This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Charles W. White papers, 1933-1987. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Funding for the digitization was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation and the Alice L. Walton Foundation.
One World, Many Voices: Endangered Languages and Cultural Heritage
Collection Creator:
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
From the rugged Oregon coast, to the Himalayan foothills, to the Bolivian Andes, languages are struggling to survive. Of the more than 7,000 languages spoken in the world today - many of them unrecorded, and with small numbers of speakers - up to half may disappear in this century.
Languages are humankind's principal way of interacting and of communicating ideas, knowledge, values, memories, and history. As primary vehicles of cultural expressions such as poetry, songs, textile weaving, basket making, and foodways, they are essential to the identity of individuals and communities. Languages also embody the accumulation of thousands of years of a people's science and art - from observations of wind and weather patterns to creation stories. Much of what humans know about the natural world is encoded in oral languages. Safeguarding endangered languages is crucial to preserving cultural and intellectual diversity worldwide.
When a language disappears, unique ways of knowing, understanding, and experiencing the world are lost forever. When a language survives, along with the stories and knowledge it contains, we all gain a deeper connection to our common cultural heritage. The 2013 Festival celebrated the survival of languages, and the wondrous art and knowledge they contain.
The world's endangered languages are speaking up, finding their global voice. No culture has a monopoly on genius, and we never know where the next great idea will come from. Languages provide different pathways of thought, leading us to different places. They are the seedbeds for new ideas. They support identity, creativity, and self-worth - all abundantly on display at the 2013 Festival.
K. David Harrison and Marjorie Hunt were Program Curators and Arlene Reiniger was Program Coordinator. Advisors included: Gregory D.S. Anderson, Betty Belanus, Joshua Bell, Jean Bergey, Olivia Cadaval, Aron Crowell, Kevin Healy, Emil Her Many Horses, Gwyneira Isaac, Henry Ke'a, Richard Kennedy, Robert Leopold, Theodore Levin, Mary Linn, Michael Mason, Fernándo Nava, Gabriela Pérez Báez, Ruth Rouvier, Theresa Secord, Daniel Sheehy, Kalena Silva, Beth Thomas, Jennifer Weston, Colin Williams, and Steve Zeitlin.
The program was produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in collaboration with UNESCO, the National Geographic Society's Enduring Voices Project, and the Smithsonian's Recovering Voices Initiative. Major support was provided by the Dr. Frederik Paulsen Foundation; Microsoft Local Language Program; the Embassy of Colombia in Washington, D.C.; the Ministry of Culture of Colombia, and the Caro y Cuervo Institute; the U.S. State Department Fund for Innovation in Public Diplomacy and the United States Embassy in Bolivia; the Inter-American Foundation; and the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, the University of Hawai'i System, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Additional support was provided by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian; the Smithsonian's Recovering Voices Initiative; the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center; the Christensen Fund and the International Institute of Education; the Dirección de Salvaguarda del Patrimonio Cultural del Gobierno de Oaxaca and the Mexican Cultural Institute of Washington, D.C.; the Welsh Government/Llywodraeth Cymru; the Smithsonian Institution Consortium for World Cultures and the Consortium for Understanding the American Experience; Certified Languages International; Diplomatic Language Services; CETRA Language Solutions; Mango Languages; the Nina & Ivan Selin Family Foundation; the Linguistic Society of America; the Center for Traditional Music and Dance; the Smithsonian Latino Center; and the Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas.
Researchers:
Gregory D.S. Anderson, Joshua Bell, Dawn Biddison, Walter Brooks, Olga Lucía Calderón, Emalani Case, Víctor Cata, Jeremy Fahringer, Michele Goldwasser, K. David Harrison, Josefa María Hernández, Carmen Beatriz Loza, Daniel Manjarrés, Linda Moriarty, Gabriela Pérez Báez, Sean Quirk, Aaron Sala, Theresa Secord, Jeff Todd Titon, Norman Valencia, Jessie Vallejo
Presenters:
Gregory D. S. Anderson, Betty Belanus, Olivia Cadaval, Víctor Cata, Adriana Cruz, James Early, Blenda Femenias, María Firmino-Castillo, Kevin Healy, Alexandro D. Hernández, Chinchi Kungaa, Carmen Beatriz Loza, Michael Mason, Gabriela Pérez Báez, Sean Quirk, Aaron Sala, Silvia Salgado, Theresa Secord, Daniel Sheehy, Jessie Vallejo, Cynthia Vidaurri, Ranald Woodaman
Ri Palenge -- Ri PalengeÉlida Cañate Díaz, 1990-, Palenque, Bolivár, ColombiaMaría del Transito Hernández Cabarcas, 1990-, San Basilio de Palenque, Bolivár, ColombiaAndris Padilla Julio, 1992-, San Basilio de Palenque, Bolivár, Colombia
Wayuunaiki -- WayuunaikiMónica López Pushaina, 1992-, Albania, La Guajira, ColombiaJoaquín Ramón Prince Bruges, 1972-, Uribia, La Guajira, ColombiaBenito Pushaina Apshana, 1982-, Uribia, La Guajira, ColombiaLuis Misael Socarrás Ipuana, 1970-, Albania, La Guajira, ColombiaMarciano Urrariyú Gouriyu, 1990-, Albania, La Guajira, Colombia
Garifuna – Los Angeles and New York City Diaspora
Libaya Baba (drumming and dance group) -- Libaya Baba (drumming and dance group)Dayton Bernardez, 1969-, Los Angeles, CaliforniaJeff Bernardez, 1965-, Inglewood, CaliforniaKelsie Bernardez, 1966-, Inglewood, CaliforniaConrad Nolberto, 1957-, Los Angeles, California
Greg Palacio, 1962-, cultural artist, Los Angeles, California
Carlos "Mingo" Alvarez, 1951-, Wanaragua dancer, drummer, drum maker, cultural historian, Los Angeles, California
Flavio "Paps" Alvarez, 1950-, Wanaragua chief, Los Angeles, California
Philip Gabriel, Wanaragua dancer, Chicago, Illinois
Carlos Gonzalez, Wanaragua dancer, Miami Garden, Florida
Georgette Lambey, 1968-, singer, dancer, Los Angeles, California
James Lovell, 1964-, musician, singer, songwriter, storyteller, educator, Brooklyn, New York
Martha Martinez, 1941-, singer, dancer, foodways, cultural leader, Los Angeles, California
Chester Nunez, drummer, singer, Bronx, New York
Delmo Nunez, drummer, singer, Bronx, New York
Julio Nunez, drummer, singer, Bronx, New York
Ruben Reyes, 1962-, language teacher, cultural historian, filmmaker, Los Angeles, California
Miriam Suazo-Moore, dancer, educator, poet
Hawaiian
Kalani Akana, 1957-, -- kumu hula -- , Honolulu, Hawaii
Kaimana Barcarse, teacher, radio DJ, voyager, Hilo, Hawaii
Chad Kālepa Baybayan, wayfinder, non-instrument navigator, Kailua, Kona, Hawaii
Kanani Beniamina, -- ni'ihau -- shell lei maker, Makaweli, Hawaii
Snowbird Puananiopaoakalani Bento, -- kumu hula -- , Honolulu, Hawaii
Pele Ka'io, hula learner
Nāoho Kanahele, hula learner
Tuhi Kanahele, hula learner
Kekuhikuhi K. Keali'ikanaka'oleohaililani, kumu hula, Hilo, Hawaii
Kalehua Krug, immersion teacher, musician
Kihapaiokalani Krug, language homeschool teacher
Kamaleikuhalia Krug, language learner
Ka'ulakauikeaokea Krug, language learner
Leleapao'o Krug, language learner
Earl Kawa'a, cultural educator, Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii
Kihei Nahale-a, -- makuakane -- , Kahuku, Hawaii
Nāhiku Nahale-a, -- kikikane -- , Kahuku, Hawaii
Wahinepō'aimoku Nahale-a, -- kikamahine -- , Kahuku, Hawaii
Lolena Nicholas, Hawaiian language and culture expert
Puakea Nogelmeier, Hawaiian language expert
Aaron Salā, musician, singer, Kane-oha, Hawaii
Makanani Salā, dancer
Noheahiwahiwa Stibbard, -- makuahine -- , Kahuku, Hawaii
Taupōuri Tangarō, -- kumu hula -- , Hilo, Hawaii
Annette Ku'uipolani Wong, Hawaiian language and culture expert, Honolulu, Hawaii
Sonya F. Moody-Jurado, 1967-, dancer, regalia maker, Salem, Oregon
Joseph C. Scott, 1966-, dancer, regalia maker, Shedd, Oregon
Andrew Viles, 1959-, basket maker, Eugene, Oregon
Carson Viles, 1990-, dancer, Eugene, Oregon
Tuvan – Russian Federation
Said Mikhailovich Chüldük, 1977-, saddle maker, leatherworker, throat singer, musician, Kyzyl, Tuva, Russia
Marat Boragaevich Damdyn, instrument maker, Kyzyl, Tuva, Russia
Ayana Samiyaevna Mongush, 1976-, musician, composer, Kyzyl, Tuva, Russia
Artysh Kherlievich Salchak, 1981-, nomad traditions, Kyzyl, Tuva, Russia
Cheynesh Ivanovna Salchak, nomad traditions
Artur Dorzhuevich Shozhunchap, stone carver
Aldar Konstantinovich Tamdyn, 1975-, instrument maker, throat singer, yurt and furniture maker, Kyzyl, Tuva, Russia
Raisa Kopeekovna Tas-ool, seamstress, Kyzyl-Dag, Tuva, Russia
Wabanaki – Maine
Cassandra Dana, Passamaquoddy student, dancer, Princeton, Maine
Stacey Dana, Passamaquoddy student, dancer, Princeton, Maine
Brenda Lozada, Passamaquoddy language teacher, dancer, Princeton, Maine
George Neptune, 1988-, Passamaquoddy basket maker, museum educator, Sullivan, Maine
Jennifer Sapiel Neptune, 1969-, Penobscot basket maker, Old Town, Maine
Wayne Newell, Passamaquoddy storyteller, singer, educator, Princeton, Maine
Molly Neptune Parker, 1939-, Passamaquoddy basket maker, language educator, Princeton, Maine
Gabriel Paul, 1985-, Penobscot-Passamaquoddy-Maliseet basket maker, language instructor, Indian Island, Maine
Theresa Secord, 1958-, Penobscot basket maker, Waterville, Maine
Blanche Sockabasin, Passamaquoddy elder, singer, teacher, Princeton, Maine
Donald Soctomah, Passamaquoddy historic preservation officer
Welsh – Wales
Gwyneth Glyn, singer-songwriter, poet, Caerdydd, De Morgannwg, Wales
Ifor ap Glyn, poet, broadcaster, Caermarfon, Gwynedd, Wales
Twm Morys, poet, musician, singer, Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd, Wales
Owen Saer, language teacher, choir director, Caerdydd, De Morgannwg, Wales
Yiddish – New York City
An-sky Yiddish Heritage Ensemble -- An-sky Yiddish Heritage EnsembleMichael Alpert, singer, violin and accordion player, poyk/drummer, dancerEthel Raim, singer, New York, New YorkPete Rushefsky, tsimbl/hammered dulcimer playerJake Shulman-Ment, violin player, Brooklyn, New York
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity
Collection Creator:
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The creative traditions of dress and body arts among people of African descent in the United States reveal continuities of ideas, values, skills, and knowledge rooted in the African continent and in the American experience. They have been shaped by identities born of African heritage; legacies of bondage and resistance; and encounters and alliances between people of African descent, indigenous Americans, Europeans, and more recent African and Caribbean diasporas. They may reflect, for example, shared experiences of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements; group commitments to faith; and the politics of gender.
African Americans "belong" to many communities variously defined by ethnic, class, gender and gender orientation, regional, religious, political, cultural, and other affiliations that exist in complex interrelationship with each other. Accordingly, there is no single African American aesthetic of dress; there are many aesthetics that at times overlap, intertwine, and are juxtaposed in visual dialogues defining difference and belonging.
Style, the art of dress and personal adornment, is a powerful way to assert complex identities, announce solidarity with a cause, proclaim music and dance preferences, uphold cultural pride, and declare belief in a set of religious and moral principles. In all its glorious diversity, African American style is as local as the barbershop on the corner and as global as the influence of hip hop dress culture among young people from Japan to South Africa. The 2013 Festival celebrated the communities, artisans, and exemplars of style who contribute to this distinctive, expressive art form and their creative approaches, processes, and performances.
The Will to Adorn Festival program was part of a multi-year collaborative cultural research and community engagement project initiated by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. The project brought together faculty and students at historically (and predominantly) African American colleges and universities, museum and independent scholars, community and student researchers, educators, and cultural practitioners to document and present the wearable art traditions of African Americans from diverse regional, ethnic, occupational, faith, and ideology-based communities. This research focused on urban style centers - Atlanta, metropolitan Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, St. Croix and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and most recently Oakland, California. The project identified and represented a range of traditions of dress and body arts of Americans of African descent across the United States. At the 2013 Festival, this work was highlighted at the Research Tent, where, as part of the Smithsonian's Will to Adorn Youth Access project, teen researchers worked with visitors to create their own sartorial (dress) autobiographies.
Diana Baird N'Diaye was Program Curator, with a Curatorial Team including Olivia Cadaval, Elaine Nichols, and Debora Mack; Sally A. Van de Water was Program Coordinator. Advisors included: Harold Anderson, Mary Jo Arnoldi, Jade D. Banks, Rachel Delgado-Simmons, Tina Dunkley, James Early, Jessica Harris, Monte Oyd Harris, Christine Kreamer, Marsha MacDowell, Maurita Poole, Mark Puryear, Deborah Richardson, Gwendolyn K. Robinson, Pamela Rogers, Nicole Shivers, Pravina Shukla, Deborah Smith-Pollard, Gabrielle Tayac, Patricia Turner, Mary Arnold Twining Baird, and Deborah Willis.
The program was produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and supported by Smithsonian Institution funds from the Youth Access Grants Program, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and other Smithsonian fund sources. It was also supported by AARP. Major in-kind support came from the Smithsonian Office of Mobile Technology, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Museum of African Art, the Center for Aesthetic Modernism, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Bowie State University, Frank McClarin High School, University of the District of Columbia, University of Michigan, University of California-Los Angeles, Michigan State University, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, and Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center. Research for the program was funded by the Craft Research Fund, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Smithsonian Scholarly Studies, Smithsonian Institution Consortium for Understanding the American Experience and Consortium for World Cultures, and the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts.
Researchers:
Maurita Poole and Spelman College students, Deborah Robinson and McClarin High School Video Production Program, Atlanta researchers; Althea Grey McKenzie, Baltimore researcher; Gwendolyn Robinson, Chicago researcher; Simone Forde, Deborah Smith Pollard, Detroit researchers; Diana Briggs, Malik Stevenson, New Orleans researchers; Jade D. Banks, Madaha Kinsey Lamb, and students of the Beverly Robinson Folk Arts Internship Program, Mind-Builders Creative Arts, New York City researchers; Shukuru Sanders, Oakland researcher; Harold Anderson and students at Bowie State University and Goucher College, Camila Bryce-LaPorte and students, Katherine Hockey, Mark Puryear, James Robinson, Washington, D.C., researchers; Sally A. Van de Water, Januwa Moja, Jade D. Banks, Betty Mahoney, U.S. Virgin Islands researchers; Camila Bryce LaPorte, Olivia Smith-Elnaggar, Deborah Smith Pollard, communities of faith researchers; Rachel Delgado-Simmons, Gabrielle Tayac, Native/African American communities researchers; Keisha Martin, on-line communities of style researcher
Presenters:
Kimberly Brown, Camila Bryce-LaPorte, James Early, Allison J. Hamilton, Elaine Nichols, Mark Puryear, Gwendolyn Robinson, Olivia Smith-Elnaggar, Gabrielle Tayac, Patricia Turner, Derrick Washington
Rosemary Reed Miller, historian and entrepreneur, Washington, D.C.
Lubna Muhammad, 1955-, fashion designer, Pennsauken, New Jersey
Betty Keckley Stratford, family historian, Washington, D.C.
Takoma Park Baptist Church, style exemplars, Takoma Park, Maryland
RESEARCH TENT
Jade Banks, director, Dr. Beverly J. Robinson Community Folk Culture Program, Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center, New York, New York
Monte Oyd Harris, 1966-, Maryland, plastic surgeon, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Yemaya Jones, 1949-, resist dyer, Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
James Pogue, 1993-, Frank McClarin High School student researcher, Atlanta Georgia
Darius Smith, 1993-, Frank McClarin High School student researcher, Atlanta Georgia
Geena Paige Mignon, genealogist, African ancestry
Edmund Asante, 1993-, Mind-Builders student researcher, Bronx, New York
Katherine Blanco, 1995-, Mind-Builders student researcher, Bronx, New York
Marlon Carter, Mind-Builders student researcher
Chennell Christopher, 1984-, Mind-Builders student researcher, Bronx, New York
Phylicia Martin, Mind-Builders student researcher
Debra Robinson, 1953-, videographer, educator, Frank McClarin High School, Atlanta, Georgia
Andrene M. Taylor, 1978-, health activist, CEO of Zuriworks for Women's Health, Washington, D.C.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The 2005 program celebrated what was characterized as a recent "food revolution". The program looked both backward and forward: backward to long-held community traditions in growing, marketing, cooking, and eating; forward to innovations for making these traditions sustainable and passing them on to future generations. The food revolution depends on nurturing a physical environment that supports diversity; sustaining the knowledge needed to cultivate that biodiversity; and passing on traditions of preparing and eating. Together, these traditions are the foundation of much of our shared human experience and they served as the organizing themes for theFestival program.
America's food by 2005 had become a constantly changing blend of native and foreign ingredients and techniques coupled with the ingredients of all-American ingenuity and energy. The Civil Rights Movement spurred Americans to explore their rich African American and Native American traditions. In 1965 a new Immigration Act lifted the quotas on immigration from many non-European countries, contributing to an increase in immigrants from Latin American, African, and Asian countries. As many others had done for centuries, people from India, Thailand, Afghanistan, and Lebanon brought their culture to the U.S. in the way of food. Presentations at the Festival included farmers and growers, noted chefs and cookbook authors, and suppliers of diverse, largely artisanal, food products - as well as a strong focus on educational programs aimed both at children and their parents.
As of 2005, an expanding group of innovative growers were supplying the creative cooks, urban markets, and rows of ethnic restaurants. Over the previous four decades, for cultural, culinary, environmental, health, and economic reasons many chefs, environmentalists, and growers became advocates for locally grown, seasonal, sustainable, and organic food. Those models of agriculture have entered the mainstream through grocery stores, farmers markets, and restaurants, altering the American food landscape.
Farmers markets and produce stands give consumers direct contact with farmers, allowing them to ask questions and learn about what is in season. Personal relationships help to create a community bond between growers and eaters. There are also opportunities for people to become more directly involved in the growing of their food. Local farms called CSAs (community supported agriculture) that are supported by subscribers who pay money for a portion of the farm's produce and who also work periodically planting, weeding, and harvesting help people learn about the source of their food. Growers and suppliers to restaurants, farmers' markets, and specialty shops shared their knowledge with Festival visitors.
The number of food programs designed for children has swelled in the past decade alone. Probably the best-known program is Alice Waters's The Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California. Begun in 1994, the program is designed to bring the community and experiential ethos of the locally grown-sustainable movement to middle school students. Seeing food as central to building individual health, fulfilling social relationships, and community life, The Edible Schoolyard teaches children to plan a garden, prepare soil, plant, grow and harvest crops, cook, serve, and eat - in its phrasing, food "from seed to table." Students collaborate in decision-making on all aspects of the garden. Working closely with the Center for Ecoliteracy, The Edible Schoolyard teachers have been on the forefront of designing a curriculum that can place food at the center of academic subjects such as math, reading, and history in order to "rethink school lunch." Festival visitors could interact with participants from The Edible Schoolyard and other educational programs, and take a guided tour of a schoolyard garden plot.
Joan Nathan was Guest Curator and Stephen Kidd was Co-Curator; Arlene Reiniger was Program Coordinator, Beverly Simons was Program Assistant, and Deborah L. Gaffin was Education Consultant. An Advisory Committee included: Michael Batterberry (Chair), Ariane Batterberry, Warren Belasco, Partice Dionot, John T. Edge, Rayna Green, Tom Head, Ethel Raim, Phyllis Richman, Gus Schumacher, Marsha Wiener, and Ann Yonkers.
The program was made possible through major contributions from Whole Foods Market, the Wallace Genetic Foundation, Silk Soy, and Horizon Organic Dairy. Additional funding came from the United States Department of Agriculture. Contributors included Vanns Spices, Honest Tea, Farm Aid, Guest Services, Inc. , Chipotle Mexican Grill, The Rodale Institute, and the Jean-Louis Palladin Foundation. Major in-kind support came from KitchenAid and Zola/Star Restaurant Group. Collaborative support came from Marriott International, the Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation, and the Culinary Institute of America.
Presenters:
Polly Adema, Betty Belanus, Emily Botein, Charley Camp, John Franklin, Alexandra Greeley, Nancy Groce, Mark Haskell, Kevin Healy, Lucy Long, Steven Prieto, Michael Twitty, Cynthia Vidaurri, Chris Williams
El Ceibo, Río Beni, Bolivia -- El Ceibo, Río Beni, BoliviaBernardo Apaza LluscuEmilio Villca CopaClemente Puna PacoVincente Quelca MixtoMario Choque Quisbert
Coffee
Mshikamano Farmers Association, Mbeya Region, Tanzania -- Mshikamano Farmers Association, Mbeya Region, TanzaniaLinda H. MsangiDavid RobinsonThomas T. Sikapila
Cooking Demonstrations
Ann Amernick, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Douglas Anderson, 1960-, Washington, D.C.
José Andrés, 1969-, Washington, D.C.
Jimmy Andruzzi, 1971-, Staten Island, New York
Dan Barber, Pocantico Hills, New York
Lidia Bastianich, New York, New York
Najmieh Batmanglij, 1947-, Washington, D.C.
Susan Belsinger, Brookeville, Maryland
Tom Bivins, 1962-, Burlington, Vermont
Aulie Bunyarataphan, Washington, D.C.
Mariana Camara, Washington, D.C.
Gilroy Chow, 1940-, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Sally Chow, 1947-, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Nongkran Daks, Chantilly, Virginia
Roberto Donna, Washington, D.C.
Mark Federman, New York, New York
Mark Furstenberg, Washington, D.C.
Marla Gooriah, Alexandria, Virginia
Todd Gray, 1964-, Washington, D.C.
Carole Greenwood, Washington, D.C.
Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall, 1936-, Silver Spring, Maryland
Steve Herrell, 1944-, Northampton, Massachusetts
Melissa Kelly, Rockland, Maine
Ris Lacoste, Washington, D.C.
Ed LaDou, 1955-, Studio City, California
Emeril Lagasse, New Orleans, Louisiana
Cesare Lanfranconi, Washington, D.C.
Francis Layrle, Washington, D.C.
Sheila Lukins, New York, New York
Karen MacNeil, 1954-, St. Helena, California
Brenda Rhodes Miller, Silver Spring, Maryland
Nahid Mohamadi, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Frank Morales, Washington, D.C.
Diana My Tran, Washington, D.C.
Patrick O'Connell, 1945-, Washington, Virginia
Kaz Okochi, Washington, D.C.
Morou Ouattara, Washington, D.C.
Charlie Palmer, 1959-, Washington, D.C.
Charles Phan, San Francisco, California
Culinary Institute of America
Nora Pouillon, Washington, D.C.
Paul Prudhomme, New Orleans, Louisiana
Steven Raichlen, 1953-, Miami, Florida
Carol N. Reynolds, 1955-, Greensboro Bend, Vermont
Michel Richard, 1948-2016, Washington, D.C.
Akasha Richmond, Los Angeles, California
Suvir Saran, New York, New York
David Scribner, Washington, D.C.
Sudhir Seth, Bethesda, Maryland
Suad Shallal, Washington, D.C.
Marion Spear, 1944-, Fox, Arkansas
Fabio Trabocchi, McLean, Virginia
Anthony Uglesich, 1969-, New Orleans, Louisiana
John Uglesich, New Orleans, Louisiana
Herman Vargas, New York, New York
Robert Weland, Washington, D.C.
Janos Wilder, 1954-, Tucson, Arizona
Lisa Yockelson, Hoboken, New Jersey
Eric Ziebold, 1972-, Washington, D.C.
Culinary Institute of America -- Culinary Institute of AmericaCraig Carey, Patrick Decker, Jennifer Meyer, Matthew Raiford, Tara Zmuda
Dairy
Horizon Organic, Boulder, Colorado -- Horizon Organic, Boulder, ColoradoJarod Ballentine, Michael Boswell, Fred Ceconi, Bill Eckland, Jeff Grapko, Diane Kistler, Arden Landis, Cindy Masterman, Jason McGowin, David Morton, Peter Slaunwhite, Connie Weaver, Warren Weaver
The Edible Schoolyard
Jessica Benthien, Berkeley, California
Chelsea Chapman, 1975-, Oakland, California
Eliot Coleman, 1938-, Harborside, Maine
Ann Cooper, East Hampton, New York
Barbara Damrosch, Harborside, Maine
Benjamin Goff, Berkeley, California
Marsha Guerrero, Berkeley, California
Jenny Guillaume, Washington, D.C.
Davia Nelson, San Francisco, California
Kimberly Rush, Washington, D.C.
Kelsey Siegel, 1971-, Berkeley, California
Nikki Silva, San Francisco, California
Josh Viertel, 1977-, New Haven, Connecticut
Alice Waters, Berkeley, California
Food Safety and Quality
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) -- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)Peggy Barrow, Leslie Davis, Lula Mae Gray, Amy Green, Graciela Iguina, Synthia Jenkins, Basil Lindsay, Howard Seltzer, Robin Smith, Shirley Turpin, Juanita Yates
USDA Food and Nutrition Service -- USDA Food and Nutrition ServiceAudrina Lange, Alison Pack
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service -- USDA Food Safety and Inspection ServiceJanice Adams-King, Tara Balsley, Matt Baun, Kathy Bernard, Autumn Canaday, Susan Conley, Ben Dinsmore, Eileen Dykes, Amanda Eamich, Nathan Fretz, Brenda Halbrook, Melissa Halbrook, Mary Harris, Rita Hodges, Delphine Hyman, Delphine Hyman, Natalie Illum, Bridgette Keefe, Lydia Kleiner, Argyris Magoulas, Barbara Masters, Holly McPeak, Trish Moynihan, Barbara O'Brien, Keith Payne, Laura Reiser, Ashley Short, Crystal Straughn, Diane Van, Jason Waggoner, Anne Withers, Audrey Young
Guest Services, Inc.
National Restaurant Association
Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington -- Restaurant Association of Metropolitan WashingtonStephanie Burdette, Christine Gloninger, Daniel Traster, Glenn Walden
District of Columbia Department of Health
Honey
Beehive Beeproducts, New York, New York
Beekeepers -- BeekeepersShirley Ammon, Ken Brown, Toni Burnham, Pat Deely, Michael Fry, Daphne Fuentevilla, Andy Greig, Carl Greig, Len Greig, Patricia Greig, Claire Hoffman, Marc Hoffman, Kameha Kidd, Brenda Kiessling, Betsy Klinger, Marilyn Kray, Gertrud Mergner, Wolfgang Mergner, Bill Miller, Mary Miller, Ed Murtagh, Laszlo Pentek, Janis Ritchie, Michael Ritchie, Barbara Sina, David Sitomer, Nikki Thompson
Narrative Sessions
Bruce Aidell, San Francisco, California
Ariane Batterberry, New York, New York
Michael Batterberry, New York, New York
Ann Brody, Bethesda, Maryland
Steve Demos, Boulder, Colorado
Steve Jenkins, New York, New York
Judith Jones, New York, New York
Erika Lesser, New York, New York
Bill Niman, Marin County, California
Gus Schumacher, Washington, D.C.
Howard Shapiro, San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico
Slow Roast
Mike Mills, 1941-, Hingham, Massachusetts
Amy Mills Tunicliffe, Hingham, Massachusetts
Rosana Gilmore, El Patio, Rockville, Maryland
Jim Tabb, Tryon, North Carolina
Soy
White Wave, Boulder, Colorado -- White Wave, Boulder, ColoradoMike Bandstra, David Cai, Kortney Dockter, Steve Ehli, Ellen Feeney, Dale Hess, Dick Hou, Summer Lee, Stephanie, Eric Sherman
Spices
Vanns Spices, Baltimore, Maryland -- Vanns Spices, Baltimore, MarylandRita Calvert, Sarah Graham, Ellen Honey, Arehan Kuran, Ellen Trusty, Ann Wilder, Rob Wilder
Tea
Honest Tea, Bethesda, Maryland -- Honest Tea, Bethesda, MarylandJennifer Blazejewski, Jonathan Clark, Seth Goldman, Carrie Haverfield, Thammara Liyanage, Mike Patrone, John Rego, Alicia Schnell
Elizabeth Beggins, 1962-, Pot Pie Farm, Whitman, Maryland
Ann Yonkers, Pot Pie Farm, Whitman, Maryland
Don Bustos, 1956-, Espanola, New Mexico
Jim Crawford, Hustontown, Pennsylvania
Moie Crawford, Hustontown, Pennsylvania
Leslie Harper, Cass Lake, Minnesota
John Jamison, 1947-, Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Sukey Jamison, Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Nova Kim, Albany, Vermont
Les Hook, Albany, Vermont
Tzaxe Lee, 1956-, Fresno, California
Ying Lee, Fresno, California
Mike Pappas, Lanham, Maryland
Harry Records, 1932-, Exeter, Rhode Island
Joel Salatin, Swoope, Virginia
Teresa M. Showa, 1957-, Window Rock, Arizona
Rodale Institute, Kutztown, Pennsylvania -- Rodale Institute, Kutztown, PennsylvaniaKerry Callahan, Amanda Kimble Evans, Kelly Grube, John Haberern, Paul Hepperly, Chris Hill, April Johnson, Jeff Moyer, Maria Pop, Matthew Ryan, Dan Sullivan, Eileen Weinsteiger
Wine
The wine section of the Food Culture USA program was coordinated by WineAmerica, Association of Maryland Wineries, Pennsylvania Wineries Association, New York Wine and Grape Foundation, Missouri Grape and Wine Program, North Carolina Grape Council, and Virginia Wineries Association.
Dana Alexander, Patty Held, Kim Kelsey, Margo Knight, Bob McRitchie, Ann Miller, David Sloane, Susan Spence, Cara Stauffer, Jim Trezise, Bill Wilson, Brian Wilson, Christine Wilson
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2005 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
Mela! An Indian Fair on the National Mall sought to provide a culturally appropriate setting for a variety of Indian ritual, performance, craft, commercial, aesthetic, and culinary traditions. Presenting the skills of more than 60 folk artists, craftspeople, and cultural specialists from India and the Indian American community in a temporary bazaar replete with Indian handicrafts and cuisine, this program offered visitors a unique opportunity to experience and participate in Indian culture.
A mela, or Indian fair, is a large gathering of people who temporarily come together at a culturally appropriate time and place. Melas usually occur at the intersections of trade routes, river banks or confluences. The specific fairground often has a rich history and is frequently associated with the deeds of a god, goddess, or local hero. The time of the fair is set by the movements of sun, moon, planets, and stars in accord with one of the various solar and lunar calendars that mark time in India.
The Mela program on the Mall was really a fair within a fair. It was a composite mela, compressing both space and time to present selectively only a few of India's many traditions. Just as a mela would in India, the program encouraged visitors to learn about and participate in Indian culture. The structures on the Mall were built largely with natural and handcrafted materials from India, while the site itself was designed to reflect indigenous Indian concepts. The Learning Center tent housed the various ritual activities associated with some Indian festivals: a puja, or worship ceremony to Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and remover of obstacles, was exhibited in order to impart to visitors a sense of Hindu household and temple ritual; kolam floor painting from Tamil Nadu was also demonstrated, as through such an art, space is sacralized and made ready to receive the presence of the deity. Also in the Learning Center were artisans who built the bamboo and paper structures for the Hindu Dassehra and the Muslim Muharram celebrations.
The rest of the site was organized according to the five elements of Hindu metaphysics and their corresponding senses: sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell. Song and dance could be found in the sound sections, as activities associated with space or ether, the most subtle of the elements. In the touch area, associated with the element air, were the acrobats, jugglers, kite maker, clothing and stalls for fans. In the sight section were numerous stalls offering items of brass, terra cotta, wood, leather and stone - all associated with the element fire and the notion of form. Roaming through this section were the magicians and impersonators to challenge the eye. The taste section featured food, snacks and beverages, while the fragrances of India were evident in the flower, incense and essence stalls.
Aditi: A Celebration of Life
In observance of the year-long Festival of India, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History featured an exhibition of 1,500 objects of Indian folk art, as well as 40 artisans and performers demonstrating their traditional arts. Throughout the sections of the exhibition, objects associated with the particular stage of the life cycle were presented together with the folk artists who gave them meaning - the dancers, singers, musicians, puppeteers, painters, potters, jugglers, and acrobats of India. The juxtaposition of artists from diverse regions of the country with objects of varied temporal and geographic provenance suggested thematic unities as well as continuities of form and function. The exhibition ran June 4-July 28, 1985.
Richard Kurin served as Mela Program Coordinator, with Rajeev Sethi as Program Advisor.
Mela! An Indian Fair was made possible through the generous support of The Handicrafts and Handlooms Export Corporation Ltd. of India, The Ashok Group of Hotels (India Tourism Development Corporation), and Coromandel Fertilizers Ltd. of India, an Indo-U.S. venture.
Consultants and fieldworkers:
Consultants
M. N. Deshpande, Nazir Jairazbhoy, Karine Schomer
Fieldworkers
Probir Guha, Nazir Jairazbhoy, Richard Kurin, Narpat Singh Rathore, Brian Silver, Gordon Thompson
Presenters:
Charles Capwell, Nazir Jairazbhoy, Karine Schomer, Brian Silver, Ken Swift, Gordon Thompson
Participants:
Crafts
Jamil Ahmed, Ravana statue maker, Uttar Pradesh
Buddha Chacha, potter, Gujarat
Bablu Kumar Dey, shola pith toy maker, West Bengal
Bharatbhai Karsanbhai, carpenter, Gujarat
Bal Mukand, Ravana statue maker, Uttar Pradesh
Rupaji Narayani, tailor, Gujarat
Mansukhbhai Panchal, carpenter, Gujarat
Habib-ur-Rehman, taziya tomb replica maker, Delhi
Baldev Sah, bangle maker, Bihar
Chanda Sahib, kite maker, Uttar Pradesh
Abdul Shakur, taziya tomb replica maker, Delhi
Gopal Singh, Ravana statue maker, Uttar Pradesh
Kumar Swami Siva, garland maker, Tamil Nadu
Yash Pal Sondhi, trick photographer, Delhi
Subhash Sutradhar, Durga icon maker, West Bengal
Tarapado Sutradhar, Durga icon maker, West Bengal
Performance
Ramdu Aiyar, -- ghatam -- (drum) player, Tamil Nadu
Jiten Badhayakar, -- dhak -- (drum) player, West Bengal
Deepi Singh, mehndi hand painter, Tarzana, California
Performance
Dandia, raas & -- garba -- , Gujarati song & dance -- Dandia, raas & garba, Gujarati song & danceAshok Bhatt, singer, Lisle, IllinoisSudha Bhatt, dancer, Lisle, IllinoisDarshana Desai, dancer, Chicago, IllinoisKamlesh Desai, harmonium (pump organ) player, Chicago, IllinoisKetu Katrak, dancer, Washington, D.C.Urmila Purohit, dancer, Studio City, CaliforniaParul Shah, dancer, Madison, WisconsinVarsha Shah, dancer, Montebello, CaliforniaMedha Yodh, dancer, Los Angeles, CaliforniaNiyati Yodh, dancer, New York, New York
Ganga, folk songs of Bengal & Northeast India -- Ganga, folk songs of Bengal & Northeast IndiaBhola Banerjee, 1934-2000, tanpura (drum) player, Potomac, MarylandSanjay Mishra, 1954-, sitar player Baltimore, MarylandBroto Roy, 1957-, tabla (drum) player, Falls Church, VirginiaHita Brata Roy, 1927-, dotara (lute) player, Falls Church, VirginiaKrishnakali Roy, 1955-, ghunghru (bells player), Falls Church,VirginiaMinati Basu Roy, 1931-1995, anandalhari (percussion) player, Falls Church, Virginia
Giddha Punjabi Song & Dance -- Giddha Punjabi Song & DanceNeeru Bains, 1963-, singer, Huntington Beach, CaliforniaKiren Chauhan, singer, Cerritos, CaliforniaRoina Dargan, 1976-, dancer, Anaheim, CaliforniaSoina Dargan, 1972-, dancer, Anaheim, CaliforniaNeeti Dewan, 1967-, dancer, Northridge, CaliforniaLeena Gill, 1970-, dancer, Fountain Valley, CaliforniaNeetu Malhotra, 1962-, dancer, Northridge, CaliforniaPramod Nanda, 1936-, dancer, Oklahoma City, OklahomaRachna Singh, 1971-, dancer, Tarzana, CaliforniaSawaran K. Wasu, dhol (drum) player, Tarzana, California
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1985 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
Mexico is a land of many musical traditions. Each of its many Indian groups has its own musical systems, occasions, and repertories. Among large-city dwellers there are many "communities of taste," ranging from preferences for Western classical music to international popular and protest music. The rural mestizos (a mixture of Spanish and Amerindian populations and cultures) also maintain a variety of musical traditions. Mestizo music, along with related traditions among Mexican Americans, was included in the 1978 Festival.
The Mexican presentation featured dancers, musicians, and singers from the Mexican states of Puebla, Michoacán, Guerrero, and Veracruz. All the groups came from the central area of Mexico where the largest concentration of colonial population settled and thus visitors could see a heavy, but not exclusive, Spanish influence in their music. Instruments derived from colonial Spanish prototypes, although the drum used by the Puebla group is a modern variant of the ancient Aztec huehuetl. Melodies derived from Spanish and other European sources, but showed the distinct Mexicanization of these musical traditions. Like so much of Mexico's traditional culture, the music presented at the Festival was the unique product of its rich historical and regional origins.
The Mexican American crafts and foodways presentations explored some traditions transplanted from Mexico and some that were developed or adapted in the United States by a richly creative culture. Both in Mexico and the United States, traditions vary widely; thus the featured crafts and household arts represent only part of the Mexican American folk culture. The crafts and household arts of Mexican American communities demonstrated how creativity and the desire for beauty pervade the everyday activities of home and work as well as the special events of holidays and celebrations.
The Mexican & Mexican American program received support from Coca-Cola de México and Aid to Artisans, Inc. The Festival presentations were part of a larger, year-long celebration and exploration of Mexican culture entitled "Mexico Today", organized in cooperation with the Government of Mexico and sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts and Inter-American Foundation.
Participants:
Mexican
Alberto Hernández Carmona, musician, Veracruz, Mexico
Carlos Cervantes Mora, musician, Michoacán, Mexico
Julia López, 1919-, lace maker, weaver, Los Angeles, California
Efrim R. Michi, musician, Houston, Texas
Emiliano Peña, 1914-1996, saddle maker, Rosemead, California
Gerald Sánchez, musician, Houston, Texas
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1978 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 21st (1861-1865) Search this
University of Southern California. School of Fine Arts Search this
Extent:
0.7 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Place:
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal narratives
Date:
1861-1957
Scope and Contents:
Civil war diaries, letters, teaching materials, publications by Judson and pamphlets on early Los Angeles history.
The three diaries (1861-1864), consist of brief daily entries chronicling Judson's experiences as a private in Company C of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, moving through Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. The diaries from 1862 and 1863 are illustrated with small pencil sketches of faces, animals, and landscapes. The diaries are accompanied by a typewritten transcript and a 1957 clipping, "Judson Saw Debut of Tecumseh Park".
Letters consist of ten letters (1910-1941), primarily to and from ex-students concerning their coursework at the University of Southern California's College of Fine Arts. Also found are; a grade book (1902-1919) and 2 payment ledgers (1900-1910 and 1911-1919) from the Los Angeles College of Fine Arts; Judson's A Tour of the Thames (London, Ontario: Advertiser Steam Presses, 1881), written under the pseudonym of Professor Blot; the October 1909 issue of Arroyo Crafsman (v. 1); three pamphlets on Los Angeles history published by the Security First National Bank of Los Angeles, including The Five Friendly Valleys: The Story of Greater Highland Park (2nd ed., 1923), which briefly mentions Judson, Six Collegiate Decades: The Growth of Higher Educationin Southern California (1929), and La Reina: Los Angeles in Three Centuries (1931); and three blueprints of the Los Angeles College of Fine Arts and one of Judson Studios (1941).
Biographical / Historical:
Painter and instructor William Lees Judson (1842-1928), born in Manchester, England, came to the U.S. in 1852 and later settled in California in 1893. Under his leadership a group of craftsmen and artists published the ARROYO CRAFTSMAN (1909). He also established the Los Angeles College of Fine Arts, forerunner of the University of Southern California's College of Fine Arts, where Judson later served as dean.
Provenance:
Diaries and related typescript and clipping were donated 1987 by Paul Judson, and the remainder in 1987 by Walter W. Judson, both great-grandsons of William Lees Judson.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
The collection is the result of research conducted by Dr. Alixa Naff (1920-2013) relating to the study of the early Arab immigrant experience in the United States from about 1880-World War II. The study began with oral history interviews in 1962 and became a major project in 1980 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It documents the assimilation of Arabic speaking immigrants in the United States.
Scope and Contents:
The collection documents the immigration and assimilation of mostly Christian Syrian-Lebanese who came to America at the turn of the twentieth century. The immigrants were predominately-small land-owning peasants and artisans from the village of Syria and Lebanon. According to Alixa Naff, immigrants knew exactly where they were going to live and what they were going to do once they immigrated to America. They mostly chose to live in cities where earlier immigrants had already created communities. The majority of the immigrants became peddlers. Peddlers carried packs containing scissors, razors, pins, buttons, ribbons, threads, needles, combs, mirrors, soap, voile and muslin, lace and crotchet crafts, perfume, scarves, picture frames, oriental rugs, fine linens, leather goods, pictures of saints, religious notions from the holy land, confections and cakes. Peddling offered the immigrants a source of income and a way to learn the English language, American customs and lifestyles. It often led to ownership of a small dry goods store. More successful businesspersons then went on to own a department store or a chain of stores. For those Syrian/Lebanese who chose not to pursue peddling as a source of income other occupations included farming, work in New England textile mills, Midwestern factories, Pittsburgh and Birmingham steel mills and Detroit's automobile assembly lines.
It was in these Syrian communities created by Arab immigrants that Dr. Naff sought interviews, photographs and personal papers. For Alixa Naff this pioneering generation of people offered a wealth of information on the immigrant experience and the critical role that peddling played. Naff conducted interviews in urban and small town communities with an emphasis on Midwestern states. Her informants included first and second generation Christians, Druze and Muslims. Locations of interviews included Detroit, Michigan because it was an industrial city with a large and stable Syrian population of all faiths. Cedar Rapids, Iowa was smaller, a railroad depot at the turn of the century and home to the earliest Muslim groups. Peoria, Illinois was also a small, railroad depot at the turn of the century and it consisted predominately of the Maronite Sect originally from one village in Mount Lebanon. Spring Valley, Illinois was a small mining town with a Christian community and the remnant of a once flourishing peddling settlement. Their Eastern Rite Syrian Orthodox Church was the only one in Illinois until 1961 and served smaller Syrian groups.
Oral history interviews deal with the sociological factors of the assimilation process. Most tapes have been fully transcribed or abstracted. Information from the interviews are supported with published articles; demographic statistics; articles from the Arab-American press, books, journals and dissertations published in the United States or in Arab countries. Personal papers collected from individuals and families provide evidence of the experiences discussed in the interviews and add a personal touch to the reference materials. While there are a number of original items included among the personal papers, there is a substantial amount of duplicate materials. Naff would often collect the originals make copies and then return the originals to the donors.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into the eight series created by Alixa Naff.
Series 1, Personal Papers, 1891-2002, undated
Series 2, Photographs, 1890-1996, undated
Series 3, Oral interviews, Abstracts, Transcripts and Supporting Materials, 1962-1995, undated
Series 4, Publications, 1862-2000, undated
Series 5, Subject Files, 1888-2000
Series 6, Project Files, 1977-1995
Series 7, Alixa Naff Personal Papers, 1943-1996, undated
Series 8, Audio Visual Materials, 1908-1994, undated
Biographical / Historical:
The Faris and Yamna Naff Collection is the result of the dedication and research efforts of Dr. Alixa Naff, the daughter of Syrian-Lebanese immigrants. She spent most of her life documenting the early American experience of the generation of Arabs, mostly Christian, from Syria/Lebanon who came to this country around the turn of the century.
After an administrative career in private industry, Alixa Naff enrolled at the University of California to obtain her B.A. degree. During her senior year, she was required to write a paper for an American history seminar. The topic for the seminar was immigration. Alixa Naff chose Arabs in America as her subject. According to Naff, there was a lack of reference materials relating to her topic. Therefore, she relied mostly on conversations with her parents' friends. Impressed by her work, Alixa Naff's professor offered her a grant to collect Arab folklore.
Alixa Naff conducted her research during the summer of 1962. She interviewed eighty-seven people in sixteen communities across the United States and eastern Canada. All of her informants were at least sixty years old at the time of the interviews and represented the last surviving members of her parents' pioneer immigrant generation. After completing her fieldwork, Naff went on to earn her master's and Ph.D. degrees. She taught on the college level at California State University and the University of Colorado. In 1977, she left teaching citing anti-Arab feelings as the reason for her shift in career paths. Her desire to counter the anti-Arab stereotyping with accurate sources of information created yet another opportunity for her to pursue more research about Arab Americans.
Later in 1977, Alixa Naff served as a consultant on a documentary film relating to Arabs in America. She again realized existed on the subject of the Arab immigrant experience in America. Moreover, much of what she found conflicted with what pioneer informants had told her. Naff was also painfully aware that family members of decreased Arab immigrants often discarded the early artifacts, personal papers, photographs and books brought to America. Shortly after, she began working on a study on the history of Arab immigrants. In 1979, Alixa Naff met Gino Baroni, then undersecretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and founder of the National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs. His center helped her secure funding for her research from the National Endowment for the Humanities and provided an office for her to work. The result of this work was a book entitled Becoming American: The Early Arab Immigrant Experience published in 1985. Richard Ahlborn, then curator of the Smithsonian's Community Life Division (now its Department of Cultural Affairs), convinced Naff to donate the collection to the Smithsonian in honor of her parents, Faris and Yamna Naff, and their generation of Arabs who immigrated to America.
Alixa Naff died on June 1, 2013 at the age of 93.
Related Materials:
Materials at the National Museum of American History
The Division of Home and Community Life (now Division of Cultural and Community Life)holds artifacts related to this collection including. See Accession #: 2007.3245.
Materials at the Smithsonian Institution
Photo Lot 2011-02, Alixa Naff photographs of Europe, the Middle East and the Mediterranean and audio tapes on Mediterranean folklore, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Provenance:
The collection is the result of research conducted by Dr. Alixa Naff relating to the study of the early Arab immigrant experience in the United States from about 1880-World War II. The study began with oral history interviews in 1962 and became a major project in 1980 with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Researchers must use microfilm copies. Researchers must handle unprotected photographs with gloves. Researchers must use reference copies of audio-visual materials. When no reference copy exists, the Archives Center staff will produce reference copies on an "as needed" basis, as resources allow.
Viewing film portions of collection require special appointment; please inquire with a reference archivist. Do not use when original materials are available on reference video or audio tapes.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Associations, institutions -- voluntarism Search this
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Mel Casas papers, 1963-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing and digitization of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Additional funding for the digitization of the papers was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Collection Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Collection Citation:
Mel Casas papers, 1963-1998. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing and digitization of this collection received Federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Additional funding for the digitization of the papers was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
The Millard Sheets papers comprise 27.6 linear feet of material dating from circa 1907 to 2000 with bulk dates spanning 1956 to 1981. The collection documents Sheets's career as a designer, painter, and muralist, and his personal and professional interests through correspondence, writings, lectures, printed material, drawings, slides, photographs, and ephemera.
A small addition donated 2018 by Carolyn Owen-Toole, Sheet's daughter. There is a 4.6 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2018 that includes writings; sketchbooks and sketches; photographs and negatives of works of art, images of Millard Sheets and others including family; printed material, including two scrapbooks; and scattered correspondence regarding Sheet's projects.
Scope and Content Note:
The personal papers of Millard Sheets (1907-1990) measure 27.6 linear feet and date from circa 1907-2000, with bulk dates of 1956-1981. The collection reflects Sheets's career as a designer, painter, and muralist, as well as his other personal and professional interests, through correspondence, writings, lectures, clippings, blueprints, drawings, slides, photographs, and ephemera.
The Project Files comprise the largest group of materials in the collection and document design work undertaken by Sheets through his company Millard Sheets & Associates Designs. Sheets and his associates produced concept drawings and blueprints and supervised the construction for a wide range of design projects that ranged in scale from architectural plans for private residences to bid proposals for shopping malls and financial institutions located in California and the Southwest.
Sheets designed interior and exterior plans for over forty Home Savings and Loan bank branches in California. The distinctive modular design which Sheets created and then customized by integrating interior and exterior art elements that highlighted local historical events or natural features became synonymous with the image of Home Savings and Loan. Sheets also teamed up with the architect Edward Durrell Stone to produce a proposal for the Capitol Mall Project, an urban renewal project for the Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sacramento. Researchers will find correspondence, job costs and billing statements, and notes that trace the development of these and other building construction projects. In some instances the documents are supplemented by blueprints, photographs, and/or drawings of the project, but in many cases, visual documentation is missing.
The Project Files also document work done by Millard Sheets on public projects such as the Family of Man mural in the Los Angeles City Hall Annex, a mosaic dome in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., and the Word of Life mural at the University of Notre Dame, Ind., along with numerous other murals and mosaics created for private individuals and corporations.
The Correspondence Series primarily reflects the interaction between Sheets and his clients, colleagues, and personal acquaintances. These files will prove valuable to researchers who are interested in the way that Sheets's beliefs about the role of art in everyday life impacted the way he conducted business and managed both large and small design projects. The correspondence also reflects Sheets's interest in popular American culture, travel, political issues of the day, and art collecting.
The Membership Files document the wide variety of interests that Sheets maintained through active membership in associations and organizations. The material in this series consists primarily of correspondence, minutes of meetings, and notes which Sheets created or used as he served as a board member or trustee on a number of organizational boards, such as the California Institute of the Arts, the Claremont Colleges, Virginia Steele Scott Foundation, Webb School of California, and Goodwill Industries of Southern California.
Also found in this series is material that documents his interest and participation in various recreational and professional organizations. Sheets maintained a long association with the Economic Roundtable, a group of businessmen who met regularly to give presentations and share discussion on contemporary political and social issues. Sheets was a frequent speaker and his talks given at the Economic Roundtables can be found in Lectures and Speeches, a subseries of the Writings Series.
Included in the Millard Sheets & Associates Designs, Inc. series are records that reflect the day-to-day operations of Sheets's design firm. Found here are chronological copies of correspondence that were sent out, files Sheets maintained on various independent contractors that the design firm frequently used, resumes and letters of recommendation that Sheets received regarding potential employees, as well as records relating to the cost and maintenance of Sheets's office building.
The Teaching and Workshop Files document the instructional activities undertaken by Sheets throughout his career in the arts. Although Sheets became pivotal in establishing a regionally recognized art department at Scripps College in Claremont, California, the files that reflect his academic position there are limited in scope and depth. Researchers will find more substantive the files that he maintained on the numerous art demonstrations and paintings workshops that he conducted privately throughout his career. Sheets traveled extensively around the world through his teaching activities and the files in this series track his path.
Closely related to the Teaching and Workshop Files is the Painting Trips series. The material in these files document Sheets's service as an American Specialist in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the USIS, Department of State. Sheets served two times as a cultural arts representative in Turkey in 1960 and in the former USSR in 1961. Sheets also made numerous trips to South East Asia, which had proved an area of fascination for him since his experiences as a war correspondent in Burma and India in World War II. The files in this series document his painting trips to Tahiti, the Pacific Ocean Rim, and Hawaii. Also found are files that detail his painting activities in Mexico.
The Exhibition Files reflect the records that Sheets maintained regarding his participation in art exhibitions, as well as his files on art shows that he personally directed or organized for public or private groups or organizations. Although Sheets exhibited his work predominantly in the West and Southwest, the files in this series demonstrate that he exhibited both nationally and internationally as well.
Also found within the records for this series are files relating to Sheets's representation of his artwork through established galleries and art agents. The Dalziel Hatfield Galleries of Los Angeles, California, served as his primary agent for most of his painting career. Correspondence between Sheets and the Hatfields provide insight into Sheets's development into a regionally and nationally significant watercolorist and painter. The files relating to the Kennedy Galleries in New York and the Circle Gallery in Chicago reflect Sheets's efforts to maintain a national presence in the arts community.
The Jury Files document Sheets's involvement as a juror in regional, as well, as national shows. The files reveal the great variety of professional watercolor and painting exhibitions in which Sheets participated as either a jury panelist or solo judge.
The Writings Files provide an excellent source for researchers interested in Sheets's philosophical beliefs about the relationship between art and everyday life. His articles, lectures, and speeches predominantly address the role of the artist, the relationships that exist between artists and the community, and the role that art can play in making a fuller, more productive life. Also found in the files of this series are articles written by others about Sheets.
The Biographical Material series provides a short introduction to Millard Sheets. The files consist of the calendars maintained by Sheets and his wife and staff, which were used to coordinate his many commitments and appointments. Also found in the files of this series are family chronologies that were created by Mary Baskerville Sheets. Medical records and resumes provide personal information about Sheets's background and health. A small file of military memorabilia provides information about Sheets's contributions to the war effort in World War II.
The Printed Matter series documents family activities and personalities through publicity clippings. Also found are exhibition catalogs and announcements that Sheets saved regarding other artists. Miscellaneous interests and activities of Sheets are found through magazine articles, brochures, and flyers.
The Photographs series includes photographic documentation for Sheets's artwork, horses, and major projects. A small group of photographs of Sheets are also in this series.
The files in the Artwork series include original drawings by Mary Baskerville Sheets and Millard Sheets.
There is a 4.6 linear foot unprocessed addition to this collection donated 2018 that includes writings; sketchbooks and sketches; photographs and negatives of works of art, images of Millard Sheets and others including family; printed material, including two scrapbooks; and scattered correspondence regarding Sheet's projects.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into fifteen series. Small series, such as Biographical Material are generally based on type of document. Larger series, such as Correspondence or Project Files, are arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent or project. General correspondence has been made into its own series, but other series or subseries may also contain some correspondence. Within particular series, materials have been further divided into subseries which represent particular aspects of the project or event. For example, the Writings Series is further divided into subseries of books and articles, eulogies, and lectures and speeches. An outline listing series and subseries titles and dates follows.
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1907-1982, undated (boxes 1-2; 1.25 linear ft.)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1929-1990, undated (boxes 2-4; 2.75 linear ft.)
Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1933-1980, undated (boxes 5-6; 1.25 linear ft.)
Series 4: Membership Files, 1946-1982, undated (boxes 6-8; 2.5 linear ft.)
Series 5: Millard Sheets & Associates Designs, 1934-1982, undated (boxes 8-9; 1.0 linear ft.)
Series 6: Project Files, 1956-1981, undated (boxes 9-18; 8.25 linear ft.)
Series 7: Teaching and Workshop Files, 1932-1982 (box 18; 0.5 linear ft.)
Series 8: Painting Trips, 1959-1980, undated (box 18; 16 folders)
Series 9: Exhibition Files, 1932-1937, 1951-1988, undated (box 19; 0.75 linear ft.)
Series 10: Jury Files, 1941-1982 (boxes 19-20; 42 folders)
Series 11: Writings, 1936-1988, undated (boxes 20-22; 2.5 linear ft.)
Series 12: Printed Matter, 1936-1922, undated (boxes 22-23; 20 folders)
Series 13: Photographs, 1934-1983, undated (box 23; 17 folders)
Series 14: Artwork, circa 1929, undated (box 23; 2 folders)
Series 15: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1930-2000 (boxes 24, 26-30, OV25: 4.6 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
"Your painting is a measure of your mind"-Millard Sheets
Millard Sheets, as one of the founding members of the "California Scene Painters," exerted a lasting influence upon subsequent generations of Western painters. He and the small group of painters who worked in California during the 1930s and 1940s, developed a new style of watercolor painting that was at the forefront of the American watercolor movement of the time, and that later gave rise to a subsequent generation of painters who became known as the California Regionalist school.
Sheets was born in Pomona, California on June 24, 1907. His mother died in childbirth, and his father, John Sheets, unprepared to raise a baby alone, sent Millard to Pomona, California to be raised by his maternal grandparents, Lewis and Emma Owen. Sheets's grandfather proved to be a guiding force in his life, and when Sheets's father remarried and offered Millard the opportunity to return to the Sheets household, Millard chose instead to remain with his grandparents.
Sheets's love of horses can be directly traced back to his childhood years spent living at his grandfather's horse ranch. Millard rode his first horse when he was three years old. Throughout his life, Sheets returned to the theme of horses in his paintings, as well as maintaining a private stable of horses, and raising and breeding racehorses.
His interest in art also began in childhood. When he was still a young boy, his two maternal aunts encouraged him to play with crayons and pencils. Sheets took his first painting lesson from a neighbor at the age of seven, and by 1919 he had already submitted artwork to the copy division of the Los Angeles County Fair fine arts show competition. He submitted a drawing he had copied of a tinted photograph of Lake KIlarney, California. Sheets won first prize in his division.
It was through this competition that Millard met Theodore B. Modra, a Polish artist who had retired to the Pomona area. After giving Sheets a lecture on the evils of copying art, Modra offered to give him art lessons.
Sheets continued to pursue his interest in art and enrolled in the Choinard School of Art in Los Angeles, California. By the time that he graduated in 1929, Sheets had also managed to come to the attention of Dalzell and Ruth Hatfield of the Dalzell Hatfield Galleries in Los Angeles, California. The Hatfields were one of the most influential art dealers in Southern California, and that same year, they sponsored Sheets in his first one-man exhibition in 1929. The exhibition brought Sheets to the attention of Western Coast art critics and launched Sheets on his painting career.
In 1929 Sheets also learned that he had won second place in the annual Edgar B. Davis art competition held in San Antonio, Texas. The award came with a cash prize and Sheets made plans to travel to Europe to study and paint. Shortly before his departure, however, he met an art student, Mary Baskerville, and they began a whirlwind romance. With Baskerville's enthusiastic support for European plans, and with her promise that she would wait for him, Sheets departed for New York and then Europe.
While overseas during 1929 and 1930, Sheets studied under Dorfinant, a master printer in Paris. Through his work at this studio workshop, he met Henri Matisse.
Five months after Millard returned to the California in 1930, Sheets and Mary Baskerville married. Sheets worked as the director of the Fine Arts Exhibition of the Los Angeles County Fair. In 1932 Sheets returned to school to study art and humanities at Scripps College in Claremont, California. After graduating from Scripps, school officials approached Sheets with an offer to set up a separate fine arts program and asked him to chair the new department. This was the beginning of a twenty year association with the school. In 1938, he also became the Director of Art at Claremont Graduate School.
Sheets left the school during the years of World War II to serve as a war-time artist and journalist for Life magazine, and from 1943-1944 was stationed on the Burma-India Front. His experiences in Asia appeared to affect him deeply. In contrast to his earlier works which featured backgrounds with neutral tones and brilliant shades that highlighted and punctuated the compositions, the paintings from the wartime featured somber tones. Sheets remarked of this time:
During the fighting and the time I spent in the C-B-1 theater, I was too shaken and intellectually stunned to do any complete paintings. I made many, many sketches, though, as well as a real effort to remember each scene that particularly affected me. Then, once I returned to America, I painted frantically, for months, exorcising demons. [Lovoos, Janice and Edmund F. Penney, Millard Sheets: One-Man Renaissance, Northland Press, Flagstaff, AZ, 1984]
Sheets returned from the war in 1944 and resumed his position at Scripps College until 1955 when he was approached by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and asked to overhaul the fledgling Los Angeles County Art Institute. Sheets accepted the position and spent the next five years reshaping the mission and format of the school, renaming it the Otis Art Institute. In the years after Sheets left the directorship, the school eventually became part of the Parson's School of Design on the West Coast.
In 1953 Sheets founded the Millard Sheets Designs company. He hired between twenty-five and thirty artisans for large projects, with Susan Hertel, a former student of his, serving as his assistant in all the operations of the design studio. The working staff included engineers, registered architects, draftsmen, and artists, and the projects that the firm produced included murals, mosaics, stained glass, and sculpture for private homes and public and commercial businesses.
The design studio completed several major architectural projects throughout the late 1950s through the mid 1970s, including the design and construction of Cal Aero, a flight training school for the US Air Force, the National American Insurance Company offices for the California financier, Howard Ahmanson, Ahmanson Bank and Trust Company in Beverly Hills, many Home Savings and Loan Association Buildings, private residences, and the Scottish Rite Memorial Temples in Los Angeles and San Francisco, among many other projects.
Sheets also designed and completed mural and mosiac work for numerous public buildings in the Los Angeles area, as well as across the nation. Many of the murals and mosiacs were for those buildings designed by his firm while others were done as independent commissions.
In 1968 Sheets first proposed the murals he designed for the Los Angeles City Hall. His design was approved and he was awarded a commission to complete The Family of Man murals over the two main entrances to the Los Angeles City Hall. The murals were completed in 1971 and installed in 1972. Sheets also designed mosiacs and murals for the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the Library at Notre Dame University, the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Los Angeles, several Home Savings and Loan Association buildings in the Los Angeles area, the Detroit Public Library, and the Dome of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.
During the early 1960s Sheets participated in the American Specialist Program of the US Department of State. His first assignment was to Turkey in 1960, where he served as a visiting artist. The following year he went to the USSR in the same capacity.
During the early to mid 1950s Sheets became involved with Columbia Pictures and was technical advisor and production designer for a few years.
Millard Sheets was a member of the National Watercolor Society, the American Watercolor Society, the National Academy of Design, the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors, and the Century Association. Sheets actively promoted his own work and was a businessman, an active and prolific artist, instructor, and designer. Millard Sheets died on March 31, 1989 in Gualala, California.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds material lent for microfilming (reels LA 10) including a biographical sketch, career resume, and a list of sheets' work prepared in 1964. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
Millard Sheets lent material for microfilming in 1965. Mary B. Sheets, Millard's widow, donated the papers to the Archives of American Art in 1992. Carolyn Owen-Toole, Sheet's daughter, gave a small addition of material in 2018.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Rights:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Mary Charles Collection, Accession XXXX-0011, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection is open for research. Access to collection materials requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
The NMAAHC Archives can provide reproductions of some materials for research and educational use. Copyright and right to publicity restrictions apply and limit reproduction for other purposes.
Collection Citation:
Norma Merrick Sklarek Archival Collection, 1944-2008. National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution.
