1988 SMITHSONIAN FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL: MIGRATION TO METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON AUDIO LOG SHEETS

About the Project

Audio documentation has played a crucial part in capturing the many stories, performances, exchanges, and demonstrations that have taken place on the National Mall as part of the Festival of American Folklife (now Smithsonian Folklife Festival). For each program, documentation volunteers generated detailed "class style" notes to accompany audio recordings which often include presenter and participant names, subject keywords, song titles, and brief descriptions of the events taking place in real time. These notes are often the richest (or only) source of information about who was present and provide key references for understanding and interpreting the recorded content. While the styles, formats, and spelling accuracy vary across logs, they nevertheless serve as fundamental link between what actually took place and what is documented in audio, photo, and, video formats. The Migration to Metropolitan Washington program offered a deeper look into the history and culture of the city that revealed more than just "official" Washington. As an urban setting Washington provides opportunities for people to interact with others with whom they might never have mingled and to behave in ways that they never could have in the home setting. This creates stimulae for the development of new forms of expression and distinctive local traditions arising out of the blends. The 1988 Festival program addressed these issues and many more. In telling their stories and demonstrating their traditions, immigrants to Washington allowed Festival visitors to understand the cultural aspects of migration and how they have attempted and in some cases succeeded in making a new place in the metropolitan area. More information about the program including participant names can be found here.

Read more

|
Show pages needing (scroll down to load more): Transcription | All

Completed!

Project Progress (details)
144 pages completed
Difficulty
4 out of 5
(details)

42

Contributing
members

144

Total
pages