Support the Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Cultural Vitality Program, educational outreach, and more.
more
Building Arts
The price of giving up on ancient buildings in Turkey is significant both from both a historical and a social perspective.
José Jiménez began his journey into the world of the building arts by falling in love with places where buildings don’t exist.
The construction of the Washington National Cathedral began in 1907 and took 83 years to complete.
Extant dry-stone walls, built without the use of mortar or any binding agent, can be dated as far back as 3500 BCE.
The defining moment of my career came in 1985 when I came to work at the Washington National Cathedral.
During the spring and fall high in the Sman shod Valley of Tibet, men carry on a tradition of ramming loose earth into solid walls for temples, homes, and other structures—and singing as they do.
The largest adobe building in the world is located Djenné, Mali. Built in 1907 and towering above the town’s central square, the Great Mosque of Djenné is a prime example of Western Sudanic architecture.
Many Voices, One Nation is an upcoming exhibition in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s newly renovated Second Floor West Wing.
This month I gave a presentation at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage about Georgia, the country I am from. I tried hard but could not share everything I wanted to about Georgian culture in forty minutes.
As you enter the reception area of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, a distinctively carved limestone block anchors the far edge of the seating area. It is, in fact, a beautifully carved Welsh apex stone.
Folklife Magazine explores how culture shapes our lives. We publish stories about music, food, craft, language, celebrations, activism, and the individuals and communities who sustain these traditions.