peter Seitel, Cynthia Vidaurri, Nilda Villalta, Curators, Folklorists, Education and Cultural Specialists; John W. Franklin, Program Manager; Heather Diamond, Anthony McCann, Emily Satterwhite, Jay Straker, Fellows; Roland Freeman, Ivan Karp, Corinne Kratz, Worth Long, René López, Kate Rinzler, Laura Schneider, Rajeev Sethi, Chucho Valdez, Research Associates

Folklife Advisory Council

Kurt Dewhurst (chair), Judy Mitoma (vice-chair), Anthony Gittens, Pat Jasper, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Enrique Lamadrid, J. Scott Raecker, Bernice Johnson Reagan, Gilbert Sprauve, Jack Tchen, Ricardo Trimillos

Folkways Advisory Board

Michael Asch (chair), Phyllis Barney, Hal Cannon, Don De Vito, Ella Jenkins, Fred Silber, Daniel Sheehy

National Park Service

Fran P. Mainella, Director; Donald W. Murphy, Deputy Director; Terry R. Carlstrom, Regional Director, National Capital Region
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 festivals
label: Topic
content: Food habits
label: Topic
content: Folk art
label: Topic
content: arts and crafts
label: Topic
content: Folk music
label: Topic
content: World music
label: Topic
content: Folklore
creator: label: Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2003 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 2003 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 25-July 6, 2003
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.2003
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Audiocassettes
label: Type
content: Digital images
label: Type
content: Business records
label: Type
content: Negatives
label: Type
content: Videotapes
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Audiotapes
label: Type
content: Notes
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Video recordings
label: Type
content: Contracts
label: Type
content: Plans (drawings)
label: Type
content: Memorandums
label: Type
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Type
content: Photographic prints
arrangement: label: Arrangement note
content: Arranged in 5 series.

Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera

Series 2: Appalachia: Heritage and Harmony

Series 3: Mali: From Timbuktu to Washington

Series 4: Scotland at the Smithsonian

Series 5: Special Events
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Audiocassettes
label: Genre/Form
content: Digital images
label: Genre/Form
content: Business records
label: Genre/Form
content: Negatives
label: Genre/Form
content: Videotapes
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Audiotapes
label: Genre/Form
content: Notes
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Contracts
label: Genre/Form
content: Plans (drawings)
label: Genre/Form
content: Memorandums
label: Genre/Form
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographic prints
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: This collection documents the planning, production, and execution of the 2003 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: 2003 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.