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4 unusual facts about Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Michael Atwood Mason

At the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Mason oversees the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and other cultural educational programs.

Ralph Rinzler (July 20, 1934 – July 2, 1994) was the co-founder of the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall every summer in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a curator for American art, music, and folk culture at the Smithsonian.

Samuel Oboh

During his tenure, Samuel led and championed many initiatives that raised the stature of architecture ikncluding the curation of Alberta Architecture as part of Alberta’s government presentation at the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC.

Smithsonian Folkways

In 1984, looking for someone to continue the Folkways Records collection after him, Asch found Ralph Rinzler, who was then artistic director of the Smithsonian’s annual Folklife Festival.

Betsy Rutherford

She performed frequently at colleges and music festivals, including the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. She concluded every performance with a rendition of “Amazing Grace,” which she lined out in the Primitive Baptist tradition.

Gombey

Dr. Richard Kurin writes in the foreword that "this education kit grows out of Bermuda’s participation in the 2001 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. It is based on the important research that went into the Festival and the documentation that resulted from it."

Green Fields of America

Playing such venues as Carnegie Hall, Wolf Trap, The Smithsonian Institution, The Festival of American Folklife (now the Smithsonian Folklife Festival), the Milwaukee Irish Fest, and The National Folk Festival, the Five members of the band – Liz Carroll, Jack Coen, Michael Flatley, Donny Golden and Mick Moloney – have received National Heritage Awards.