- Collection ID:
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
June 30-July 4, 1972
- Physical Description:
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
Scope and Contents note
Scope and Contents note
This collection documents the planning, production, and execution of the 1972 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.
Arranged in 4 series.
- Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera
- Series 2: Maryland
- Series 3: Southwest Indians
- Series 4: Union Workers
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 1972 Festival of American Folklife was produced by the Smithsonian Division of Performing Arts.
The 1972 Festival continued the pattern set by previous festivals, taking place for five days on the National Mall, between Madison Drive and Jefferson Drive and between 12th Street and 14th Street, south of the National Museum of History and Technology (see site plan
). Maryland was the featured State, and the craft and music presentations on the main Festival site were complemented by activities at Hains Point in West Potomac Park that showed the rich maritime traditions of the Chesapeake Bay. Programs devoted to American Indians of the Southwest and to Union Workers (including the diverse musical traditions of working Americans) rounded out the Festival.
Seeking to strengthen the connection between the living presentations at the Festival and the exhibitions within the walls of Smithsonian museums, the 1972 Festival introduced an addition intended to heighten visitors' experience and strengthen the educational content. At numerous locations where skills and crafts were demonstrated, small signs entitled "Museum Guides" directed visitors to locations within the museums where a correlative view of the products and skills seen at the Festival could be reviewed in an historic context.
As in previous years, the 1972 Festival was produced by the Division of Performing Arts, where James R. Morris was Director and Richard Lusher was Deputy Director. Ralph Rinzler continued as Festival Director, with Gerald L. Davis as Assistant Director and Kenneth S. Goldstein as Special Assistant to the Secretary on Folklore and Folklife.
The 1972 Program Book
included information on all of the programs, a schedule, and participant lists.
Using the Collection
Preferred Citation note
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1972 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Conditions Governing Access note
Access by appointment only. Where a listening copy or viewing copy has been created, this is indicated in the respective inventory; additional materials may be accessible with sufficient advance notice and, in some cases, payment of a processing fee. Older papers are housed at a remote location and may require a minimum of three weeks' advance notice and payment of a retrieval fee. Certain formats such as multi-track audio recordings and EIAJ-1 videoreels (1/2 inch) may not be accessible. Contact the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections at 202-633-7322 or firstname.lastname@example.org
for additional information.
Conditions Governing Use note
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements note
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.
Forms Part Of
Related Archival Materials note
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.
Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
600 Maryland Ave SW