Documenting COVID-19
Every American was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But every American's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic was different. On March 11th, exactly five years since COVID-19 was designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, this panel discussion will bring together four documentarians of the COVID-19 pandemic to explore what it means to undertake cultural documentation in various communities during a public health…
Contributor:
Peach, Douglas - Musgrave, Nicole - Vergara, Camilo Jose - Dellinger, Midge - Martin, Allie
Date:2025-03-11
Film, Video
Conversation with Skye Consort and Emma Björling
Stephen Winick sat down with Emma Björling, Seán Dagher, Amanda Keesmaat and Simon Alexandre following their concert at the Library. Skye Consort and Emma Björling performed transatlantic music from Scandinavia, Ireland and the British Isles and French Canada, as well as tunes of their own devising.
Contributor:
Keesmaat, Amanda - Skye Consort - Björling, Emma - Alexandre, Simon - Dagher, Seán - Winick, Stephen
Date:2024-09-25
Film, Video
Skye Consort and Emma Björling: Music from Britain and Scandanavia
Skye Consort and Emma Björling perform transatlantic music from Scandinavia, Ireland, the British Isles and French Canada, as well as tunes of their own devising. They find enchanting stories and melodies, then bring them into the 21st century with worldly chamber-folk settings. They call their music "voices, fiddle, nyckelharpa, cello, bouzouki, banjo and percussion riffing on whirling polskas, groovy reels, passionate love songs, breathtaking…
Contributor:
Skye Consort - Keesmaat, Amanda - Björling, Emma - Dagher, Seán - Kehler, Alex
Date:2024-09-25
Film, Video
The Story of Amelia Dawley's Song
David Harrington, incoming Kluge Chair in Modern Culture at the Library of Congress, spoke about the creative process in writing a new composition for the Kronos Quartet and how the Library's archival collections inspired his efforts. He was joined by scholar Nemata Blyden and musician Charlton Singleton.
Contributor:
Harrington, David - Singleton, Charlton - Fenn, John - Blyden, Nemata
Date:2024-09-24
Film, Video
Conversation with 2024 NEA Heritage Fellows Fabian Debora and Rosie Flores
Two 2024 National Heritage Fellows, Chicano muralist Fabian Debora and rockabilly and country musician Rosie Flores, spoke with Allina Migoni of the American Folklife Center about their lives, work and experiences as artists. They also discussed their experiences as artists of Hispanic heritage. The National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts is the highest honor our nation gives for excellence in…
2024 NEA National Heritage Fellowship Awards
The National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowships are the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts. This year -- and every year since 1982 -- the program recognizes recipients' artistic excellence, lifetime achievement and contributions to the nation's traditional arts heritage. Co-sponsored by the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress. Speakers at this year's awards ceremony included Niclole Saylor,…
Date:2024-09-18
Film, Video
Conspiracy Theories, Folklore and Belief
In this lecture, noted folklorist Andrea Kitta will discuss some definitions of conspiracy theories and how they fit into other belief traditions and narratives with a focus on understanding why people believe in conspiracy theories and how they function. The term "conspiracy theory" has become loaded and often used to dismiss the belief systems of others, especially those of opposing viewpoints. However, all of…
Contributor:
Kitta, Andrea
Date:2024-09-04
Film, Video
Conversation with Andrea Kitta
Following her Benjamin Botkin Lecture on "Conspiracy Theories, Folklore and Belief: Birds Aren't Real, Loch Ness Monsters and Microchips, folklorist Andrea Kitta spoke with Nancy Groce and Steve Winick of the American Folklife Center to find out a little bit more about her training, career and how she became interested studying rumor and conspiracy theories. The conversation also touched on her interest and research…
Contributor:
Winick, Stephen - Kitta, Andrea - Groce, Nancy
Date:2024-09-04
Film, Video
Windborne: Old Songs, Bold Harmony
Windborne is Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan, Lauren Breunig and Jeremy Carter-Gordon. The four singers grew up immersed in the traditional song and dance communities of New England and discovered a love of world folk music in their teens. All four have traveled extensively in throughout the world with Village Harmony, Northern Harmony and the Renewal Chorus, leading workshops and giving concerts. Over…
Contributor:
Windborne - Carter-Gordon, Jeremy - Rowan, Lynn Mahoney - Rowan, Will Thomas - Breunig, Lauren
Date:2024-08-29
Film, Video
Conversation with Windborne
Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan and Lauren Breunig of Windborne sit down with Stephen Winick of the American Folklife Center. Along with Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Windbourne grew up immersed in the traditional song and dance communities of New England and discovered a love of world folk music in their teens. All four have traveled extensively throughout the world with Village Harmony, Northern Harmony and…
Contributor:
Windborne - Rowan, Lynn Mahoney - Winick, Stephen - Rowan, Will Thomas - Breunig, Lauren
Date:2024-08-29
Film, Video
Swanky Kitchen Band
Performance by the Swanky Kitchen Band, which is on an essential quest to revive the traditional music of the Cayman Islands. Set amidst the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, the three tiny islands are home to kitchen dance music, an infectiously danceable fiddle-driven style. The kitchen dance sound, created through a crossroads of European and African influences, might have disappeared save for…
Contributor:
Swanky Kitchen Band
Date:2024-07-31
Film, Video
Conversation with Swanky Kitchen Band
Jon Lohman, director of the Center for Cultural Vibrancy, sits down with members of the Swanky Kitchen Band. The band is on an essential quest to revive the traditional music of the Cayman Islands. Set amidst the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, the three tiny islands are home to kitchen dance music, an infectiously danceable fiddle-driven style. The kitchen dance sound, created…
Contributor:
Swanky Kitchen Band - Rose, Samuel - Johnson, Nicholas - Scott, Paula - Lohman, Jon - Turner, Karen (Kk Alese)
Date:2024-07-31
Film, Video
Carl Fleischhauer: Folklorist and Visual Documentarian
One of America's leading and most influential visual documentarians, Carl Fleischhauer's contributions to the theory and practice of his field and to the image collections of the Library of Congress, particularly those of the American Folklife Center, have been substantial. Since joining the Library in the 1970s, his images, his approaches to fieldwork and his involvement in AFC fieldwork survey projects during the 1970s-1990s…
Contributor:
Fleischhauer, Carl
Date:2024-07-17
Film, Video
Conversation with Carl Fleischhauer
Nancy Groce and Guha Shankar of the American Folklife Center sit down for a conversation with Carl Fleischhauer. One of America's leading and most influential visual documentarians, Fleischhauer's contributions to the theory and practice of his field and to the image collections of the Library of Congress, particularly those of the American Folklife Center, have been substantial. Since joining the Library in the 1970s,…
Contributor:
Shankar, Guha - Fleischhauer, Carl - Groce, Nancy
Date:2024-07-17
Film, Video
Conversation with Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light
Stephen Winick sits down with Rachel Sumner, Kat Wallace and Mike Siegel of Traveling Light to discuss their music. This Boston based acoustic trio come bearing new interpretations of traditional folk songs and lend their deeply rooted bluegrass know-how to tightly crafted original songs written by Lennon-Award-winning songwriter Sumner. In addition to their own songs, the group will performed their own take on songs…
Contributor:
Sumner, Rachel - Traveling Light - Siegel, Mike - Wallace, Kat - Winick, Stephen
Date:2024-06-26
Film, Video
Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light
Lennon-Award-winning songwriter Rachel Sumner sits at the helm of the string band Traveling Light (fiddle, guitar, bass). This Boston based acoustic trio come bearing new interpretations of traditional folk songs and lend their deeply rooted bluegrass know-how to tightly crafted original songs written by Sumner. In addition to some of their own songs, the group performed their own take on songs taken from the…
Contributor:
Traveling Light - Sumner, Rachel
Date:2024-06-26
Film, Video
Sidney Robertson, Folk Music Collecting and FDR's New Deal
The authors of two new books -- Sheryl Kaskowitz, "A Chance to Harmonize" and Catherine Hiebert Kerst, "California Gold" -- return to the Library of Congress to discuss the remarkable New Deal folk song collecting career of Sidney Robertson, whose recordings are held in the American Folklife Center.
Family Sing-Along with Natalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant performed a special concert as part of the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery Opening Week festivities, specifically designed for families. The concert included music, items from the Library's collections and sing-alongs.
Contributor:
Merchant, Natalie
Date:2024-06-15
Film, Video
Natalie Merchant Celebrates the Treasures of a Nation
This celebratory concert featuring Natalie Merchant marks the opening of the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery at the Library of Congress. Enjoy a selection of the artist's favorite works as well as a snapshot of some of the Library's greatest treasures.
Contributor:
Merchant, Natalie
Date:2024-06-13
Film, Video
We Are the Archive: Go-Go, Art and Respect
Washington, D.C.-based writer, curator and activist Natalie Hopkinson discusses her work amplifying the voices of Black and Indigenous cultures that face erasure throughout the world. Drawing on her oral history and archival projects that span Washington's go-go music, Guyanese painting and poetry, and African photography, she describes how teams of artists, schools, libraries, civil society organizations, governments and museums are building a world where…
Contributor:
Hopkinson, Natalie
Date:2024-06-12
Film, Video
Conversation with Istiwanāt Live Arabic Music Ensemble
John Fenn sits down with Anne K. Rasmussen, Jared Holton, Albert Agha and Anne Elise Thomas of Istiwanāt Live! Arabic Music Ensemble. The group reinterprets music that was originally performed 100 years ago for a transnational industry of Arab, Arab American and international record labels, and which has recently been released into the public domain. The concert is inspired by the "Archive Challenge," an…
Contributor:
Istiwanāt Live - Thomas, Anne Elise - Holton, Jared - Fenn, John - Rasmussen, Anne K. - Agha, Albert
Date:2024-06-05
Film, Video
Istiwanāt Live Arabic Music Ensemble
Istiwanāt Live! Arabic Music Ensemble reinterprets music that was originally performed 100 years ago for a transnational industry of Arab, Arab American and international record labels, and which has recently been released into the public domain. The concert is inspired by the "Archive Challenge," an initiative of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, and draws on archived recordings in Loeb Library…
Contributor:
Istiwanāt Live - Thomas, Anne Elise - Holton, Jared - Rasmussen, Anne K. - Agha, Albert
Date:2024-06-05
Film, Video
Conversation with Somapa Thai Dance Company
Douglas Peach sits down with Suteera Nagavajara, Vorayot Suksaichon and Anant Narkkong to discuss Somapa Thai Dance Company's musical origins. The group is a distinguished Thai dance and music company based in the Washington DC area, featuring an accomplished Thai orchestra. Many of its artists have been trained with highly recognized dance and music masters, including National Artists and others from Chulalongkorn University and…
Contributor:
Somapa Thai Dance Company - Nagavajara, Suteera - Narkkong, Anant - Peach, Douglas - Suksaichon, Vorayot
Date:2024-05-23
Film, Video
Somapa Thai Dance Company
The Somapa Thai Dance Company will present traditional Thai music and selected Thai dance numbers. The group will showcase newly and innovatively arranged music numbers that are performed on different occasions and for functions in Thai society, including ceremonial music at Buddhist temples, music originating in the old Siamese royal court, and traditional music derived from regional folk tunes and other cultures in the…
Contributor:
Somapa Thai Dance Company
Date:2024-05-23
Film, Video
From Folk to Baroque: Celtic Music Duo Rakish
Rakish is the duo of Violinist Maura Shawn Scanlin and guitarist Conor Hearn. They take their name from the traditional Irish tune Rakish Paddy, an origin that aptly suits the duo and their shared background in traditional Irish and Scottish music. They draw on the music they grew up with and perform it in a way that reflects their shared interest in and love…
Film, VideoDocumenting COVID-19 Every American was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But every American's experience of the COVID-19 pandemic was different. On March 11th, exactly five years since COVID-19 was designated as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, this panel discussion will bring together four documentarians of the COVID-19 pandemic to explore what it means to undertake cultural documentation in various communities during a public health…
Film, VideoConversation with Skye Consort and Emma Björling Stephen Winick sat down with Emma Björling, Seán Dagher, Amanda Keesmaat and Simon Alexandre following their concert at the Library. Skye Consort and Emma Björling performed transatlantic music from Scandinavia, Ireland and the British Isles and French Canada, as well as tunes of their own devising.
Film, VideoSkye Consort and Emma Björling: Music from Britain and Scandanavia Skye Consort and Emma Björling perform transatlantic music from Scandinavia, Ireland, the British Isles and French Canada, as well as tunes of their own devising. They find enchanting stories and melodies, then bring them into the 21st century with worldly chamber-folk settings. They call their music "voices, fiddle, nyckelharpa, cello, bouzouki, banjo and percussion riffing on whirling polskas, groovy reels, passionate love songs, breathtaking…
Film, VideoThe Story of Amelia Dawley's Song David Harrington, incoming Kluge Chair in Modern Culture at the Library of Congress, spoke about the creative process in writing a new composition for the Kronos Quartet and how the Library's archival collections inspired his efforts. He was joined by scholar Nemata Blyden and musician Charlton Singleton.
Film, VideoConversation with 2024 NEA Heritage Fellows Fabian Debora and Rosie Flores Two 2024 National Heritage Fellows, Chicano muralist Fabian Debora and rockabilly and country musician Rosie Flores, spoke with Allina Migoni of the American Folklife Center about their lives, work and experiences as artists. They also discussed their experiences as artists of Hispanic heritage. The National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts is the highest honor our nation gives for excellence in…
Film, Video2024 NEA National Heritage Fellowship Awards The National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowships are the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts. This year -- and every year since 1982 -- the program recognizes recipients' artistic excellence, lifetime achievement and contributions to the nation's traditional arts heritage. Co-sponsored by the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress. Speakers at this year's awards ceremony included Niclole Saylor,…
Film, VideoConspiracy Theories, Folklore and Belief In this lecture, noted folklorist Andrea Kitta will discuss some definitions of conspiracy theories and how they fit into other belief traditions and narratives with a focus on understanding why people believe in conspiracy theories and how they function. The term "conspiracy theory" has become loaded and often used to dismiss the belief systems of others, especially those of opposing viewpoints. However, all of…
Film, VideoConversation with Andrea Kitta Following her Benjamin Botkin Lecture on "Conspiracy Theories, Folklore and Belief: Birds Aren't Real, Loch Ness Monsters and Microchips, folklorist Andrea Kitta spoke with Nancy Groce and Steve Winick of the American Folklife Center to find out a little bit more about her training, career and how she became interested studying rumor and conspiracy theories. The conversation also touched on her interest and research…
Film, VideoWindborne: Old Songs, Bold Harmony Windborne is Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan, Lauren Breunig and Jeremy Carter-Gordon. The four singers grew up immersed in the traditional song and dance communities of New England and discovered a love of world folk music in their teens. All four have traveled extensively in throughout the world with Village Harmony, Northern Harmony and the Renewal Chorus, leading workshops and giving concerts. Over…
Film, VideoConversation with Windborne Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan and Lauren Breunig of Windborne sit down with Stephen Winick of the American Folklife Center. Along with Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Windbourne grew up immersed in the traditional song and dance communities of New England and discovered a love of world folk music in their teens. All four have traveled extensively throughout the world with Village Harmony, Northern Harmony and…
Film, VideoSwanky Kitchen Band Performance by the Swanky Kitchen Band, which is on an essential quest to revive the traditional music of the Cayman Islands. Set amidst the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, the three tiny islands are home to kitchen dance music, an infectiously danceable fiddle-driven style. The kitchen dance sound, created through a crossroads of European and African influences, might have disappeared save for…
Film, VideoConversation with Swanky Kitchen Band Jon Lohman, director of the Center for Cultural Vibrancy, sits down with members of the Swanky Kitchen Band. The band is on an essential quest to revive the traditional music of the Cayman Islands. Set amidst the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, the three tiny islands are home to kitchen dance music, an infectiously danceable fiddle-driven style. The kitchen dance sound, created…
Film, VideoCarl Fleischhauer: Folklorist and Visual Documentarian One of America's leading and most influential visual documentarians, Carl Fleischhauer's contributions to the theory and practice of his field and to the image collections of the Library of Congress, particularly those of the American Folklife Center, have been substantial. Since joining the Library in the 1970s, his images, his approaches to fieldwork and his involvement in AFC fieldwork survey projects during the 1970s-1990s…
Film, VideoConversation with Carl Fleischhauer Nancy Groce and Guha Shankar of the American Folklife Center sit down for a conversation with Carl Fleischhauer. One of America's leading and most influential visual documentarians, Fleischhauer's contributions to the theory and practice of his field and to the image collections of the Library of Congress, particularly those of the American Folklife Center, have been substantial. Since joining the Library in the 1970s,…
Film, VideoConversation with Rachel Sumner and Traveling Light Stephen Winick sits down with Rachel Sumner, Kat Wallace and Mike Siegel of Traveling Light to discuss their music. This Boston based acoustic trio come bearing new interpretations of traditional folk songs and lend their deeply rooted bluegrass know-how to tightly crafted original songs written by Lennon-Award-winning songwriter Sumner. In addition to their own songs, the group will performed their own take on songs…
Film, VideoRachel Sumner and Traveling Light Lennon-Award-winning songwriter Rachel Sumner sits at the helm of the string band Traveling Light (fiddle, guitar, bass). This Boston based acoustic trio come bearing new interpretations of traditional folk songs and lend their deeply rooted bluegrass know-how to tightly crafted original songs written by Sumner. In addition to some of their own songs, the group performed their own take on songs taken from the…
Film, VideoSidney Robertson, Folk Music Collecting and FDR's New Deal The authors of two new books -- Sheryl Kaskowitz, "A Chance to Harmonize" and Catherine Hiebert Kerst, "California Gold" -- return to the Library of Congress to discuss the remarkable New Deal folk song collecting career of Sidney Robertson, whose recordings are held in the American Folklife Center.
Film, VideoFamily Sing-Along with Natalie Merchant Natalie Merchant performed a special concert as part of the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery Opening Week festivities, specifically designed for families. The concert included music, items from the Library's collections and sing-alongs.
Film, VideoNatalie Merchant Celebrates the Treasures of a Nation This celebratory concert featuring Natalie Merchant marks the opening of the David M. Rubenstein Treasures Gallery at the Library of Congress. Enjoy a selection of the artist's favorite works as well as a snapshot of some of the Library's greatest treasures.
Film, VideoWe Are the Archive: Go-Go, Art and Respect Washington, D.C.-based writer, curator and activist Natalie Hopkinson discusses her work amplifying the voices of Black and Indigenous cultures that face erasure throughout the world. Drawing on her oral history and archival projects that span Washington's go-go music, Guyanese painting and poetry, and African photography, she describes how teams of artists, schools, libraries, civil society organizations, governments and museums are building a world where…
Film, VideoConversation with Istiwanāt Live Arabic Music Ensemble John Fenn sits down with Anne K. Rasmussen, Jared Holton, Albert Agha and Anne Elise Thomas of Istiwanāt Live! Arabic Music Ensemble. The group reinterprets music that was originally performed 100 years ago for a transnational industry of Arab, Arab American and international record labels, and which has recently been released into the public domain. The concert is inspired by the "Archive Challenge," an…
Film, VideoIstiwanāt Live Arabic Music Ensemble Istiwanāt Live! Arabic Music Ensemble reinterprets music that was originally performed 100 years ago for a transnational industry of Arab, Arab American and international record labels, and which has recently been released into the public domain. The concert is inspired by the "Archive Challenge," an initiative of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, and draws on archived recordings in Loeb Library…
Film, VideoConversation with Somapa Thai Dance Company Douglas Peach sits down with Suteera Nagavajara, Vorayot Suksaichon and Anant Narkkong to discuss Somapa Thai Dance Company's musical origins. The group is a distinguished Thai dance and music company based in the Washington DC area, featuring an accomplished Thai orchestra. Many of its artists have been trained with highly recognized dance and music masters, including National Artists and others from Chulalongkorn University and…
Film, VideoSomapa Thai Dance Company The Somapa Thai Dance Company will present traditional Thai music and selected Thai dance numbers. The group will showcase newly and innovatively arranged music numbers that are performed on different occasions and for functions in Thai society, including ceremonial music at Buddhist temples, music originating in the old Siamese royal court, and traditional music derived from regional folk tunes and other cultures in the…
Film, VideoFrom Folk to Baroque: Celtic Music Duo Rakish Rakish is the duo of Violinist Maura Shawn Scanlin and guitarist Conor Hearn. They take their name from the traditional Irish tune Rakish Paddy, an origin that aptly suits the duo and their shared background in traditional Irish and Scottish music. They draw on the music they grew up with and perform it in a way that reflects their shared interest in and love…