Smithsonian Artisan Initiative

Born in Jiangsu Province, China, Bertrand Mao has studied and practiced traditional calligraphy for over sixty years and is known for his “Four Gentlemen” brushwork—the plum blossom, chrysanthemum, bamboo, and orchid. A participant in the 2010 Festival’s Asian Pacific Americans: Local Lives, Global Ties program, he is now a resident artist at the Metropolitan Center for the Visual Arts in Rockville, Maryland.

Folklife Magazine: Painting Like Poetry: The Journey of Calligrapher Bertrand Mao

Yuko Gunji specializes in the Japanese art of kintsugi, repairing broken or chipped pottery with lacquer and decorative gold, silver, and other materials. She studied with lacquer artists Gen Saratani in New York and Hakubun Chin in Japan. Now based in New York, she receives requests for kintsugi restoration from all over the world.

Folklife Magazine: Japanese Kintsugi and the Art of Repair with Yuko Gunji

Dawa Dakpa is the seventh generation of a Khyentse Lima Bronze lineage, crafting exquisite sculptures of Buddhist deities and enlightened beings. He is a rising star in traditional craftsmanship and has been recognized as a State-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor. His sister, Dawa Drolma, is a cultural heritage presenter, photographer, and interpreter. The siblings worked with the Center on the Lag Zo exhibition and documenting intangible cultural heritage in the Tibetan plateau.

Folklife Magazine: A Visit from the Seventh Generation of Tibetan Bronze Artisans

Gankhuyag Natsag is renowned for his calligraphy, sculpture, and traditional Mongolian masks associated with the Buddhist Tsam ritual. Born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, he is now based in Northern Virginia but travels the world to exhibit his cultural heritage. In 2010, he shared his creative practices in the Festival’s Asian Pacific Americans: Local Lives, Global Ties program.

Folklife Magazine: What’s Behind 108 Masks? Mongolian Dance Rituals and Artisan Gankhuyag Natsag

Sarah Al Hosani is an Emirati ceramist and entrepreneur from Abu Dhabi. She started practicing pottery in 2015, and in 2021 she launched her own studio, Khazaf for Fine Arts. In this creative space, people can dive into the world of pottery, learning both wheel throwing and hand-building techniques along with the art of glazing. In 2022, Al Hosani participated in the Festival’s United Arab Emirates: Living Landscape | Living Memory program.

Folklife Magazine: Sarah Al Hosani Shapes Emirati Ceramics and Community

UAE USA United: Ceramicist Sarah AlHosani Completes Artisan in Residence at Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

Shanthi Chandrasekar is a multimedia and multidisciplinary artist from Maryland who has been trained in the South Indian traditional art forms of kolam and Tanjore-style painting. She has won numerous awards for her works, including the Independent Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Individual Artist Grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. She is a member of the Kennedy Center Culture Caucus and an advisor on the Artomatic board.

Folklife Magazine: Artist Shanthi Chandrasekar Overlaps Science and Spirit in Diwali Celebrations

In 2004, Vahagn Hambardzumyan founded Sisian Ceramics, a tribute to his Armenian hometown in Syunik Province, located four hours from the capital city of Yerevan. A participant in the 2018 Festival’s Armenia: Creating Home program, Hambardzumyan and his wife, painter Zara Gasparyan, are dedicated to revitalizing Armenia’s cultural heritage through a harmonious blend of pottery, painting, and traditional cuisine.

Folklife Magazine: How Vahagn Hambardzumyan Revives Ancient Armenian Ceramics

Smithsonian Magazine: The Potter’s Wheel: An Inexhaustible Source of Energy

Created in 2012, the Union of Artisans of Kazakhstan is an association that preserves the traditional crafts of Kazakhstan and promotes artisans from the country. Since 2020, the organization has worked with the Center to lead several craft and cultural heritage initiatives. In 2023, it supported the Festival’s Soul of Tengri program, which brought the story of Kazakh heritage and creativity to the National Museum of Asian Art.

Festival Blog: “Tengri Is a Worldview”: How Artisans Are Reviving Kazakhstan’s Cultural Heritage

Seoul-based Han Soo learned gannil, the craft of traditional Korean horsehair hat-making, from his father, Choon Mo Jung, who was a participant in the Korea program at the 1982 Folklife Festival. Over the last two decades, Han Soo Jung has participated in many public demonstrations and exhibitions to promote the beautiful Korean heritage.