Festival of American Folklife 1996, June 26-30 & July 3-7 on the National Mall of the United States, Washington D.C.

150 Pages·1996·10.7 MB·English

by  Festival of American Folklife (1992 : Washington, D.C.)

American
Folklife 1996
Smithsonian gardener Sung Do Kim
shows orchids to children at the
Museum
National of Natural History.
From:TheSmithsonian:150YearsofAdventure,Discovery,andWonder
byJamesConaway,SmithsonianBooks.
Copyright© 19%SmithsonianInstitution.PhotobyLaurieIVIinor-Penland/SI
Complimentary Copy

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
Eestival of
American
Folklife 1996
June 26-30 & July 3-7
ON THE National Mall of the United States
Washington, D.C.
—
Iowa Community Style
The American South
Working at the Smithsonian
cosponsoredbythe
National Park Service
1996 Festival of American Folklife
On the cover —
Iowa
Community Style 7
Catherine HiebertKerst&
RachelleH.Saltzman
CommunityMattersin Iowa
David M.Shribman
|^# Iowa:ACivicPlace
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ATasteofThailand:
S—ervingthe "Publics"
Dan Hunter& PatrickMcClintock ....
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Tom Morain
RAGBRAI,theDesMoinesRegister's General
IowaSmallTowns
AnnualGreatBicycleRideAcwssIowa, Information
hasbecomeagrassrootsfestivalon Services&Hours Small-Town Newspapers:
wheels.Storyonpage21. —IowaCommunitiesin Print
© Participants
Photo DavidThoreson JayBlack
DailySchedules
Back cover SiteMap Richard Horwitz
Hogs&theMeaningofLifein Iowa
Contributors&Sponsors
IowaWomenonthe Farm
—
Staff
PhyllisCarlin
Friendsofthe Festival
RinzlerMemorialConcert Chuck Offenburger
ARolling Festivalin Iowa
Smithsonian Folkways
Recordings
Don Wanatee
MeskwakiCulture
Contents
MississippimasterartistHystercine
Cynthia Schmidt
Rankin, whocreatedthisdesignshe Michael Heyman
I. TheySing, Dance& Remember:
callsSunburst, teachesquiltingat 1996:
CelebrationsinWestern Iowa
IVlississippiCulturalCrossroads. AYearofCelebration ....
©
Piioto RolandL.Freeman
Between the Rivers:
Bruce Babbitt
Previous page An Iowa PhotoAlbum
AConfluenceofHeritage
JohnDuccinimaneuversahoopnet
onthe National
forcatchingMississippicatfishand Watershed
perchoffthesideofhisboat.
PhotobyJanetGilmore, Richard Kunn&
courtesyIllinoisArtsCouncil/Mississippi
Diana Parker
RiverMuseum,Dubuque,lA
TheFestival inthe
Electronic Age
1996 Festival ofAmerican Folklife
The American South 33 Working
at the Smithsonian
Philippa Thompson Jackson
TheAmericanSouth JT'
BettyJ.Belanus&
MarjorieHunt
John Shelton Reed
WorkingattheSmithsonian
TheSouth:WhatIsIt?
35
M//>erelslt?
MarcPachter
SmithsonianCulture:
Lydia Martin
APersonalView
When South Is North PainterJohnHavenner,oftheSmith-
sonian'sOfficeofPhysicalPlant,
Julian Bond touchesupasignattheMional BettyJ. Belanus
TheQuestionofRace MuseumofAmericanHistory. "AChallengea Day": Pam Henson,
PhotobyEricLong Smithsonian Institution Historian .
PuraFeCrescioni
Amy
Ballard
BeingSouthern IsBeing Invisible
"OtherDutiesAsAssigned"
Edward Cohen
Jamesl.Deutsch
Recollectionsofa SouthernJew
The Eyes& Ears
oftheSmithsonian
William Ferris
—
ACircle Unbroken Celebrations
Smithsonian Voices
intheAmerican South
A Photo Essay
BluesguitaristJohnLeeZeiglertakesa compiled byBettyJ. Belanus,
Curtina Moreland-Young
breakduringarecordingsessioninhis Marjorie Hunt& EmilyBotein
ReflectionsofaSouthernWoman
Kathleen,Georgia,home.
BillCMalone PhotobyTimothyDuffy ©1996
SouthernMusic SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
ISSN 1056-6805
M—usic&theU.S.Civil RightsMovement editor:Caria M. Borden
JacquelinC. Peters
ASSOCIATEeditor: PeterSeitel
DESIGN director: Kenn Shrader
Mary Hood
designers: Karin Hayes,
On BeingaSouthernWriter
MarcusJohnson,Jr.
productionmanager:
ReynaldSearles
DESIGNintern:TracyLee
SteveKerper, woodcarverandsmall-
printer: SchmitzPress
towngrocer,carvesaduckdecoyfrom
typefaces:AdobeMyriad,
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AdobeTekton,
KerperCountryStoreinNewVienna,
AdobeBerkeleyOld Style
Iowa. PhotobyLeSpearman
paperstock: LOE Dull White,
Simpson Evergreen

1996 Festival ofAmerican Folklife
996: A Year of Celebration
1
Michael Heyman Dreams to The Bridges of Madison County. But
I.
Iowa is also home to agribusiness, high-tech
Secretary, SmithsonianInstitution
and high-skill industnes that manufacture
The Festival is a good place to celebrate. computerized combines and hber optics, and
Twenty years ago, in 1976, the Festival of to high-quality service industnes from educa-
American Folklife was a centerpiece in the tion to insurance. Not without dynamic ten-
nation's Bicentennial. It was three months sions and social, demographic, and occupa-
long, with programs from thirty-five nations, tional changes, Iowa in its sesquicentennial
every region ofthe United States, and scores of year does indeed foster and nurture a quiet
occupational, ethnic, and American Indian but steadfast ci\ac pride that turns out whole
groups on the Mall, as well as tounngpro- towns for girls' basketball games, propels
grams in some 100 cities and towns. That youth into 4-H clubs, adults into volunteer fire
Festival provided a dramatic illustration of companies and social clubs,
unity on our 200th birthday, demonstrating and joins residents around a "Each of theee
that Americans are a diverse yet tolerant peo- morning coffee table, on a
ple, interested m knowing their neighbors and Saturday night dance floor, or annivereariee
injoining together with them in acts ofcivic in a Sunday school. Anyone reminds us of
participation. who witnessed the great floods
In 1996, questions ofn—ational unity and of 1993, who saw exhausted what we value
purpose remain with us yet there is much neighbor helpingneighbor, and helps set
to celebrate, and good cause to do so. On the cannot be unmoved by the
state level, this year marks the 150th anniver- prevailingsense ofcommunity our course for
sary of Iowa statehood; on the international held by the people ofIowa.
level, we mark the 100th anniversary ofthe This sense ofcommunity is the future!'
modem Olympics; and for the nation and the celebrated by the Festival
world, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of program here on the Mall in the Nation's
the Smithsonian. Each ofthese anniversanes Capital. It will also be evident back m Iowa for
reminds us ofwhat we value and helps set our the hrst Festival of Iowa Folklife on the
course tor the future. grounds ofthe State Capitol Building in Des
Iowa IS an icon ofAmerican heartland val- Moines inAugust, and in a Smithsonian Folk-
ues. We imagine its main-street towns and ways recording, Iowa Public Television docu-
farmlands in a peaceful vision ofAmerica, mentary, and educational materials growing
where the drama ofde—ep personal relation- from the Festival and distributed to lowans in
ships c[uietly unfolds from the Field oj the months to come.
The Olympic Gamesjoin athletes from
across the globe in the highest levels ofcom-
petition and excellence. The games have
included, since their inception, a cultural com-
ponent, but never before as extensively as this
year inAtlanta. The Centennial Olympic
Festival ofAmerican Folklife 1996
1996 Festival ofAmerican Folklife
Games bring together excellent musical and The Smithsonian is a cherished s\'mbol of
dramatic perlormances, exhibttions, and artists knowledge, a repositop.' for treasures and
Irom around the world. But most importantly, national memories, a shrine ofhuman ac-
the Olympic Arts Festival highlights the complishment and natural wonders. The
American South, Southern culture was born Smithsonian celebrates—its 150th \ear with
horn the interactions over the past centuries of AnuTicti'.s Smithsonian a ma|or exhibition—
Native Americans, European settlers, and peo- traveling to twelve cities across the nation
ples trom Africa, In the South, various forms and with television specials and minutes, a
ol expression have arisen and transcended birthda}' celebration on the Mall m .August,
boundaries of race, gender, religion, and geog- and a host ofother exhibits, World Wide Web
raphy.—So poweriul have these expressions programs, and scholarly conferences. The
been jazz, blues, gospel, rock n" roll, c—ivil Smithsonian was founded for the "increase
rights songs. Southern oratory, and food and dittusion ol knowledge" and took root m
that they have come to stand for uniciue an American, democratic society as an organ-
American contributions to world culture. At ization dedicated to the pursuit ofknowledge
the Festival here on the Mall, we celebrate in the public eye, and for the public good. At
these forms ol expressive culture. Later this the Festival, we demonstrate just how we do
summer in Atlanta during the Olympic this, by turning the institution "mside out," as
Games, this program will be the core of scientists, curators, conser\'ators, exhibit mak-
5on(luTn Crcivsrocitis. a lestival ot Southern ers, secunt)' olhcers, accountants, and admin-
culture to be m—ounted in the new Centennial istrators show the public how the Smithsonian
Olympic Park the gathering spot for some works. Theirwork also testihes to the impor-
250,000-400,000 visitors a day and literally tance ofknowledge as a basis for understand-
billions more through television coverage. An ing the world, the signiticance ol an educated
Enhanced-CD Smithsonian Folkways record- citizeniy, and the civic value ol long-li\'ed,
ingwith Internet connections and other edu- high-quality public institutions.
cational material deri\-ed from this Festnal The Festu'al is a wonderlul wa\- to help cele-
program will reach millions more alter the brate the anniversaries ofthese institutions, for
Olympic Games. like them, the Festival stands as a tnbute to our
own ability to speak with each other, to share
our cultures and traditions, and to do so m a
civil, tolerant, respectful, and enlighteningway.
The Festival itselfis an endunng institution,
and this year it marks u—s own thirtieth anniver-
saiy in typical fashion by working hard to
amplily the \'oices ol others.
Festival ofAmerican Folklife 1996