Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
The United States has always been a country of immigrants and, thus, the proud inheritor of the artistic styles of many different peoples. The section of the Festival that focused on this particular feature of American culture was called "Old Ways in the New World". Here were brought together the sons and daughters of people who immigrated to the United States from various parts of the world and their cultural cousins who stayed at home. These two groups joined together at the Festival in the practice of their traditional artistic and creative behavior; thus they could celebrate a kind of family reunion while they examined together the changes that their different experiences had brought about.
Where possible, participants were invited from the same region or even the same village - both those who migrated and those who stayed at home. Where this was impossible or impractical, attention focused on behavior or style, tracing parallels in all aspects of tradition from cooking to dance. As in past years of the Festival, this program stimulated a healthy kind of self-examination for domestic communities that drew strength from discovering their relationship with older cultures as well as for the foreign guests, who could return to their homelands proud of the vitality of their own art forms that remained clearly identifiable, although removed by oceans of time and space.
June 16-20, Israeli and American Jewish, Romanian
June 23-27, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish, Finnish, Faroese
July 1-5, French, Canadian, Polish
July 7-11, British, Canadian, Portuguese
July 14-18, Yugoslav, Irish
July 21-25, Belgian, Egyptian
July 28-August 1, German, Pakistani
August 4-8, Spanish, Mexican
August 11-15, Japanese, Greek
August 18-22, Austrian, Indian
August 25-29, Swiss, Hungarian
September 2-6, Italian
Program Coordinator for the Old Ways in the New World was Shirley Cherkasky, with Assistant Program Coordinators Suzanne Cox, Jeffrey LaRiche, Genie Kitlaus, and Larisa Lucaci. An advisory group included Conrad Arensberg, Svatava Pirkova Jakobson, Alan Lomax, and David McAIIester.
Fieldworkers and presenters:
Héctor Aguíñiga, Richard González, Antony Hellenberg, Nazir Jairazbhoy, Anna Lomax, John McDowell, Daniel Sheehy, Gordon Thompson, Roger Welsch, Maria Behr, David Bjork, Calogero Cascio, Svatava Pirkova Jakobson
Participants:
Israeli
Mord'chai Abrahamov, 1945-, singer, dancer, instrumentalist, Tel Aviv, Israel
David Levi, 1934-, dancer
Mord'chai 'Aziz, 1935-, dancer
Yosef Gum'ah, 1923-, drummer, Tel Lachish, Israel
Elijahu Israel Lassa, 1932-, zurna player, Tel Lachish, Israel
Mord'chai 'Ezra, 1935-, singer, dancer, Tel Lachish, Israel
Yosef Rahamim, 1937-, dancer, Kiryat Malakhi, Israel
Rivka Levi, 1945-, singer, dancer, Kiryat Malakhi, Israel
Bathia Rahamim, 1947-, singer, dancer, Kiryat Malakhi, Israel
Bathia Levi, 1919-, dancer, instrumentalist, Kiryat Ono, Israel
Shoshana Danukh, 1920-, singer, instrumentalist, Kiryat Ono, Israel
Zehava Gedasi, 1957-, dancer, singer, Tel Aviv, Israel
Ahuva Gedasi, 1948-, dancer, singer, Givatayim, Israel
Moshe 'Oved, 1953-, singer, dancer, Amka, Israel
Amnon 'Oved, singer, dancer, Amka, Israel
Avraham Daniel 'Arussi, 1968-, singer, dancer, Kiryat Ono, Israel
Menachem 'Arussi, 1930-, dancer, singer, drummer, Kiryat Ono, Israel
Saadia Gur-Esh, 1928-, singer, drummer, dancer, Midrakh Oz, Israel
Ziona Nagar, 1951-, dancer
Binyamin Hershkowitz, 1946-, accordion, singer, drummer, Netanya, Israel
Arie Polak, 1956-, drummer, Herzlia, Israel
Moshe Choen, 1929-, singer, dancer, Bnei Brak, Israel
Yosef Pinchas Reimer, 1955-, dancer, drummer, Jerusalem, Israel
Yitzhak Meier Tritel, 1951-, dancer, clarinetist, Jerusalem, Israel
Levi 'Ochayom, 1927-, singer, drummer, Jerusalem, Israel
Yosef Ben-Nun, 1927-, singer, Jerusalem, Israel
David Weissman, 1933-, 'ud player, Jerusalem, Israel
Dr. Daniel Ronen, leader
Itimar Gurevitch, tour administrator
Uri Sharvit, folklorist
Jewish American
Ira Axelrod, badkhn, Brooklyn, New York
Nechama Biderman, succah maker, Flushing, New York
Avram Dahari, 1923-1999, singer, Brooklyn, New York
Naomi Dahari, 1924-1988, singer, food demonstrator, Brooklyn, New York
Ray Faust, 1900-1993, painter, New York, New York
Miriam Haymie, singer, food demonstrator, Brooklyn, New York
Shlomo Hymie, singer, Brooklyn, New York
Meyer Kirshenblatt, 1916-2009, toy maker, immigrant narrator, Downsview, Ontario
Rivka Kirshenblatt, food demonstrator
Lillian Klempner, 1897-1984, Yiddish folksinger, Brooklyn, New York
Tuvia Mekhabar, scribe, New York, New York
Mazel Nagar, singer, dancer, cook, Brooklyn, New York
Nissim Nagar, singer, dancer, Brooklyn, New York
Arie Ovagia, cantor, singer, Brooklyn, New York
Jerold Roschwalb, shofar demonstrator
William Shuster, 1904-2002, tailor, New York, New York
Tsirl Waletsky, paper cutter, Bronx, New York
Workmen's Circle Mandolin Orchestra -- Workmen's Circle Mandolin OrchestraRosario Carcione, 1909-1984, mandolinist, Bronx, New YorkFrances Darvick, mandolinist, Brooklyn, New YorkSophie Fuchs, mandolinist, Jamaica, New YorkBeverly Frierman, mandolinist, New York, New YorkMuriel Isbitts, mandolinist, New Milford, New JerseyFani Jacobson, mandolinist, leader, New York, New YorkNorman Levine, mandolinist, Brooklyn, New YorkTessie Nerenberg, mandolinist, Yonkers, New YorkMeyer Schein, mandolinist, Bronx, New YorkCharles Slater, mandolinist, Brooklyn, New YorkHenry Wurman, 1900-1981, mandolinist, Bronx, New York
Walter Pardon, 1914-, singer, North Walsham, Norfolk, England
Anne Rosetta Springfield, 1911-, Pearlie Queen, London, England
The Watersons and Martin Carthy -- The Watersons and Martin CarthyLal Waterson, 1943-1998, singerMike Waterson, 1941-2011, singer, Robin Hoods Bay, Yorkshire, EnglandNorma Waterson, 1939-, singer, Robin Hoods Bay, EnglandMartin Carthy, 1941-, singer, Robin Hoods Bay, England
A. L. (Albert Lancaster) Lloyd, 1908-1982, folklorist
S. A. Matthews, folk dance specialist, London, England
British-American
United States
John Ashby, 1915-1979, fiddler
Dillard Chandler, 1907-1992, ballad singer, Rosedale, New York
Lloyd Chandler, 1896-1978, ballad singer, Marshall, North Carolina
Nell Fernandez, singer, Summer Shade, Kentucky
Ray Hicks, 1922-2003, storyteller, Banner Elk, North Carolina
Wiktor Mikolajski, 1910-, tour administrator, Warsaw, Poland
Ludwik Bielawski, 1929-, folklorist, Warsaw, Poland
Polish American
The Gromada Family -- The Gromada FamilyAniela Gromada, 1908-1984, cellist, singer, Elmwood Park, New JerseyAnn Gromada, 1965-, dancer, Wyckoff, New JerseyJan Gromada, 1905-1996, fiddler, embroiderer, Elmwood Park, New JerseyJohn Gromada, 1964-, dancer, Wyckoff, New JerseyTadeusz Gromada, 1929-, second fiddler, dancer, Wyckoff, New JerseyTeresa Gromada, 1930-, dancer, singer, Wyckoff, New JerseyHenryk Kedron, 1926-, dancer, singer, metal worker, Hasbrouck Heights, New JerseyJanina Kedron, 1931-, fiddler, singer, dancer, Hasbrouck Heights, New JerseyTadeusz Koziek, 1930-1979, fiddle, bass player, singer, Garfield, New JerseyEdward Nowobielski, 1924-2006, singer, dancer, Garfield, New Jersey
Stephanie Batory, 1913-1994, decorative paper cuttings, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Portuguese
Grupo Coral da Aldeia Nova de São Bento -- Grupo Coral da Aldeia Nova de São BentoManuel de Mira Monge, 1925-, singer, São Bento, PortugalSilvestre Charraz Morais, 1945-, singer, São Bento, PortugalJosé Candeias Rosa, 1935-, singer, São Bento, PortugalManuel Carrasco Valadas, 1949-, singer, São Bento, PortugalManuel Toira Varela, 1934-, singer, São Bento, PortugalBento Charraz Calvinho, 1922-, singer, São Bento, PortugalJosé Francisco Esparteiro Serrano, 1951-, singer, São Bento, PortugalJosé Lopes Carrilho, 1919-, singer, São Bento, PortugalBento Brito Coelho, 1937-, singer, São Bento, PortugalJosé Valadas Mata-Setam, 1936-, singer, São Bento, Portugal
Grupo Folclórico Mirandes de Duas Igrejas -- Grupo Folclórico Mirandes de Duas IgrejasAntonio Maria Moorinho, 1917-, director, Duas Igrejas, PortugalJosé Pires Martins, 1912-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalAlexandre Feio, 1914-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalAlfredo Augusto Ventura, 1912-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalDelmiro Braz Antão, 1915-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalDomingos Augusto Ruano, 1955-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalLuciano de São Pedro Martins, 1953-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalAdão Dos Santos Moreira, 1926-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalClemente de Jésus Amaro Dias, 1957-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalMateus Augusto Martins Fidalgo, 1927-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalArtur Raposo Alves Galego, 1956-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalManuel João Alves, 1927-, musician, Duas Igrejas, PortugalManuel Baltazar Fernandes Aires, 1959-, musician, Duas Igrejas, Portugal
Maria Ernestina Costa Rodrigues, interpreter, Murtal São Pedro Do Estoril, Portugal
Portuguese American
Odete Amarelo, 1950-, food demonstrator, Fall River, Massachusetts
Manuel Azuvedo, 1917-2004, singer, dancer, Sacramento, California
Maria Alice Cordeiro, 1961-, singer, Fall River, Massachusetts
Elaine C. Oliveira, 1938-, singer, musician, Somerset, Massachusetts
Armindo I. Paira, 1963-, singer, Fall River, Massachusetts
Scheeseler Beekschepers -- Scheeseler BeekschepersWilhelm Leuenroth, 1906-, clarinet player, Wittkopsbostel, GermanyBernd Meyer, accordion player, Visselhoevede, GermanySiegfried Johann Karl Lott, 1933-, friction drum, flute, jaws harp player, Rohr, GermanyHans Johannes Almering, 1941-, clarinet player, Ahaus-Wüllen, GermanyUrsula Christina Wassing Almering, 1942-, accordion player, Ahaus-Wüllen, GermanyUrsula Blomeier, 1920-, street organ player, Berlin, GermanyKonrad Koestlin, 1940-, folklorist and presenter, Hoffeld über Bordesholm, Germany
German American
Albert Fahlbusch, 1925-2005, hackbrett player and maker, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Mary Fahlbusch, 1932-2013, food demonstrator, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Roger Fahlbusch, 1958-, hackbrett player and maker, Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Ray Stahla German-Russian Band -- Ray Stahla German-Russian BandRay Stahla, 1929-, accordion player, Grand Island, NebraskaPhil Stahla, 1949-, trombone player, Gillette, WyomingRandy Stahla, 1952-, drummer, Greeley, ColoradoJohn Klein, 1919-1982, hackbrett player, Lincoln, Nebraska
Dorf Musikanten -- Dorf MusikantenJohn Braun, 1938-, accordion player, Mequon, WisconsinRoland A. Braun, 1923-2004, clarinet and zither player, Milwaukee, WisconsinEarl Hilgendorf, 1934-, trumpet and fluegel horn player, Mequon, WisconsinHarold Pipkorn, 1927-, baritone player, Mequon, WisconsinJacob Skocir, 1913-2008, guitar and mandolin player, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Die Tiefen Keller-Kinder -- Die Tiefen Keller-KinderLarry Bobe, 1955-, trombone player, Amana, IowaJeff Ehrmann, 1956-, cornet player, Amana, IowaPatrick H. Kellenberger, 1951-, tuba player, South Amana, IowaDennis Kraus, 1955-, cornet player, Middle Amana, IowaMark H. Rettig, 1951-, baritone player, Middle Amana, IowaCarol Schuerer, 1958-, clarinet player, Amana, IowaPaul R. Staman, 1958-, cornet player, Amana, IowaAlan J. Trumpold, 1953-, tuba player, South Amana, IowaGuy H. Wendler, baritone and cornet player, Amana, IowaBrad Zuber, 1956-, manager, Amana, IowaRobert Zuber, 1957-, trombone player, Homestead, Iowa
Spanish American
Andalusian
Manuel "Agujetas" De Los Santos, flamenco singer, New York, New York
Tibulina De Los Santos, flamenco dancer, New York, New York
Asturian
Sixto Alonso, singer, Kearney, New Jersey
Basque
Elisa Vidasolo, dancer, Brooklyn, New York
Luis Vidasolo, dancer, Brooklyn, New York
Maria Luisa Vidasolo, cook, Brooklyn, New York
Alys Viña, 1914-1993, tambourine player, Cranford, New Jersey
Angelo Viña, 1914-2003, drummer and fife player, Cranford, New Jersey
Galician
Domingo Casais, bombo player, Bayonne, New Jersey
Francisco Castineira, dancer, Kearny, New Jersey
Manuel Galan, bagpiper, Seaford, New York
Manolo Garcia, dancer, North Tarrytown, New York
Fina Meizoso, dancer, Woodside, New York
Kim Munoz, dancer, Queens, New York
Manuel Pena, tambor player, Corona, New York
Carlos Rodriguez, bagpiper, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Old Spanish
Cleofes Vigil, 1917-1992, singer, San Cristobal, New Mexico
Puerto Rican
Cuarteto Isabelino, instrumental ensemble -- Cuarteto Isabelino, instrumental ensembleWilfredo Cordero, Isabela, Puerto RicoJoaquin Rivera, 1910-1995, Isabela, Puerto RicoMatildo Rosado Santiago, Isabela, Puerto RicoDomingo Ruiz, Isabela, Puerto Rico
Mexican
Los Caporales -- Los CaporalesRicardo Gutierrez Villa, violin, Apatzingán, Michoacán, MexicoRubén Cuevas Maldonado, harp, Apatzingán, Michoacán, MexicoCarlos Cervantes Mora, guitarra de golpe, Michoacán, MexicoOvaldo Ríos Yañez, five string guitar, Tomatlán, Michoacán, MexicoJesús Espinoza Mendoza, violin, Apatzingán, Michoacán, Mexico
Pokar de Ases -- Pokar de AsesMartín Ruíz Luciano, small drum, San Juan, Guerrero, MexicoZacarías Salmerón Daza, violin, Tlapehuala, Guerrero, MexicoJuan Taviera Simón, violin, Ajuchitlán, Guerrero, MexicoSalomón Echeverría de la Paz, bass guitar, Tlapehuala, Guerrero, MexicoNicolas G. Salmerón, guitar and lead singer, Tlapehuala, Guerrero, Mexico
Grupo de Musica Azteca – Puebla -- Grupo de Musica Azteca – PueblaJulio Ocelo Abrajan, huehuetl playerFrancisco García, redoblante, Tlacopac, San Angel, MexicoCrescenciano Chantes Misnáhuatl, chirimia, Tlacopac, San Angel, Mexico
Los Gavilanes -- Los GavilanesAlberto Hernández Carmona, Veracruz, MexicoFortino Hoz Chávez, jarana, Boca del Rio, Veracruz, New MexicoRamon Hoz Chávez, arpa, Boca del Rio, Veracruz, MexicoEvaristo Silva Reyes, pandero, Tlacotlalpan, Veracruz, MexicoJosé Aguirre Vera, requinto, Tlacotlalpan, Veracruz, Mexico
Banda Sinaloense -- Banda SinaloenseJuventino Cruz, bass drum, Los Angeles, CaliforniaFrancisco Garcia, trombone, Los Angeles, CaliforniaPascual Garxiola, trombone, Los Angeles, CaliforniaAntonio Ibarra, snare drum, Los Angeles, CaliforniaManuel Luna, clarinet, Los Angeles, CaliforniaMiguel Nuñez, clarinet, tuba, Los Angeles, California
Isabella Ortega, 1926-2000, food demonstrator, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Ben Ortega, 1923-1998, wood carver, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Luis Eligio Tapia, 1950-, wood carver, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Conjunto Jarocho -- Conjunto JarochoRoberto Murillo, 1941-2001, Vera Cruz harp player, La Mirada, CaliforniaHarry González, 1932-, guitar and requinto jarocho player, Walnut Creek, CaliforniaSteve Luévano, 1939-, jarana jarocho player, Los Angeles, CaliforniaCarlos Gonzalez, 1936-, jarana jarocho player
José Mariano Ortega, 1921-, corrido singer, guitar player, Los Angeles, California
María Elena Villarreal, corrido singer, guitar player, Los Angeles, California
The Tyrolers -- The TyrolersEmery Wechselberger, 1933-, zither player, yodeler, Leavenworth, WashingtonEric Wechselberger, 1961-, trumpet player, Leavenworth, WashingtonRoy Wechselberger, 1963-, trumpet and bells player, schuhplatt dancer, Leavenworth, WashingtonFranz Schauer, drummer, Seattle, Washington
The Alpiners -- The AlpinersDick Theml, 1922-2003, violin player, singer, Glenview, IllinoisJohn Weber, 1945-, tuba player, Chicago, IllinoisMiles G. Soumar, 1933-2013, clarinet player, Chicago, IllinoisEdward C. Richter, 1917-1998, accordion player, Chicago, IllinoisRichard A. Jenson, 1942-, trumpet player, Palatine, IllinoisJerome C. Olson, 1934-1991, drummer, Chicago, IllinoisHeidi Siewert, 1938-, singer, yodeler, Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Sara Schwarz, 1912-1992, embroiderer, Chicago, Illinois
Rosegger Steirer Group -- Rosegger Steirer GroupBeryl Rossner, 1925-2010, folk dancer, Highland, IndianaCarl Rossner, 1921-1993, folk dancer, Highland, IndianaBarbara Rossner, 1958-, folk dancer, Highland, IndianaMichael Rossner, 1955-, folk dancer, Highland, IndianaBetty Wagner, 1930-, folk dancer, Chicago, IllinoisEdward Wagner, 1958-, folk dancer, Chicago, IllinoisAdolph Wagner, 1924-1982, accordion player, Chicago, IllinoisSharon Schuch, folk dancerMary Schuch, 1928-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisRoberta Schuch, 1961-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisAnthony Schuch, 1928-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisEllen Guenther, 1962-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisHedwig Guenther, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisPaul Coglianese, 1957-, folk dancer, Oak Lawn, IllinoisFred Semmler, 1939-, folk dancer, Chicago, Illinois
Indian
The Chetana Indian Women's Organization, traditional food preparation
Dancers & singers from Manipur
Dancers & singers from Rajasthan and Gujarat
Dancers & singers from the Punjab and Haryana
Mrs. Battobai, folk doll maker
Surya Dev, madhubani painter
Bindeshwari Devi, sikki grass work
Sita Devi, madhubani painter
Mohan Mehar, ikat weaving from Orissa
Shantantra Prakash, craft program coordinator, New Delhi, India
Raghunath Singha, loin loom weaving of Manipur
Indian American
Arun Agrawal, 1945-, singer, dancer, musician, Fall River, Massachusetts
Paul Anderson, 1935-, singer, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Brigitte Geiser, 1941-, field researcher and presenter, Bern, Switzerland
Swiss American
Kapelle Werner Blaser -- Kapelle Werner BlaserWerner Blaser, 1926-, clarinet and saxophone player, Chehalis, WashingtonJoe Blaser, 1956-, clarinet and saxophone player, Chehalis, WashingtonDon Blaser, 1961-, accordion player, Chehalis, WashingtonMary Ann Ackerman, piano player, Orting, WashingtonJoe Burgi, 1906-1990, bass and accordion player, Tacoma, WashingtonRandy Grab, 1953-, bass player, Tacoma, Washington
Young Swiss Musicians -- Young Swiss MusiciansHelen Rast, 1961-, accordion player, San Jose, CaliforniaFrank Rast, 1959-, trumpet and alphorn player, San Jose, CaliforniaFred Rast, 1958-, clarinet, saxophone and alphorn player, San Jose, CaliforniaChristine Anderson, 1961-, bass player, Newark, CaliforniaKaren Anderson, 1959-, clarinet and alto saxophone player, Newark, CaliforniaSonja Ruckli, 1958-, piano player and singer, Newark, CaliforniaMichael Imhof, 1959-, accordion player, Fremont, California
Aelplergruppe -- AelplergruppeSergio Sartori, 1927-1978, accordion player and singer, San Francisco, CaliforniaDennis Sartori, 1954-, accordion player and singer, San Francisco, CaliforniaConrad Grass, 1954-, wrestler, San Bruno, CaliforniaRobert Wipfli, 1953-, wrestler, Fremont, California
Kaspar Hunkeler, flag thrower, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Robbi Hunkeler, flag thrower and alphorn player, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Italian
Calabria
Francesco Crudo, 1933-, piffero (oboe) player, Rombiolo, Italy
Michele Monteleone, 1918-, zampogna player (bagpiper), Rombiolo, Italy
Liguiria
Squadra Nuova Pontedecima, polyphonic chorus
Alessandro Anzini, 1940-, escort, Rome, Italy
Italian American
Basilicata
Antonio Davida, singer, drum player
Calabria
Anunziata Chimento, 1917-2006, singer, masker in Carnevale
Anunziato Chimento, singer, dancer, castanets player, "Doctor" in Carnevale
Franco Cofone, singer, dancer, quadrille caller, "Pulcinella" and master of ceremonies in Carnevale
Giuseppe DeFranco, 1933-, musician, singer, dancer
Raffaela DeFranco, 1935-, singer, dancer
Antonio DiGiacomo, tambourine player, singer, dancer
Carmine Ferraro, singer, dancer, masker in Carnevale
Francesco Feraco, singer, dancer, tambourine player
Angelo Gabriele, 1921-2006, singer, tambourine player, dancer, masker in Carnevale
Angelo Gencarelli, 1920-2004, singer, dancer, "La Quaresima" (Lent) in Carnevale
Federico Gencarelli, singer, tambourine player
Giuglio Gencarelli, singer, "Carnevale" in Carnevale
Maria Melito, dancer, masker in Carnevale
Molise
Vincenzo Deluca, 1933-1983, bagpiper
Sicily
Vincent Ancona, 1915-2000, chanty singer
Nino Curatolo, 1928-1980, singer of chanties, carittiere and fish vendors' songs, jaws harp player
Gaetano D'Angelo, 1906-1996, chanty singer
Giovanni Pellitteri, friscalettu (cane flute) player
Collection Restrictions:
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 rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1976 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Compiled September 2010 by AAG Volunteer, Marca Woodhams
Abbreviation Key for McFarland Color Cards
AAS: -- All-America Selections. Source: AAS.
Amling: -- A. F. Amling Co., Maywood, Illinois. Later Amlings Flowers, Chicago, Illinois. Source: FL '31
Armstrong: -- Armstrong Nurseries, Ontario, California, est. 1889. Roses and fruit trees. Source: FL '31, JSA, ARM
Arnold Arb: -- Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Source: FL '31, AA
B&A: -- Bobbink & Atkins, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Roses. Source: FL '31
Babcock: -- Babcock Peony Gardens, Jamestown, New York. George B. Babcock. Peonies. Source: FL '31, WEIN
Bailey: -- Mrs. Charles D. Bailey, Clerksville [Clarksville], Tennessee. Peonies. Source: FL '31
B.H.: -- Breeze Hill, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Home of J. Horace McFarland.
Bobbink & Atkins: -- Bobbink & Atkins, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Roses. Source: FL '31, TB p.219
Bodger Seeds: -- John Bodger and Sons, Inc., El Monte, California. Founded in 1890. Wholesale flower seed business. Heirloom standards-Gleam Nasturtium, Crackerjack Marigolds, Zinnia Envy, etc. Source: BOD, LOMPOC
Bosley: -- Bosley Nursery, Mentor, Ohio. Specialized in roses. Source: FL '31, MENT
Breck: -- Joseph Breck & Co., Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1818. Source: FL '32
Breeze Hill: -- Breeze Hill, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Home of J. Horace McFarland. Source: TB
Clint McDade: -- Founder of Rivermont Orchids, Signal Mountain, Tennessee. Also Clint McDade & Sons and Semmes Nursery [specialized in camellias and azaleas]. Orchid hybridizer. Source: AOS, AZO, PF
Conard & Jones: -- Conard & Jones Co., West Grove, Pennsylvania. Established in 1897. Roses and flowering plants. Source: FL '31
Conard-Pyle: -- Conard-Pyle, West Grove, Pennsylvania. After 1907 when Pyle purchased Conard & Jones Co. Roses. Source: FL '31
CP: -- Conard-Pyle, West Grove, Pennsylvania. Source: FL '31
C.P.: -- Conard-Pyle, West Grove, Pennsylvania. Source: FL '31
CP Co.: -- Conard-Pyle, West Grove, Pennsylvania. Source: FL '31
Dreer: -- Henry A. Dreer, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded 1838. Seed and florist. Source: FL '31, TB p. 219
Eichelberger
Farr: -- Bertrand H. Farr Wyomissing Nursery Co., Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Founded 1908. Nursery. Later called Farr Nursery and Landscape Company. Source: FL '31, FARR
Gl. St. Mary: -- Glen St. Mary Nursery Company , Glen St. Mary, Florida. Founded in 1882. Citrus plants, the weaver dogwood, magnolia St. Mary, and the George L. Taber azalea. Source: FL '31, , TB, MYFL
Glen St. Mary Nursery: -- Glen St. Mary Nursery Company , Glen St. Mary, Florida. Founded in 1882. Citrus plants, the weaver dogwood, magnolia St. Mary, and the George L. Taber azalea. Source: FL '31, TB, MYFL
Greenbriar: -- Greenbrier Farms, Chesapeake, Viriginia. Started by Robert Earl Thrasher. Fruit trees.
G.S.M.: -- Glen St. Mary Nursery Company , Glen St. Mary, Florida. Founded in 1882. Citrus plants, the weaver dogwood, magnolia St. Mary, and the George L. Taber azalea. Source: FL '31, TB, MYFL
Hastings: -- H. G. Hastings Seed Co., Atlanta, Georgia. Founded 1889. Source: ART, VSC
Herbst Brothers, 92 Warren Street, New York, NY: -- Herbst Brothers, Seedsmen, Inc., New York, New York. Seedsmen. Source: OSU
Hicks: -- Hicks Nurseries, Inc., Westbury, New York. Founded 1853. Trees. Source: FL '30, HICKS
Hume: -- H. Harold Hume [Hardrada Harold Hume], botanist and dean of the College of Agriculture, University of Florida. Azaleas of the Glenn Dale type named after him. Source: PA
IK
Indian Spring Farms: -- Indian Spring Farms, Inc., Baldwinsville, New York. Asters and peonies. Source: SHACK
J&P: -- Jackson & Perkins, Newark, New York. Founded in 1872. Roses. Source: FL '31
Jackson & Perkins: -- Jackson & Perkins, Newark, New York. Founded in 1872. Roses. Source: FL '31
J. H. Hill: -- Joseph H. Hill Co., Richmond, Indiana. Son of Edward Gurney Hill who started a business in 1881 called Hill & Co., later E. G. Hill Co., Richmond, Indiana. Later with his brothers-in-law, Fred Lemon and Earl Mann, he formed a distribution company called Hill Floral Products Co. The company closed in 2007. Roses. Source: FL '31, HR, AARS
Kelway: -- James Kelway. Kelways Plants, Ltd., Langport, Somerset Levels, England. Founded in 1851. Peonies. Source: CB
Lemoine: -- Victor Lemoine, Nancy, France. 1852 first mention of work in Revue Horticole. Hybridist of lilacs. Also Portulaca grandiflora, Begonias, Peony, Pelargoniums. Son Emile and Grandson Henri Lemoine carried on the business until 1960. Source: CB, TAY
Lindley Nurs.: -- J. Van Lindley Nursery Co., Pomona, North Carolina and Lindley Nursery, Greensboro, North Carolina. Formerly Pomona Nursery est. in 1877. Peach trees. Source: FL '30, '31, GHM
Livingston: -- Livingston Seed Co., Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1850. Tomatoes, etc. Source: VSC
Lohrman Seed Co.: -- Lohrman Seed Co., 404 Macomb, Detroit, Michigan. Est. 1893. Source: OSU
Market
Masonic Home "E" town: -- Masonic Home, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Est. 1910. Now called Masonic Village.
McGinness: -- C. R. McGinnis, Reading, Pennsylvania. Rose hips. Source: FL '32
Miche
Miss Trump: -- Bess E. Trump, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Source: TRUMP, ARA
Mrs. Bailey: -- Mrs. Charles D. Bailey, Clerksville [Clarksville], Tennessee. Peonies. Source: FL '31
Murrell: -- Edwin Murrell est. Portland Nurseries, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Rose nursery and seed shop. Sons Owen and Edwin Foley Murrell ran shop starting in 1928. Hilda Murrell, daughter of Owen ran Edwin Murrell Ltd. during its golden years, 1949-1970. Roses. Source: GAR
N.C.
Oberlin Peony Gardens: -- Oberlin Peony Gardens, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. Tritomas and tree peony propagation. Source: OSU
ART: -- "F. J. Cooledge and Sons Company - Hastings' Seed Company." -- Marietta Street ARTery Association -- . Web. 22 Apr. 2010. -- http://www.artery.org/Cooledge-HastingsSeedCo.htm
AZO: -- "Did you ever wonder how an orchid hybrid got its name and information about the hybridizer?" -- The Arizona Orchidist -- , v.43 n.6, June 2007 p.4 [Clint McDade and Rivermont Orchids, Signal Mountain, Tennessee; later Semmes Orchids, Alabama]
BONN: -- "Book of Bonawitz and Bonewitz, part 2, chapter 18, page 1, Feb. 1969." -- Lee R. Bonnewitz -- . 1969. Web. 10 Jun.2010. -- http://bonnewitz.org/Part2/18-01.htm
BRIS: -- A Catalogue of forest trees, evergreen and flowering shrubs, fruit trees, herbaceous, green-house, and hot-house plants, cultivated and sold by John Miller, nurseryman, seedsman, and florist -- . Bristol, CT: Bristol Nursery, 1826.
BURP: -- "The legacy of W. Atlee Burpee." -- W. Atlee Burpee & Co -- . 2010. Web. 17 Jun. 2010. -- http://www.burpee.com/contentarticle.do?itemID=574
CB: -- Carsten Burkhardt's Web Project Paeonia List of breeders, growers, nurseries, etc -- . Web. 10 Jun. 2010 [James Kelway and Victor Lemoine] -- http://www.paeo.ed/h1/sau_sil/wister/buch/135_137.html
DAV: -- PlantFiles -- Detailed information on garden epony Paeonia lactiflora 'Walter Faxon.' Web. 2010 -- http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/190366
FARR: -- "History of Farr Nursery and Landscape Company." -- Farr Nursery and Landscape Company -- . 2002. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. -- http://farrnursery.com/history.php
FL: -- Breeze Hill Gardens (Harrisburg, Pa.) -- Finding-list of plants at Breeze Hill Gardens, Harrisburg, Penna., at the residence of J. Horace McFarland. . .: including trial gardens of the J. Horace McFarland Company -- . Harrisburg, PA: s.n., 1930-1932. [These volumes were annotated by Glendon A. Stevens, J. Horace McFarland's gardener.]
GAR1: -- "Non-competitive exhibits," -- The Garden an illustrated weekly journal of horticulture in all its branches -- , v.62 n.1606, August 30, 1902 p.156. [Edward Murrell]
GAR2: -- "Victor Lemoine, plant hybridist, an appreciation." -- The Garden Magazine -- , May 1917 p. 234. Web. 20 Apr. 2010 -- http://www.earthlypursuits.com/GardenMag/GardenMag0517-234.htm
GEL: -- Gelderen, D. M. van, Piet C. Jong, Herman John Oterdoom. -- Maples of the world -- . Portland, OR: Timber Press, 1994. p.309. [Gulf Stream Nursery, Virginia]
HAR: -- Harper, Raymond L. -- A history of Chesapeake, Virginia -- . Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2008. p.62. [Greenbrier Farms Nursery, Chesapeake, Virginia; later Greenbrier Nursery Products]
MENT: -- "History of Mentor Timeline." -- City of Mentor -- . Web. 2010. [Bosley Nursery, Mentor, OH] -- http://cityofmentor.com/wp-content/uploads/History-Timeline.doc
MOB: -- "Clint McDade dies." -- Mobile Register -- , Thursday, October 2, 1986.
MRM: -- McFarland, J. Horace. -- Memoirs of a Rose Man -- . Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1949.
MYFL: -- "The great Floridians 2000 program." -- My Florida.com, Division of Historical Resources -- . Web. 15 Apr. 2010. [official portal of the state of Florida] [Glen St. Mary Nursery Co., FL] -- http://www.flheritage.com/services/sites/floridians/?section=g
NY1: -- The Talk of the Town, "The Flower Man," -- The New Yorker -- , April 7, 1928, p. 17. [Max Schling]
NY2: -- Harriman, Margaret Case, Profiles, "For Any Occasion," -- The New Yorker -- , July 18, 1936, p. 18. [Max Schling]
OSU: -- "Nursery and seed trade catalogues, 1832-1966." -- Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections -- . 2010.
PA: -- "J. Horace McFarland Papers Container Listings, MG-85 American Civic Association Correspondence, 1908-1924, Box 5." -- Pennsylvania State Archives -- . Web. 15 Apr. 2010. -- http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/Bah/dam/mg/ys/m85ys3.htm
ROE: -- Fusco, Mary Ann Castronovo. "A family of some cultivation." -- New York Times, New Jersey Weekly Desk -- , March 28, 1999. Web. 18 Jun. 2010 [Julius Roehrs Co., East Rutherford, NJ] -- http://www.juliusroehrs.com/inthenews.html
SHACK: -- "Baldwinsville's premiere flower businesses 1902-1934. The story behind the Museum's Heritage Peony Collection, Indian Spring Farms, Inc. and H. B. Williams Aster specialist." -- Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse -- . 2008. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. -- http://www.shacksboromuseum.com/flower_farms.htm
STAR: -- "Our story." -- Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co -- . 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. -- http://ww.starkbros.com/About/ourStory.jsp
TAY: -- Taylor, Judith. "The legacy of Victor Lemoine: hybridizing on a heroic scale." -- Rare Book Review -- , June 2004 p. 42-43. Web. 20 Apr. 2010 -- http://horthistoria.com/?p=115
TB: -- Morrison, Ernest. -- J. Horace McFarland: A Thorn for Beauty -- . Harrisburg, PA: commissioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1995.
TRUMP: -- Trump, Bess E. -- Handbook of botanical names of trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, bulbs, etc -- . Harrisburg, PA: J. Horace McFarland Co., [19 ?]
VSC1: -- "Seed company histories and timelines, including selected seed related organizations." -- Victory Seed Company. 2009 -- . Web. 22 Apr. 2010 -- http://www.saveseeds.org/seedsmen/company_history.html
VSC2: -- "A.W. Livingston & Company, a business timeline." -- Victory Seed Company -- . Web. 22 Apr. 2010. -- http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/livingston/history.html
WALL: -- "Waller Flowerseed Company and Lionel Waller. " Web. 21 Apr. 2010. [website by the grandson of Lionel Waller] -- http://wanderingthewest.com/waller/wallerseed.html
WEIN: -- Weinard, F. F. and Dorner, H. B. -- Peonies: single and Japanese in the Illinois trial garden -- . Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, 1938. [Babcock Peony Gardens, Jamestown, NY; Bonnewitz Gardens (Lee R. Bonnewitz), Van Wert, OH]
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, J. Horace McFarland Company Collection.
Whitehead, Henry P. (Prenton), 1917-2002 Search this
Extent:
156.91 Linear feet (178 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pamphlets
Sound recordings
Clippings
Memorabilia
Newspapers
Photographs
Books
Brochures
Date:
1843-2010
bulk 1940-1986
Summary:
The papers of historian Henry P. Whitehead measure 156.91 linear feet and date from 1843 to 2010 (bulk 1945-1986). The collection documents Whitehead's careers, as well as his family and personal life. The collection also includes the personal papers of Tomlinson D. Todd, Elizabeth B. Delaney and the Howard Theatre Foundation. The combined collection is comprised of black theatrical memorabilia; materials relating to civil rights activities in the District of Columbia; and the African American experience in general. Included are playbills, sheet music, admission tickets, newspapers, magazines, books, photographs, clippings, flyers, brochures, pamphlets, sound recordings, research files, and other material.
Scope and Contents note:
The papers of historian Henry P. Whitehead measure 156.91 linear feet and date from 1843 to 2010 (bulk 1945-1986). The collection includes the personal papers of Henry P. Whitehead, Tomlinson D. Todd, Elizabeth B. Delaney and the Howard Theatre Foundation. The collection is divided into four series.
Series I focuses on Whitehead and includes papers dating from 1843 to his death in 2011. This series includes biographical material including a large amount of appointment books, identification and membership cards, resumes, certificates, and personal and family material.
There is a limited amount of correspondence, which focuses on his personal relationships with family, friends, and general correspondence relating primarily to his work as a local historian.
Also found within Whitehead's papers are countless records from his time employed by the Washington DC government. Materials include memoranda, notes, research material, handbooks, guides, manuals, affirmative action info and records, affirmative action plans, promotion recommendations, recruitment plans and summaries, personnel files (complaints), civil actions and reports related too Whitehead's 37 years of government employment. It reflects the activities of numerous departments, primarily in regards to employment and affirmative action.
There are also a number of files that document Whitehead's involvement in numerous community organizations. Among the organizations in which Whitehead was involved include U Street Festival, Lincoln Corporation, and the U Street Theater Foundation. The papers of the U Street Foundation document the production and establishment of the annual U Street Festival. The Lincoln Theater Foundation and the U Street Theater Foundation papers document the efforts to reopen the Lincoln Theater. Also included are Whitehead's research on the Lincoln as well as old Lincoln Theatre programs. Additionally found within this series are documents and clippings on the economic development within Washington DC particularly in the Shaw/U Street location.
The majority of this series consists of printed material. Printed material in this series includes books, clippings, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, press releases, sheet music, programs as well as promotional material for several Washington DC theaters and organizations. There is a large quantity of theater programs dating from 1900-1986. The majority of the clippings and magazines are theater related topics, coupled with a miscellaneous selection of clippings on topics that presumably captured Whitehead's attention.
Research, notes and writings include a large amount of scrapbooks compiled by Whitehead of mostly photocopied clippings documenting Washington DC history, African American theater history, and general African American history. Five scrapbooks were compiled by an unknown source and were previously housed in the New York Public Library collection. Two scrapbooks are about general theater history one about Frances Starr and one about Margaret Anglin. There is also one scrapbook pertaiing to Mae Hall. Also included are a large amount of research notes and notebooks along with general miscellaneous notes.
There are several photographs of African Americans in the performing arts as well as images of Washington DC and several unidentified men, women, and children.
Audio recordings include 23 cassette from the Alexandria Church of God.
The remainder of the collection consists of the papers of Tomlinson D. Todd, Elizabeth B. Delaney, and those about the Howard Theatre.
The Howard Theatre papers are arranged in Series II and include documents relating to the Washington DC historic Howard Theatre and date from 1910 to 1986. The papers in this series predominantly document the Howard Theatre Foundation's efforts to reestablish and run the Howard Theatre in which Whitehead was the vice president. Records include business correspondence, founding documents, photographs, memoranda, press releases, member lists, financial records, clippings, and scrapbooks of clippings pertaining to the organization and theatre.
The correspondence in the collection include a handful of letters from the Washington DC government along with individuals and organizations. Also included is a large amount of interoffice memoradums.
Administrative records include lawsuits, resolutions, meeting minutes, grant proposals, press releases, memoranda, member lists, studies and reports.
Financial records include check stubs, receipts, invoices, bank statements, expenses, and contribution lists.
Printed material includes original and photocopied clippings relating to the history and coverage of the foundation activities. Mostly promotional material as flyers, brochures, and press releases along with programs. In particular two 1920 Howard Theatre programs.
The scrapbooks of original and photocopied clippings compiled by Whitehead chronicle the history of the theatre and coverage of the foundation activities.
There are three VHS cassette featuring Whitehead discussing the Howard Theatre. Also found in series 2 are numerous stock investment record books belonging to A.E. Lichtman one of the early managers of the Howard Theatre. In addition early correspondence between Lichtman and the Rex Amusement Company concerning operational management issues of the Howard Theatre.
The Tomlinson D. Todd papers are arranged in Series III and date from 1902-1986 they include organization files, collected printed materials, subject files, and personal papers.
The collection includes materials relating to organizations in which there was a relationship to Todd's work and in which he had an interest primarily during the 1940s and 1950s, organizations include the National Negro Congress (ca, 1946-1947); the Congress for Industrial Organizations (1943-1947); National Council of Negro Women (1947-1949); Committee for Racial Democracy in the Nation's Capital (1947-1948).
The subject files include documents from three of Todd's organizations; Institute on Race Relation, Club Internationale, and his radio program "Americans All". As well as printed material from Todd's alma mater Lincoln University.
The largest subject file is "Americans All" which includes radio scripts as well as audio recording of a few programs and public service announcements. Also found are several black and white photographs of Todd at the radio studio.
Printed materials include newspapers, leaflets, convention proceedings, and flyers, There are a large amount of programs ranging from church worship to convention as well as performance.
Also present is a small amount of personal papers, including resumes, certificates, admission tickets, family documents, and travel ephemera from his all expense paid trip to Nigeria.
There are a few photographs of Todd at functions and with notable individuals as well as some family, friends and travel.
Elizabeth's B. Delaney papers are arranged in Series IV and date from 1874-1973.
The papers primarily document her involvement in four organizations, the Grand Oder of Odd Fellow of Kentucky, the Order Eastern Star Kentucky, the State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs of Kentucky and the National Association of Colored Women. There is a small amount of printed material belonging to her son primarily the Alpha Phi Alpha material and Gospel Choral Sheet Music, and books.
The Scrapbook was complied by Whitehead consisting of photocopied clipping documenting the life of Elizabeth B. Delaney.
Arrangement note:
This collection is arranged into four series:
Series 1: Henry P. Whitehead papers
Series 2: Howard Theatre
Series 3: Tomlinson D. Todd
Series 4. Elizabeth B. Delaney
Biographical/Historical note:
Henry Preston Whitehead Jr., was a native of Columbus Ohio. A graduate of Ohio State University, where he also attended law school and was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Mr. Whitehead discovered Washington's "Black Broadway" in 1940, when he was a soldier in town on a weekend furlough. As he served in the Army in the South Pacific during World War II. Prior to moving to Washington DC Henry P. Whitehead worked for five years as a liquor inspector. Mr. Whitehead moved to Washington D.C. in 1949 and worked for the Post Office before working for the District of Columbia government where he stayed 21 years. He led several equal employment initiatives during the 1960s and 1970s, and was last employed as associate director of the District's Office of Human Rights. In 1980 after putting in 37 years of government service Mr. Whitehead retired.
Mr. Whitehead was an historian who led efforts to restore Washington's U Street cultural corridor and achieved recognition as an authority on and collector of black theatrical memorabilia. Mr. Whitehead worked to promote and preserve the city's rich African American cultural heritage.
Mr. Whitehead, served as the chairman and president for 10 years of the Howard Theater Foundation Inc., which he helped establish. There he led the effort to include Howard Theatre in the National Register of Historic Places.
Similarly he was an active member of the U Street Festival Foundation. He was an adviser to the Kennedy Center, Anacostia Museum, and other Smithsonian Institution units and contributed materials to their exhibitions. He was also a consultant to historical documentaries broadcast on public television and radio, including PBS's "Duke Ellington's Washington." His writings included "Remembering U Street," a book used for annual festivals in the historic area.
Mr. Whitehead was also the founder and board member of the Lincoln Theatre Foundation.
Henry P. Whitehead Jr. died on January 8th 2002 at the age of 84.
Provenance:
The collection was donated to the Anacostia Community Museum on September 1, 2005 by Michael A. Watkins.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Rights:
The Henry P. Whitehead collection is the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
Carriers of Culture: Living Native Basket Traditions
Collection Creator:
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
Across North America and throughout the Hawaiian Islands, Native people are engaged in artistic activities deeply rooted in the everyday and ceremonial traditions of their communities. In the face of dwindling or inaccessible natural resources, loss of elders and their specialized knowledge, the profusion of cheap mass-produced goods, and the use-it-and-throw-away attitude of so many, Native artists are nevertheless gathering natural materials and weaving them into objects of beauty and profound meaning. The 2006 Festival program examined the contemporary state of Native weaving in the United States and the ways in which Native baskets - and their makers - are "carriers of culture."
One of the most important developments in indigenous basket weaving was the formation of Native weaving organizations over the previous fifteen years, bringing together weavers from diverse places to identify and examine problems, build a sense of shared experiences, foster communication and networking, share knowledge and skills, and begin to develop strategies to address some of the most critical issues they face. At local and regional gatherings held by these organizations and at workshops or symposia hosted by other supportive agencies, basket weavers began to find common voice as they articulated their concerns and experiences. At the Festival, visitors could listen to those voices while admiring the work of skilled eyes and hands.
The 2006 Festival program reflected the long-term involvement of numerous Native people and provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine contemporary issues across tribal and geographical lines. It also presented a timely opportunity to reflect on recent efforts by Native basket weavers and others to address these issues; the ways in which weaving traditions continue to be passed on; and the meaning weaving has for artists as people and as members of distinct tribal or Native communities. Most importantly, through demonstrations and discussions at the Festival and in the artists' own words, weavers themselves shared these perspectives first hand with Festival visitors.
For Native baskets to continue to be "carriers of culture" for Native traditions, there are still many challenges to overcome - challenges that were identified and discussed by the weavers themselves. The ever-changing natural and built landscape in the United States is leading to loss of plants essential to weaving. As more land moves into private ownership, weavers encounter increasingly limited access to traditional gathering sites. Non-native land management practices continue to affect the health of plant materials and of weavers themselves. Undoubtedly, other challenges to the continuity of the traditions of living Native basketry in the United States will also emerge. While much progress is being made to revitalize the basket traditions in many Native communities, there are other Native communities where basketry is in rapid decline. This means not just fewer baskets, but the irreplaceable loss of an array of indigenous knowledge linked to the art and a diminution of the diversity and richness of our American experience.
As Festival visitors learned, Native baskets were not antiquated containers or artifacts of a past life; they are very much a part of contemporary Native life and identity. Native baskets truly are "carriers of culture": they embody the knowledge of those who have gone before, those who have respect and reverence for the natural world and the plants that form their baskets, and those who have shared their knowledge with others to keep the chain of indigenous knowledge unbroken.
C. Kurt Dewhurst, Marjorie Hunt, and Marsha MacDowell were Curators, with Arlene Reiniger as Program Coordinator, Betty Belanus as Family Activities Area Coordinator, and Mary Monseur as Marketplace Native Basketry Consultant. Curatorial Advisors were: Jennifer Bates, Salli Benedict, Sally Black, Sheree Bonaparte, Peggy Sanders Brennan, Sue Coleman, Sue Ellen Herne, Sara Greensfelder, Elaine Grinnell, Terrol Dew Johnson, Sabra Kauka, Gloria Lomehaftewa, Fred Nahwooksy, Jennifer Neptune, Theresa Parker, Bernadine Phillips, Teri Rofkar, Robin McBride Scott, Theresa Secord, Tatiana Lomehaftewa Slock, and Laura Wong-Whitebear.
The program was produced in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian and Michigan State University Museum. Major support came from the National Museum of the American Indian, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Smithsonian Women's Committee on the occasion of its 40th anniversary. Additional Funding came from Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Michigan State University All-University Research Initiation Grant, Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, Onaway Trust, Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Fund for Folk Culture, Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, and the Cherokee Nation.
Researchers:
Researchers and consultants
Brian Bibby, Dawn Biddison, Deborah Boykin, Peggy Sanders Brennan, Tina Bucavalas, Vernon Chimegalrea, Sue Coleman, Marit Dewhurst, Betty DuPree, Carol Edison, Lynn Martin Graton, Sara Greensfelder, Theresa Harlan, Suzi Jones, Amy Kitchener, Jim Leary, Dayna Bowker Lee, Elizabeth Lee, Molly Lee, Richard March, Kathleen Mundell, Jennifer Neptune, Laura Quackenbush, Karen Reed, Teri Rofkar, Elaine Thatcher, Theresa Secord, Malia Villegas, Lois Whitney, Robin K. Wright
Research Assistants
Beth Donaldson, Marie Gile, Je'Keia Murphy
Presenters:
Howard Bass, Betty Belanus, Salli Benedict, Barry Bergey, Peggy Brennan, Schroeder Cherry, C. Kurt Dewhurst, Amy Echo-Hawk, Carol Edison, Rayna Green, Elaine Grinnell, Emil Her Many Horses, Marjorie Hunt, Sabra Kauka, Jared King, Keevin Lewis, Marsha MacDowell, Diana N'Diaye, Helen Maynor Scheirbeck, Pamela Woodis, Laura Wong-Whitebear
Ganessa Bryant, 1982-, Penobscot, Princeton, Maine
Jeremy Frey, 1978-, Passamaquoddy, Princeton, Maine
George Neptune, 1988-, Passamaquoddy, Princeton, Maine
Molly Neptune Parker, 1939-, Passamaquoddy, Indian Township, Maine
Northeast - Mohawk
Linda Cecilia Jackson, 1954-, St. Regis Mohawk, Akwesasne, New York
Sheila Ransom, 1954-, St. Regis Mohawk, Akwesasne, New York
Great Lakes
Kelly Church, 1967-, Grand Traverse Band of Chippewa and Ottawa, Hopkins, Michigan
Jacob Keshick, 1987-, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa, Pellston, Michigan
Yvonne Walker Keshick, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa, Pellston, Michigan
Cherish Nebeshanze Parrish, 1989-, Gun Lake Band of Potawatomi, Hopkins, Michigan
John Pigeon, 1957-, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Dorr, Michigan
Johnny Pigeon, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Dorr, Michigan
Kellogg Cultural Heritage Fellows
Kellogg Cultural Heritage Fellows are young Native people participating "behind-the-scenes" at the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival and at the National Museum of the American Indian, made possible by a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to the Michigan State University Museum.
Samantha Jacobs, 1983-, Seneca Nation of Indians, Collins, New York
Crystal Marie Keta Mann, 1987-, Tsimshian and Tlingit, Ketchikan, Alaska
Vanessa Manuel, 1985-, Onk Akimel O'odham, Scottsdale, Arizona
Mary Mokihana Martin, 1985-, Native Hawaiian, Honolulu, Hawai'i
Elizabeth Ann Parker, 1988-, Makah, Neah Bay, Washington
Gabe Paul, 1985-, Penobscot, Indian Island, Maine
Laura Sanders, 1980-, Karuk and Yurok, Orleans, California
Ahtkwiroton Skidders, 1982-, Mohawk, Rooseveltown, New York
Lynda Squally, 1981-, Chinook and Puyallup, Milton, Washington
Tony Stevens, 1985-, Wasco, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Warm Springs, Oregon
Carly Tex, 1984-, Western Mono, Rohnert Park, California
Kellogg Next Generation Weavers
Kellogg Next Generation Weavers are young Native people who have demonstrated a strong interest in basketry and will be weaving at the 2006 Smithsonian Folklife Festival alongside older mentor culture-bearers. Their participation in the Festival is made possible by a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to the Michigan State University Museum.
Kayla Black, 1992-, Navajo, Mexican Hat, New Mexico
Ganessa Bryant, 1982-, Penobscot, Princeton, Maine
Jeremy Frey, 1982-, Passamaquoddy, Princeton, Maine
Khia Grinnell, 1985-, Jamestown S'Klallam and Lummi, Sequim, Washington
Ursula Jones, 1972-, Yosemite Miwok, Mono Lake Paiute, Kashaya Pomo, and Coast Miwok, Mammoth Lakes, California
Jacob Keshick, 1987-, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa, Pellston, Michigan
Joseph Lopez, 1978-, Tohono O'odham, Tucson, Arizona
Theresa Mendoza, 1985-, Makah, Neah Bay, Washington
George Neptune, 1988-, Passamaquoddy, Princeton, Maine
Cherish Nebeshanze Parrish, 1989-, Gun Lake Band of Potawatomi, Hopkins, Michigan
Craig Phillips, 1989-, Colville, Omak, Washington
Johnny Pigeon, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Dorr, Michigan
Harold "Jimmi" Plaster, 1988-, Lummi, Bellingham, Washington
Lynda Squally, 1981-, Chinook and Puyallup, Milton, Washington
Collection Restrictions:
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 rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2006 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 "economic crisis" of the early 1980s rivaled the Great Depression of the 1930s in its impact on family farming. Its effects were still being felt in 1991. Some farms that had been in families for a century or more had gone bankrupt; people who loved working the land had been forced to move to towns or cities and work in factories or offices. In many rural areas, churches and schools closed or merged with those in nearby towns because populations had become depleted. Some farmers complained they didn't know their neighbors anymore, as farmland was turned into housing developments or bought up by large agribusinesses. But many family farms survived. In spite of the ups and downs of fluctuating agricultural markets, unpredictable weather, and debt payments, family farmers found strategies to persevere.
Smithsonian researchers identified two things that the families researched for this year's Festival had in common: a body of skills and knowledge inherited between generations within an ethnic and rural tradition; and a keen interest in and understanding of their rural past, reflected in family histories, stories, photos and memorabilia. These two qualities - knowledge and consciousness - can be called "family farm folklore," and they have helped rural families maintain a way of life few of them would willingly trade for easier and often more profitable lives in towns and cities.
The old and the new, the older generation and the younger generation, come together on the family farm. Like folklore itself, life on the family farm embodies both continuity and disjuncture, change and durability. At the Festival, farming families from twelve midwestern states presented their culture through family folklore and storytelling, community celebrations, and demonstrations of work skills - from machinery repair to computer-based management of breeding records. Farm families try to preserve a way of life and to remain stewards of the land. But today their task is more complex than it has ever been, given the economic, technological and informational revolutions in farming. Festival visitors could understand how tensions between an increased productivity through innovation on one hand and a preservation of family lifeways and values on the other, animated the family farmers' challenge of living off and caring for the land.
Betty J. Belanus was Curator of the program, and Barbara Lau was Program Coordinator, with Doris Dietrich as Assistant Program Coordinator. Family Farming in the Heartland was made possible with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Fieldworkers and research associates:
Fieldworkers
Phyllis Brockmeyer, David Brose, Tim Cooley, Mark Esping, LeeEllen Friedland, Janet Gilmore, Judy Heffernan, Lisa Heffernan, Marjorie Hunt, Melanie LaBorwit, James P. Leary, Marsha McDowell, Bill Moore, John Reynolds, Larry Rutter, Lydia Sage-Chase, Dorothy Shonsey, Mike Shonsey, Catherine Swanson, Norberta Tijerina, Charlie Walden, Peter Wehr
Research Associates
Jane Adams, Eleanor Arnold, Barry Bergey, Ray Brassieur, Jenny Chin, Lynn Ireland, Gordon Kellenberger, Tim Lloyd, Carl Magnuson, Richard March, Phil Nusbaum, Steve Ohrn, J. Sanford Rikoon, Howard Sacks
Presenters:
Eleanor Arnold, Barry Bergey, David Brose, Charley Camp, Mike Combs, LeeEllen Friedland, Judy Heffernan, Marjorie Hunt, Melanie LaBorwit, James P. Leary, Marsha McDowell, J. Sanford Rikoon, Howard Sacks, Lydia Sage-Chase, Mike Shonsey, Catherine Swanson, Jennifer Thisson, Charlie Walden
Participants:
Farm Families
Arnold Family -- Arnold FamilyClarence "Jake" Arnold, 1925-, hog and grain farming, Rushville, IndianaEleanor Arnold, hog and grain farming, Rushville, IndianaJohn Arnold, 1955-, hog and grain farming, Rushville, IndianaLeslie Arnold, 1953-, hog and grain farming, Rushville, Indiana
Borman Family -- Borman FamilyHarlan Borman, 1939-, dairy farming, Kingdom City, MissouriKatherine Borman, 1967-, dairy farming, Kingdom City, MissouriKelly Bormah, 1965-, dairy farming, Kingdom City, MissouriTimothy Borman, 1965-, dairy farming, Kingdom City, Missouri
Cerny Family -- Cerny FamilyAnthony Cerny, tomato, pepper, grain, and beef cattle farming, Cobden, IllinoisBetty Cerny, 1929-, tomato, pepper, grain, and beef cattle farming, Cobden, IllinoisEric Cerny, 1972-, tomato, pepper, grain, and beef cattle farming, Cobden, IllinoisJosephine Cerny, tomato, pepper, grain, and beef cattle farming, Cobden, IllinoisNorbert Cerny, tomato, pepper, grain, and beef cattle farming, Cobden, IllinoisRichard Cerny, 1932-, tomato, pepper, grain, and beef cattle farming, Cobden, IllinoisTheresa Cerny, tomato, pepper, grain, and beef cattle farming, Cobden, IllinoisThomas Cerny, tomato, pepper, grain, and beef cattle farming, Cobden, Illinois
Dahl Family -- Dahl FamilyPascalena Dahl, 1918-1998, dairy farming and gardening, Mineral Point, WisconsinTony Dahl, 1964-, dairy farming and gardening, Mineral Point, WisconsinVickie Dahl, 1961-, dairy farming and gardening, Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Gustad Family -- Gustad FamilyJeannie Gustad, 1941-, hog and grain farming, Volin, South DakotaOrdell "Bud" Gustad, 1940-, hog and grain farming, Volin, South DakotaPaul Gustad, 1964-, hog and grain farming, Volin, South DakotaShari Gustad, 1964-, hog and grain farming, Volin, South DakotaSteve Gustad, 1963-, hog and grain farming, Volin, South DakotaVirginia Gustad, 1962-, hog and grain farming, Volin, South Dakota
Hill Family -- Hill FamilyLynnette Hill, potato farming, Imlay City, MichiganRussell Hill, potato farming, Imlay City, MichiganShannon Hill, potato farming, Imlay City, MichiganTyrone Hill, 1951-, potato farming, Imlay City, Michigan
Holmquist Family -- Holmquist FamilyDarrel Holmquist, 1921-, wheat and beef cattle farming, Smolan, KansasMarlysue Holmquist, 1947-, wheat and beef cattle farming, Smolan, KansasMary Holmquist, 1919-, wheat and beef cattle farming, Smolan, KansasThomas Holmquist, 1954-, wheat and beef cattle farming, Smolan, Kansas
Jones Family -- Jones FamilyBrendan Jones, 1980-, hog, beef cattle and grain farming, Ainsworth, NebraskaCarol Jones, 1940-, hog, beef cattle and grain farming, Ainsworth, NebraskaDavid Jones, 1940-, hog, beef cattle and grain farming, Ainsworth, NebraskaLois Jones, 1923-, hog, beef cattle and grain farming, Ainsworth, Nebraska
Logenbach Family -- Logenbach FamilyConnie Logenbach, 1940-, cucumber, sugar beet and cattle farming, Fremont, OhioLarry Logenbach, 1940-, cucumber, sugar beet and cattle farming, Fremont, OhioMike Logenbach, 1970-, cucumber, sugar beet and cattle farming, Fremont, Ohio
Peters Family -- Peters FamilyLarry D. Peters, 1952-, popcorn and beef cattle farming, Vallonia, IndianaLavena Peters, 1922-1993, popcorn and beef cattle farming, Vallonia, IndianaPeg Peters, 1953-, popcorn and beef cattle farming, Vallonia, IndianaRalph Peters, 1921-2003, popcorn and beef cattle farming, Vallonia, Indiana
Simanek Family -- Simanek FamilyAllen Simanek, 1960-, grain and beef cattle farming, Walker, IowaArthur Simanek, 1918-2005, grain and beef cattle farming, Walker, IowaDorothy Simanek, 1924-, grain and beef cattle farming, Walker, IowaLinda Simanek, grain and beef cattle farming, Walker, Iowa
Sage-Chase and Voigt Family -- Sage-Chase and Voigt FamilyLouise Otter "Pretty Eagle" Sage, 1912-1994, Mandan Indian gardening, Halliday, North DakotaBob "Moves Slowly" Sage-Chase, 1934-, Mandan Indian gardening, Halliday, North DakotaAnn Charity "Cornsilk" Voigt, 1928-, Mandan Indian gardening, Halliday, North DakotaJanet "Bird Woman" Voigt, 1964-, Mandan Indian gardening, Halliday, North Dakota
Tomesh Family -- Tomesh FamilyJohn Tomesh, 1919-1999, dairy farming, Rice Lake, WisconsinJoseph Tomesh, 1922-, dairy farming, Rice Lake, WisconsinRose Tomesh, 1928-, dairy farming, Rice Lake, WisconsinVirginia Tomesh, 1929-, dairy farming, Rice Lake, Wisconsin
Tom Weisgerber, 1971-, fiddle, St. Peter, Minnesota
Michele Blizzard, 1964-, fiddle, Frazeyburg, Ohio
Midwestern Parlor Music Styles
Art Galbraith, fiddle, Springfield, Missouri
Paul Keller, 1920-1994, ragtime piano, Hutchinson, Kansas
Gordon McCann, 1931-, guitar, Springfield, Missouri
Bob Andresen, 1937-, guitar, Duluth, Minnesota
Gary Andresen, guitar, Duluth, Minnesota
Farm Songs and Stories
Chuck Suchy, singer, songwriter, Mandan, North Dakota
Michael Cotter, 1931-, storyteller, Austin, Minnesota
Brian and the Mississippi Valley Dutchmen -- Brian and the Mississippi Valley DutchmenBrian Brueggen, band, leader, concertina, Cashton, WisconsinWilhelm Oelke, 1929-1998, drums, vocals, Coon Valley, WisconsinLouis E. Allen, 1932-, tuba, McFarland, WisconsinPhilip Brueggen, 1931-, trumpet, vocals, Cashton, WisconsinDon Burghardt, 1931-, trumpet, trombone, vocals, Sturdevant, WisconsinMilton "Tony" Jorgenson, 1920-, banjo, Coon Valley, Wisconsin
Moon Mullins and the Traditional Grass -- Moon Mullins and the Traditional GrassPaul "Moon" Mullins, fiddle, vocals, Middletown, OhioGerald Evans, Jr., mandolin, vocals, Cincinnati, OhioGlen Inman, 1944-, bass, West Carrollton, OhioWilliam Joseph "Joe" Mullins, banjo, vocals, Hamilton, OhioCharles Mark Rader, 1956-, guitar, vocals, Trenton, Ohio
Farm Broadcasting
Rich Hawkins, 1942-, KRVN, Lexington, Nebraska
Lee Kline, 1930-, WHO, Des Moines, Iowa
Verlene Looker, 1945-, KMA, Shenandoah, Iowa
Collection Restrictions:
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 rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1991 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Bryce Canyon National Park -- photographs -- 1930-1940 -- Utah
Wyoming -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Colorado -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- photographs -- 1930-1940
South Dakota -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Florida -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Georgia -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Tennessee -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Zion National Park (Utah) -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Kentucky -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Mt. Rushmore S.D. -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Black Hills (S.D. and Wyo.) -- photographs -- 1930-1940
Badlands National Park (S.D.) -- 1930-1940 photographs
Date:
1935 - 1940
Summary:
The collection consists of a disassembled photograph album, featuring images from the travels of Stauffer and his wife.
Scope and Contents:
This album consists of 109 loose pages, bearing a total of 134 black and white silver gelatin photoprints, some postcards, and a photomechanical reproduction clipped from a publication, with a 1939 World's Fair ticket stub. The subjects of the photographs include: Lincoln's birthplace and other sites in Kentucky; Tennessee; Georgia; Florida; Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts; the 1939 New York World's Fair, ships in Battery Park and Manhattan buildings; the ships The Normandie, The Queen Mary, and The U.S.S. Constitution and the Southern Clipper airplane; the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota, Cathedral Spires and Mount Rushmore portrait busts during construction; Yellowstone National Park and Wyoming; Rocky Mountain National Park, Pikes Peak and Denver, Colorado; Bryce Canyon, the Mormon Temple, Zion National Park, Salt Lake City and other areas of Utah; Boulder Dam; Santa Catalina Island; Carlsbad Caverns; and celebrities Bill Robinson and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson at a barbecue in Los Angeles. There are also photographs of the Stauffers and of friends whom they visited during their travels.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into
Biographical / Historical:
Born in Alliance, Ohio on November 28, 1899, Clyde Stauffer served in the U.S. Navy from November 8, 1917 to July 31, 1919. He later worked as a police officer in Detroit, Michigan. He and his wife were active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars police post in Detroit, serving terms as post commander and president of the Women's Auxiliary, respectively. They traveled extensively throughout the United States to attend VFW meetings, and the album forms a record of their travels during the years 1935-1940. After retirement from the Detroit police force, the Stauffers moved to Oscoda, Michigan, and he worked at Wurtsmith Air Force Base. Later they lived in Tucson, Arizona. Stauffer died in August, 1984.
Album forms a record of vacation travel by Mr. and Mrs. Clyde W. Stauffer, 1935-1940. Their travels were occasioned by Mr. Stauffer's position as commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars police post of Detroit, Michigan, and the need to attend V.F.W. meetings around the country. Mrs. Stauffer was president of the V.F.W. auxiliary. Mr. and Mrs. James H. Stern met the Stauffers in Oscoda, Michigan, and both families eventually relocated in Tucson, Arizona.
Provenance:
This collection was bequeathed by Clyde W. Stauffer in August 1984. Mr. Stern, as administrator of the estate, sent the album to the Museum.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
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:
Automobile travel -- Photographs -- 1930-1940 -- U.S.A. Search this
Cultural Conservation: Traditional Crafts in a Post-Industrial Age
Collection Creator:
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
Second in a series, the 1986 Cultural Conservation program presented a variety of craftspeople who singly and together define what is traditional about their crafts, how these are practiced in our country today, and why they are worth preserving for the future. These crafts, in a sense, record the resonances between a craftsperson's skill and the aesthetics of a particular tradition. Traditional crafts also record the craftsperson's use of the local environment and his or her negotiation with a sometimes changing market. It is these layerings of meaning and tone that define the communal base of folk crafts, and Festival visitors were able to interact directly with the featured craft presenters and to listen in on comparative workshops addressing shared challenges. Craft presentations including African American quilting, Cherokee basket making, Hispanic weavers and woodcarvers, Hmong needle workers, rag rug weavers, southern potters, split-oak basket makers, stone carvers, and Zuni maiden makers and potters.
Marjorie Hunt served as Cultural Conservation Program Curator, and Ann Dancy as Assistant Program Coordinator. An Advisory Board included Charles Briggs, Charley Camp, Henry Glassie, Bess Lomax Hawes, Alan Jabbour, Suzi Jones, Ralph Rinzler, William Sturtevant, Robert Teske, John Vlach.
Cultural Conservation: Traditional Crafts in a Post-Industrial Age was made possible in part by the generous support of the Laborers' International Union of North America and the National Italian-American Foundation, in memory of Andrew E. Bernasconi.
Consultants and fieldworkers:
Consultants
Rayna Green, Robert Hart, Myles Libhart, Leslie Prosterman, Geoff Staman, Nancy Sweezy, Terry Zug
Fieldworkers
Jane Beck, Carole Boughter, Charles Briggs, David Brose, Charley Camp, Doug DeNatale, Roland Freeman, Margaret Hardin, Marjorie Hunt, Geraldine Johnson, Phyllis M. May, Sally Peterson, Jim Ustler
Presenters:
Jane Beck, Charles Briggs, Carole Boughter, David Brose, Olivia Cadaval, Charley Camp, Doug DeNatale, Betty DuPree, Etta Edwards, Gladys-Marie Fry, Rayna Green, Geraldine Johnson, Alice Killackey, Helen Lucero, Phyllis M. May, Sally Peterson, Gregory Sharrow, John Vlach
Delores Marie Medina, 1966-, Hispanic weaver, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Norma Medina, 1941-, Hispanic weaver, Medanales, New Mexico
Josephine Nahohai, 1911-2006, Zuni potter, Zuni, New Mexico
Milford Nahohai, 1953-, Zuni potter, Zuni, New Mexico
Randy Nahohai, 1957-, Zuni potter, Zuni, New Mexico
Neolia Cole Perkinson, 1927-, Southern potter, Sanford, North Carolina
Anderson Peynetsa, 1964-, Zuni potter, Zuni, New Mexico
Felix Rubio, stone carver, Barre, Vermont
Gary Sassi, stone carver, Barre, Vermont
Gino John Sassi, 1922-1997, stone carver, Barre, Vermont
Mary L. Scarbrough, 1918-2008, Afro-American quilter, Eutaw, Alabama
Thelma Sheche, Olla Maiden, Zuni, New Mexico
Mitchell Shelton, 1951-, Southern potter, Seagrove, North Carolina
Pang Xiong Sirirathasuk, 1944-, Hmong needle worker, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
Emma S. Taylor, 1920-2002, Cherokee basket maker, Cherokee, North Carolina
Mai Vong Xiong, 1967-, Hmong needle worker, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Xai Kao Xiong, 1912-1994, Hmong elder, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bao Yang, 1930-, Hmong needle worker, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Collection Restrictions:
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 rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1986 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
T9: ELVIE ABRAMSON CONT.: WEAVERS, KNITTING, CROCHETING, EMBROIDERY, PATCHWORK, TAKANA TECHNIQUE, RYIJY TECHNIQUE; DAVE WALLI: SNOWSCOOP MAKING MUCH MORE DETAIL IN SOUND LOG IN FW FILE
Track Information:
101 Weaving / Elvie Abramson.
102 Snowscoop Making / Dave Walli.
Local Numbers:
FP-1987-CT-0033-2
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Michigan, United States, October 31, 1986.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
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.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Collection Restrictions:
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 rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1987 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:
From the State of Michigan, ninety of its residents came to the 1987 Festival to speak about and demonstrate some of the rich traditional culture from that region. To help create a festival setting in which performers of valued traditions could speak about their experiences and heritages with performed music, active demonstrations, and spoken words seemed a most appropriate way to celebrate the sesquicentennial of that geographically endowed, historically important and culturally rich state.
Throughout Michigan's history those who migrated to the state have been drawn by - or have themselves introduced - fishing, trapping, mining, lumbering, farming, and automobile manufacturing. The lore of such occupations, combined with the rich ethnic heritage of those who built Michigan, form the essence of the state's traditional culture. Michigan today is home to more than one hundred different nationalities, including the country's largest population of Finns, Belgians, Maltese, and Chaldeans; the second largest numbers of Dutch, Lebanese, and French Canadians; and perhaps the largest concentration of Muslim Arabs (in southeast Dearborn) outside the Middle East. Detroit alone is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country. The heritage of these diverse groups - along with those of Native, Euro Americans, and Afro Americans who migrated to Michigan throughout the state's history - give Michigan folklife its distinctive characteristics.
Complementing a full performance schedule that highlighted Michigan's diverse musical heritage, ongoing demonstrations included lure making, fly tying, boat building, Native American quillwork, black ash basketry, finger weaving and beadwork, Dutch wooden shoe making, furniture carving, Afro American quilt making, Palestinian needlework, Ukrainian textiles and egg decorating, ski and sleigh making, decoy carving, rag rug weaving, cherry harvesting & pruning, evergreen nursery techniques, net making, and ice fishing.
Betty Belanus, Laurie Sommers, and Thomas Vennum, Jr. served as Curators for the Michigan program, with Laurie Sommers also serving as Program Coordinator and Barbara Lau, as Assistant Program Coordinator.
The Michigan Program was made possible by the Michigan Sesquicentennial Commission and the Michigan Department of State.
Fieldworkers and consultants:
Fieldworkers
Dennis Au, Michael Bell, Horace Boyer, John Alan Cicala, Timothy Cochrane, Gregory Cooper, C. Kurt Dewhurst, Stev'e Frangos, Roland Freeman, Janet Gilmore, Alicia María González, James Leary, Yvonne Lockwood, Marsha MacDowell, Phyllis M. May-Machunda, Mario Montaño, Earl Nyholm, Marsha Penti, Roger Pilon, Peter Seitel, Eliot Singer, Laurie Sommers, Nicholas R. Spitzer, Thomas Vennum, Jr.
Consultants
George Cornell, LuAnne Kozma, Robert McCarl, Oscar Paskal, Barry Lee Pearson, Joseph Spielberg
Presenters:
Dennis Au, Horace Boyer, C. Kurt Dewhurst, Paul Gifford, Janet Gilmore, James Leary, William Lockwood, Yvonne Lockwood, Marsha MacDowell, Earl Nyholm, Mario Montaño, Roger Pilon, Joseph Spielberg, Nicholas R. Spitzer, Benjamin Wilson
Sensational Gospel Tones -- Sensational Gospel TonesAlfred Charleston, Grand Rapids, MichiganDonald Charleston, lead guitar and bass player, Grand Rapids, MichiganJuanita Charleston, Grand Rapids, MichiganRev. Leon Charleston, Grand Rapids, MichiganHenrietta Fields, Grand Rapids, MichiganTanya Johnson, vocalist, drummer, Grand Rapids, MichiganNathaniel Smith, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Sugar Island Boys, Anglo-French string band -- Sugar Island Boys, Anglo-French string bandRené Coté, fiddle player, Ontario, CanadaHoney McCoy, 1904-1988, piano player, vocalist, Sault Ste. Marie, MichiganJoe Menard, 1935-, guitar player, vocalist, Sault Ste. Marie, MichiganTom Stevens, Dobro player, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Bill Stimac & Sons, music from the Keweenaw Peninsula -- Bill Stimac & Sons, music from the Keweenaw PeninsulaBill Stimac, 1923-, accordion player, Houghton, MichiganMark Stimac, 1956-, banjo and guitar player, Houghton, MichiganRandy Stimac, 1958-, accordion player, Houghton, Michigan
Thimbleberry, Finnish music -- Thimbleberry, Finnish musicEd Lauluma, 1921-2005, fiddle player, Chassell, MichiganAl Reko, 1933-, accordion player, vocalist, St. Paul, Minnesota, MichiganOren Tikkanen, mandolin and guitar player, Calumet, Michigan
Yemeni Folkloric Dance Group, Arab village music -- Yemeni Folkloric Dance Group, Arab village musicSaleh Alward, dancer, Dearborn, MichiganMohsin Elgabri, dramatist, dancer, Oud player, Dearborn, MichiganAlsanabani Faris, dancer, Dearborn, MichiganSaeed Masjahri, dancer, Dearborn, MichiganM. Aideroos Mohsen, dancer, Dearborn, MichiganAbdo Ali Saeed, dancer, Dearborn, MichiganOmar A. Wahashi, oud and tabla player, Dearborn, Michigan
Rose Mae Menard, 1901-1988, come¬dienne, storyteller, herbalist, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Art Moilanen, 1916-1995, vocalist, accordion player, Mass City, Michigan
Les Raber, fiddle player, Hastings, Michigan
Isaiah "Dr." Ross, 1925-1993, blues musician, Flint, Michigan
Occupations
Esperanza Alcala, ever¬green nursery worker, Grand Haven, Michigan
Steven B. Fouch, 1952-, cherry grower, extension agent, Grawn, Michigan
Elias Lopez, 1935-2004, evergreen nursery worker, Grand Haven, Michigan
Damien Lunning, trapper, Mio, Michigan
Judith Lunning, trapper, game cook, Mio, Michigan
Pedro Rodriguez, ever¬green nursery worker, Grand Haven, Michigan
Personal Experience Narrative, Flint Sit-Down Strike
Fred Ahearn, 1910-1991, Flint, Michigan
Burt Christenson, Flint, Michigan
Shirley Foster, Flint, Michigan
Berdene "Bud" Simons, Newport Richey, Florida
Nellie Simons, Newport Richey, Florida
Waterways
Josephine F. Sedlecky-Borsum, sports shop owner, fly tier, Baldwin, Michigan
Ray Davison, Great Lakes fisherman, Menominee, Michigan
Dick Grabowski, 1931-2006, Great Lakes fisherman, Menominee, Michigan
Charlie Nylund, 1933-, Great Lakes fisherman, Menominee, Michigan
Jay Stephan, river guide, boat builder, Grayling, Michigan
Elman G. "Bud" Stewart, 1913-1999, lure maker, Alpena, Michigan
Jim Wicks, ice fisherman, decoy carver, McMillan, Michigan
Ralph Wilcox, Great Lakes fisherman, fish smoker, Brimley, Michigan
David Wyss, river guide, boat builder, fly tier, Grayling, Michigan
Collection Restrictions:
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 rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1987 Festival of American Folklife, 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 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 rinzlerarchives@si.edu for additional information.
Collection Rights:
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.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Use of electronic records with no duplicate copies requires advance notice.
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:
Parish Gallery records, 1940-2013. 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 of this collection was provided by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation.
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959 -- Photographs Search this
Extent:
13.3 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographs
Scrapbooks
Diaries
Christmas cards
Designs
Interviews
Sketchbooks
Sketches
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Place:
Japan -- Description and Travel
Date:
1880s-1997
Summary:
The collection measures 13.3 linear feet, dates from the 1880s-1997 and documents the life and varied career of Rudolph Schaeffer, artist, designer, teacher, writer, collector of Asian art, and pioneer in the field of color study who founded the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in San Francisco in 1926. The papers include biographical information, correspondence, subject files, writings, diaries, journals, artwork, scrapbooks, sound recordings, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The collection measures 13.3 linear feet, dates from the 1880s-1997, and documents the life and varied career of Rudolph Schaeffer, artist, designer, teacher, writer, collector of Asian art, and pioneer in the field of color study who founded the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in San Francisco in 1926. The papers include biographical information, correspondence, subject files, writings, diaries, journals, artwork, scrapbooks, sound recordings, and photographs.
Correspondence documents Schaeffer's personal and professional activities as well as the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design. Subject files contain various combinations of correspondence, photographs, printed material, and drawings reflecting Schaeffer's activities, projects, and interests. Within the subject files is correspondence with artists, including Mark Tobey. Extensive writings include manuscripts for published and unpublished articles and drafts, notes, and manuscripts of several unpublished books including Collected Lectures of Rudolph Schaeffer on Color and Design, Color and Design, Prismatic Color Theory, and Rhythmo-Chromatics, all undated. Diaries include a volume recording Schaeffer's 1936 trip to Japan. 42 volumes of journals, compiled between 1954 and 1987, contain entries on a wide range of subjects including lists of errands, invitation lists, class notes, drafts of letters, notes including staff assignments and staff meetings, autobiographical notes and reminiscences, and musings on religion and philosophy.
The Artwork series houses artwork by Schaeffer and his students. Found are hand-made Christmas cards, designs, sketches, and sketchbooks. Seven scrapbooks document Rudolph Schaeffer's career, his school and former students, and the San Francisco art scene. They contain printed material, photographs, letters, and a small amount of artwork. Volume 3 is devoted to East West Gallery, and volume 7 documents Rudolph Schaeffer's 90th Birthday and the 50th Anniversary of the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design.
Most untranscribed sound recordings (audio cassettes and reels) are of lectures by Schaeffer and others delivered at the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design.
Miscellaneous records includes a series of hand-baticked fabric samples from the Wiener Werkstatte, as well as transcripts of an oral history with Schaeffer and other interviews.
Printed material concerns the career of Rudolph Schaeffer, his school and former students, the San Francisco art scene, and general art topics. Included are articles and a book by Schaeffer, catalogs and other items produced by the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, and miscellaneous items about or mentioning Schaeffer and his school. Items of note are announcements of courses taught by Schaeffer in Piedmont and San Francisco prior to the opening of his school, and theatre programs from productions with sets and some costumes designed by Schaeffer in the early 1920s.
Photographs are of artwork, people, places, events, stage designs, and miscellaneous subjects. Artwork includes some designs by Rudolph Schaeffer; people include Schaeffer, his family, friends, and students. Of particular note are a photograph of Frank Lloyd Wright's visit to the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, and one of Rudolph Schaeffer and Imogen Cunningham. Places include interior and exterior views of the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design at its St. Anne Street and Mariposa Street locations. Also included are photographs by Ansel Adams of the home of Ed and Caroline Fey.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 10 series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Biographical Information, 1900-1988 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1906-1989 (Box 1, 19; 0.5 linear ft.)
Series 3: Subject Files, 1907-1988 (Boxes 1-2, OV 16; 1.3 linear ft.)
Series 4: Writings, circa 1910-1987 (Boxes 2-6, 15, 19, 21; 4.2 linear ft.)
Series 5: Artwork, 1911-1957 (Boxes 6-15, 19, 21 OV 17; 0.6 linear ft.)
Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1933-1976 (Boxes 6, 14, 19; 0.6 linear ft.)
Series 7: Sound Recordings, 1949-1986 (Boxes 11-13; 1.2 linear ft.)
Series 8: Miscellaneous Records, 1905-1986 (Box 7, 19, 22; 0.8 linear ft.)
Series 9: Printed Material, 1906-1994 (Boxes 7-8, 15, 19, 22; 1.2 linear ft.)
Series 10: Photographs, 1880s-circa 1988 (Boxes 8-10,15, 20, 22, OV 18; 1.8 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Rudolph Schaeffer (1886-1988), a proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement, aspired to unite technology, science, and lifestyle in order to live in harmony with nature. An individual with many talents and interests, he was best known for his work in the field of color study and as a teacher and the founder of the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in San Francisco.
Born on a farm in Clare, Michigan in 1886, Rudolph Schaeffer displayed musical and artistic talent from a young age. Although he initially wanted to become a professional musician, he began focusing more on art when his musical abilities were compromised by an improperly set broken wrist. Schaeffer received his first formal art training as a high school student and then attended the Thomas Normal Training School in Detroit, where he studied music, art, and design. He continued studying independently, developing interests in calligraphy and metal craft.
In 1907, Schaeffer taught manual training courses in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. The following summer he traveled to Paris and London. While in London he saw an exhibition of Josef Hoffman's modern interiors that had a great impact on his own design ideas. He then returned to Michigan and taught in schools close to home. In 1909, Schaeffer attended a design course in Minneapolis taught by A. E. Batchelder, director of Throop Polytechnic Institute in Pasadena. Both Batchelder and his course were strong influences on Schaeffer, as was Ralph Johnot, a proponent of Arthur Wesley Dow's design principles. In 1910 Schaeffer joined the faculty of Throop Polytechnic Institute, where he remained for five years.
The U. S. Commission on Education selected Schaeffer to be part of a delegation of twenty-five American teachers sent to Munich for several months in 1914 to investigate the exemplary industrial design curriculum offered in their secondary schools. Schaeffer subsequently expected to begin teaching at the Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles at the start of the 1914 school year, but World War I erupted while he was in Germany and his return to the United States was delayed so long that another teacher had to be hired to fill his place.
In 1915 Schaeffer was a manual training instructor at the California College of Arts and Crafts (formerly the Hopkins School), and taught design and metal crafts at the University of California Berkeley. For a number of years afterwards, he did free lance design work, taught private classes, and ran a small summer school in his Piedmont studio. Schaeffer was a visiting professor at Stanford University in 1918 when he was drafted and sent to drafting and surveying courses by the Army. Between 1917 and 1924 Schaeffer was on the faculty of the California College of Arts and Crafts where he taught design, color, handicrafts, and interior design. During this period he developed a new approach to teaching color and design based on the prismatic color wheel.
During the early 1920s Schaeffer worked as a set designer and as Art Director of Greek Theatre at the University of California at Berkeley, Schaeffer began applying prismatic color theory to set and costume design. He also designed sets for productions in Detroit. In 1925, Schaeffer saw the Paris Exposition and researched interior and stage design while in France.
The Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design which, in its early days was called the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Rhythmo-Chromatic Design, opened on St. Anne Street in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1926. In 1951 the school then moved to Union Street on Telegraph Hill where it remained for nearly a decade. In 1960, the school purchased a former boys' school on Mariposa Street, Portero Hill. Rudolph Schaeffer lived in a small cottage built for him at the rear of the property where he designed and tended a remarkable "Peace Garden."
The Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design was best known for its courses in color and interior design. Schaeffer was the first person in the United States to teach prismatic color theory, is credited with being the first to use the term "interior design" rather than "interior decoration" and the first to incorporate the use of models into interior design coursework. In 1959 the school's courses were expanded from 2 to 3-year programs and a diploma was awarded. Former students include many successful interior designers, textile designers, furniture designers, industrial designers, commercial artists, color consultants, teachers, and master flower arrangers.
In addition to the interior design and color diploma courses, the school offered a summer session, classes for children, a brief lecture series for the general public, and a wide variety of classes including advertising art, architecture and design, art history, art in public schools, calligraphy, color design, color for television, color for weavers, color theory, design, drawing, environmental aesthetics, fashion design, fashion illustration, flower arrangement, industrial design, interior design, Notan, sculpture, space planning, textile design, and weaving. Always struggling financially and sometimes lacking adequate enrollment, the school nevertheless managed to stay open for nearly 60 years. In 1984, the Board of Directors voted to remove Schaeffer from the board and close the school. Two years earlier the board had forced Schaeffer to retire, appointed him Director Emeritus, and brought in a new director charged with making the institution financially solvent, reorganizing the curriculum, and working toward accreditation. Unable to separate himself from the school (though he had done so legally when it was incorporated in 1953), Schaeffer balked and refused to cooperate with plans for revitalizing the institution.
One of the aims of the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design was to interpret Asian esthetic principles. To this end the East West Gallery was established at the school in 1950. A membership organization, it offered exhibitions, lectures, concerts, and other programs that encouraged cultural integration. Exhibitions alternated between East (Asian art and artifacts from Rudolph Schaeffer's collection or other sources) and West (student work or work of local artists illustrating the influence of the Asian esthetic on contemporary art and design). East West Gallery was a membership organization, the first space of its kind in San Francisco for Asian art and operated in each of the school's locations.
In addition to running the school Schaeffer was involved in many other activities. He wrote several articles about flower arrangement, color, and color theory that were published in popular magazines. In 1935, he published Flower Arrangement Folio I (said to be the first on the subject published in this country) and in 1942 edited and wrote the introduction to Sunset's Flower Arrangement Book by Nell True Welch. Over a period of many years, he worked on several monographs on color, design, and "rhythmo-chromatics." None were ever published.
A sought-after speaker on the subjects of color, interior design, flower arrangement, and myriad other art topics, Schaeffer frequently served as a juror for art exhibitions and flower shows. From the 1930s on, the San Francisco department store Emporium used his services as a color consultant, as did Dutch Boy paints, and numerous textile and clothing manufacturers. Builders also asked Schaeffer to select interior and exterior colors for suburban housing developments.
Schaeffer worked on planning and designing the decorative arts exhibition at the 1939-40 Golden Gate International Exposition. In 1943-44, he participated in the Red Cross's Arts and Skills program, using color therapy with shell-shocked soldiers in a psychiatric unit.
The Rudolph Schaeffer Collection of Asian Art began as a collection of ceramics, both historical and contemporary examples chosen for their form and color, which he used for flower arrangements and in set-ups for still life classes. It soon expanded to include color prints, paintings, screens, and other works of art and portions were exhibited frequently in the East West Gallery. Selections from this collection were exhibited in Kansas City in 1960 and at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in 1976.
The City of San Francisco declared June 26, 1986, Schaeffer's 100th birthday, "Rudolph Schaeffer Day" and it was observed with great fanfare. He died at home on March 5, 1988, a few months before his 102nd birthday.
Provenance:
The Rudolph Schaeffer papers were donated in 1991 by Rudolph Schaeffer and the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design administrator Peter Docili, and in 1999 and 2000 by James Alexander, a friend of both Schaeffer and Docili, who had been storing portions of Docili's estate after his death in 1998, with the assistance of Frances Valesco, a fiber artist and researcher. An addition was received in 2007 by William Woodworth, a close friend and caretaker of Schaeffer's and in 2017 and 2018 by Frances Valesco.
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. Use of archival audiovisual recordings requires advance notice.
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.
Occupation:
Art teachers -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Topic:
Artists -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Designers -- California -- San Francisco Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting -- California -- San Francisco Search this
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.
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.
