Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage

Two people ride on horseback along a dirt road lined by yellowing tall grass. In front of them are a dog and dozens of cattle.

The Community of Families in Western Craft Traditions of Idaho

The Idaho gearmaking community, though geographically dispersed, is tightly knit through multigenerational family ties, mentorships, and shared cultural traditions rooted in ranching and craftsmanship. At the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, multiply families will share the skills and stories behind their work.

A pop-up museum display, featuring a tower of several “bricks” stacked like Jenga pieces. Each brick has writing on it: Fomo, body image, masculine marketing, pick-me girls, female sexuality, gender roles, a mother’s influence.

'Hey, You Kids, Get on Our Lawn!' Your Invitation to a Totally Teen Summer

During the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Museum of Contemporary American Teenager is teaming up with American University to bring the definitive celebration, exploration, and exposition of American teens!

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Smithsonian Folklife Festival Presents Youth and the Future of Culture, July 2–7

Admission is free, and hours are from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, with special evening concerts beginning at 5:30 p.m.

A woman with long dark hair and dark outfit plays a white electric guitar on a dimly blue lit stage. She and her guitar are slightly blurry.

A Q&A With Musician Gretchen Gonzales Davidson on Arts and Advocacy

“For all of the art that is consumed by everybody, everywhere, every day, it’s a shame that art is often undervalued”

Hilly green farmland with sheep grazing in the foreground and a few farm houses in the distance. Low gray clouds descend on the hills.

'Hardwired for Folktales': An Evolution of Storytelling in Ireland

The perseverance of the Irish people in maintaining their language, history and values created a world of oral tradition filled with both mythical adventures and practical wisdom

From behind, a woman holds up a flag in front of a memorial monument with a central flame. Her brown hair is braided with a purple butterfly barrette, and she wears white regalia with silver sequins and ribbons across the shoulders.

Native American Women Warriors Protect Culture, Community and the Future

For many, this coexistence of American patriotism and Indigenous pride may seem contradictory

Three men, two holding acoustic guitars, pose in front of a festival tent.

A Life in Folklore: Frank Proschan’s Community Work and New Internship Endowment

After fifty years in culture work, Proschan has gifted his research as a folklorist and anthropologist to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections.

Two people in grass skirts stand on the shore, facing the ocean under an overcast sky.

Shared Experiences Through the Ongoing Virtual Mother Tongue Film Festival

Learn more about the films in the ongoing virtual festival

A five by two grid showing ten images from ten movies that will be showcased at the festival. In the top left corner, the Mother Tongue Film Festival logo boasts red and cream colors.

Don’t Miss the First Hybrid Mother Tongue Film Festival

Celebrate ten years of the festival with ten days of free programming

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'Dressing Like a Human' to Honor Uzbekistani Art and Identity

Uzbekistani artisan and businesswoman Lola Sayfi is hopeful for the future of artisans

Two children and an adult sit on three swings in a dry landscape with trees in the background.

Filmmaker Billy Luther Explains How Frybread Face and Me Was a Labor of Love

Luther’s narrative feature debut opened the 2024 Mother Tongue Film Festival at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Five adults dressed in white dresses, robes, and veils pose along a forest path. One carries a lit lantern, and another carries a white flag.

This Elven Choir in Sweden Sings Tolkien’s Middle-earth to Life

Happy Tolkien Reading Day! On this day, we're celebrating the Eldandili Fantasy Choir.

In the foreground, a lineup of mannequins each with colorful embroidered garments. At the end of the line, out of focus, a woman dresses a mannequin.

A Global Tapestry of Craft: Championing Women Artisans of Central Asia in a New Lookbook

On Friday, March 8, marking International Women’s Day, we shared the result of a year-long collaboration.

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How I Visit with Houma Relatives in the Smithsonian’s Archival Collections

When I visit the Smithsonian’s National Anthropological Archives, I always try to view the same item: NAA.PhotoLot.76, Houma collection.

From behind, a person walks through a street filled with gray rubble, toward run-down buildings with graffiti in Turkish on the walls.

How Living Heritage Heals the Invisible Fractures of the Soul in Eastern Türkiye

On February 6, 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake fractured the lives of over 13.5 million people across ten eastern provinces in my home country.

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The Millville Rose: Artifacts of Whimsy and Art in Industry

The “Millville Rose” represents the refined skills of factory glassblowers who toiled in an industry in which they had little say in what they made.

A person in a costume of black tank top, short yellow wig with furry white ears, and yellow leather bracelets, poses through a black wrought-iron railing.

When Escaping Reality Helps Define Identity: Expression and Empowerment in the Cosplay Community

It is probable that Western fans learned the term “cosplay” from their fellow fans in Japan, and the word has now evolved into a more general term for dressing up as characters.

A man in white dress sits with a thoughtful expression on his face outdoors, green and red foliage out of focus behind him. Old color film photo.

A Man of Peace: Grand Master Kim’s Vision for Chicago and the World

Grand Master Kim believed that peace begins when individual people express the harmonious energy of peace in their daily lives.

Four men sit around a round wooden table playing cards, while a crowd of others surround them.

A Rural Pastime Grows Community at the World Pig Championship

No one knows who created Pig, a local traditional card game, or who gave it its unusual name.

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