Smithsonian.com

Events are divided by each of the three cultures featured at this year’s festival—Giving Voice, Las Americas and Wales—and subdivided by the pavilion where the event takes place. Don’t forget to get your festival map so you can plan your day!

Barbershop/Beauty Parlor

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Hair Stories with Victoria Burnett and Sankofa

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Storytelling with Sankofa and Phyllis Stickney

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Wit of the Barbershop with James Hannah

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Beauty Tales with Tonya Matthews and Diane Ferlatte

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Wit of the Barbershop with James Hannah

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Hair Stories with Charlotte Blake-Alston and Dylan Pritchett

5:00 PM-5:30 PM

Radio Station

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Women in Radio

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Me and My Radio

1:00 PM-2:00 PM The Persona of the Black Deejay

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Radio and Community: Giving Voice, Wales, Las Americas

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Me and My Radio

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Me and My Radio

5:00 PM-5:30 PM

The Oratorium

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Drama with Christylez

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Humor with James Hannah and Phyllis Stickney

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Poetry with Toni Blackman

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Storytelling with Dylan Pritchett and Victoria Burnett

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Storytelling with Baba Jamal Koram and Nothando Zulu

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Giving Voice Circle with Branice McKenzie

5:00 PM-5:30 PM

The Stoop

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Storytelling with Diane Ferlatte

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Poetry with Holly Bass

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Giving Voice to a Museum

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Poetry with Toni Blackman

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Drama with Christylez

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Storytelling with Len Cabral

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Storytelling with Brother Blue and Tejumola

Young Wordsmiths

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Hot Topic Cheer Squad

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Puppet Theater with Schroeder Cherry

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Hot Topic Cheer Squad

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Poetry Workshop with Kenny Carroll

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Puppet Theater with Schroeder Cherry

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Poetry Circle

5:00 PM-5:30 PM

LAS AMERICAS

Caseta de Leandro-accordion

11:00 AM-11:45 AM Merengue Tipico

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Merengue Tipico

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Las Estrellas del Vallenato

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Texmaniacs

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Texmaniacs

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Los Maestros del Joropo

3:55 PM-4:45 PM

4:45 PM-5:30 PM

Folkways Salón

11:00 AM-11:45 AM Afro-Venezuelan Traditions: Grupo CUMACO

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Las Estrellas de Vallenato

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Bomba y Plena

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Los Maestros del Joropo Oriental

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Paraguayan Harp

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Conjunto Tejano

3:55 PM-5:30 PM ENCUENTRO DE ZAPATEADO

La Peña

11:00 AM-11:45 AM Country Strings Workshop

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Globalization Challenges in Music

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Paraguayan harp

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Bajos Across Traditions

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Folkways Recordings Studio Session Stories

3:05 PM-3:55 PM African Roots in Music CUMACO

3:55 PM-4:45 PM Los Maestros del Joropo Oriental Workshop

4:45 PM-5:30 PM Vocal Styles Workshop

Patio de Patricia

11:00 AM-11:45 AM

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Grupo Cuero Madera y Costa CUMACO

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Grupo Cuero Madera y Costa CUMACO

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Las Cantadoras del Pacífico

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Viento de Agua

3:05 PM-3:55 PM

3:55 PM-4:45 PM

4:45 PM-5:30 PM Las Cantadoras del Pacífico

Puesto de Arcadio-harp

11:00 AM-11:45 AM Arpa Paraguaya

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Arpex

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Son de Madera

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Son de Madera

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Grupo Cimarrón

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Grupo Cimarrón

3:55 PM-4:45 PM Arpa Paraguaya

4:45 PM-5:30 PM Arpex

Salón de Baile

11:00 AM-11:45 AM Currulao Las Cantadoras del Pacifico

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Son Jarocho Son de Madera

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Conjunto Tejano Los Texmaniacs

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Conjunto de Arpa Grande Arpex

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Grupo Cuero Madera y Costa CUMACO

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Bomba y Plena: Viento de Agua

3:55 PM-5:30 PM BAILE Merengue Tipico La India Canela Las

WALES

Rugby Club

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Stories with Music

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Sild

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Wales Trivia

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Singer-Songwriters

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Harp and Voice

4:00 PM-5:30 PM Singer-Songwriters

5:30 PM-7:00 PM Parti Cut Lloi

Story Circle

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Stories for Children

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Poetry in Welsh and English

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Welsh Lesson: Who Are You?

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Stories Across Cultures: cross cultural with GV

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Welsh Songs and Stories

4:00 PM-5:30 PM Poetry Stomp

Taste of Wales

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Wild Foods and Game

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Soups with Spice

1:00 PM-2:00 PM A Twist on Welsh Tradition

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Bakestone and Cauldron Cooking

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Teatime in Welsh Patagonia

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Frugal Food

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Welsh Cheese

The Square Mile

11:00 AM-11:45 AM My Square Mile: Around Wales

11:45 AM-12:30 PM Heritage Meets Innovation: The Harp

12:30 PM-1:15 PM Think Globally, Act Locally: Convergence on Zero Conference

1:15 PM-2:00 PM Wales and the World: Patagonia and America

2:00 PM-2:45 PM Adapt, Reuse, Recycle: St. Fagans

2:45 PM-3:30 PM Lift Up Your Voice Singing Workshop

3:30 PM-4:15 PM Reimagining Community: Welsh Learners

4:15 PM-5:00 PM The Arts in Action: The Festival Site

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Planning for the Future: Medicine

Welsh Dragon

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Hennesseys, Linda Griffiths, and Lisa Angharad

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Welsh National Opera: West Wind

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Parti Cut Lloi

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Welsh Dance Music

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Crasdant

4:00 PM-5:30 PM Rehoboth Choir with Welsh National Opera

Welsh Media

11:00 AM-12:00 PM

12:00 PM-1:00 PM

1:00 PM-2:00 PM

2:00 PM-3:00 PM

3:00 PM-4:00 PM

4:00 PM-5:00 PM

5:00 PM-5:30 PM

Friday, June 26: The Welsh Table Exhibition Tour

Curator Jill Piercy will take you on a tour of the new exhibit, The Welsh Table, and introduce you to the work of ten Welsh ceramists. Afterwards, go out and enjoy a taste of Welsh culture at the 2009 Folklife Festival. Free. Ripley Center, 2:00 PM

Saturday, June 27: Indian Summer Showcase: Andes Manta

Come enjoy the sounds of Andean mountain music courtesy of Andes Manta, a group comprised of brothers Fernando, Luis, Bolivar and Jorge Lopez. With an arsenal of 35 instruments they play traditional Andean music—an ancient indigenous art form that managed to survive even after hundreds of years of European occupation. Free. American Indian Museum, 5:00 PM

Sunday, June 28: Ghosts of a Chance

The Smithsonian American Art Museum takes scavenger hunting to a whole new level with Ghosts of a Chance, a multimedia experience that will have you scouring museum walls and uncovering hidden objects. Scavenger hunt takes approximately 90 minutes to complete. Groups of ten or more must make an appointment to play; contact GoodlanderG@si.edu to schedule.) Free. Register in the Luce Foundation between 2:30-6 PM. American Art Museum, 2:30-6 PM

To plan your visit or learn more about events and exhibitions at the Smithsonian, go to our companion site, goSmithsonian.com.

The Smithsonian is having a blockbuster summer, thanks to two sequels.

In May, “Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian,” premiered. The first feature film to use the interior of the museums has grossed more than $100 million domestically, and continues to draw audiences.

Today, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” hits box offices, and visitors to The National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, will be pleased to see heartthrob Shia Labeouf and a scantily-clad Megan Fox admiring the Enola Gray Gay and other historical fight pieces as they search for a transformer hidden in the museum.

Not to give too much away, but at this point in the film, the stars’ characters are looking for someone who might be able to read an ancient robot language. They find their robot hiding as an out-of-commission Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. (Learn more about the plane in this month’s Object at Hand.) Known as Jetfire, he turns out to be a bearded, cranky old-timer, who creaks when he transforms. “It’s sort of like arthritis,” director Michael Bay told Empire Magazine. Despite Jetfire’s bad attitude, and his previous identity as a decepticon (the villains of the Transformers universe), he is partially responsible for the movie’s climactic ending.

The SR-71 featured in the movie–filming was done on location at the museum–was a reconnaissance aircraft used by the military and NASA. In 1990, it took its final flight from Palmdale, California, to Chantilly, Virginia. Upon arrival, the Blackbird became a permanent addition of the National Air and Space Museum’s collection, going on display in 1993.

So, if you’re a fan of the Smithsonian, don’t miss this cinematic opportunity to watch a 50-foot tall robot blast a hole through the Udvar-Hazy Center’s side door.

Poet and hip-hop artist Toni Blackman brought her hot rhymes to an equally hot stage at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. As temperatures climbed into the upper 80s Thursday, Blackman read from her book of poetry, Inner Course: A  Plea for Real Love.

She also performed several spoken word pieces, and led the crowd in an energetic freestyle session. The audience-chosen topic was something everyone was feeling: the heat.

Blackman has worked for the U.S. State Department as a cultural ambassador and founded The Lyrical Embassy, which encompasses her music, poetry, book and experiences as an ambassador. She will make more appearances at the festival as part of Giving Voice, which celebrates African American oral traditions from radio to song to storytelling, including three today (June  26) at 11 a.m. in The Oratorium, 1 p.m. at the Radio Station and 2 p.m. at the Barbershop/Beauty Parlor.

I had a chance to speak with Blackman after her performance yesterday and asked her about the festival, oral tradition and her views of poetry and hip-hop.

What brings you to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival?

I lived in D.C. for many years. I went to Howard, and one of the first organizations to support my work with hip-hop ironically was the Smithsonian. Kim Chan, who was with the Washington Performing Arts Society, brought a program idea that we were working on to Smithsonian, and we ended up doing a major international hip-hop festival back in 1998. I’ve done stuff with the Anacostia Museum, the African-American Museum and for me, it’s sort of a coming home because I grew at the Smithsonian.

What role does poetry play in oral tradition?

Poetry plays a very critical role in the oral tradition, in that poets have helped to preserve the tradition. I think through contemporary spoken word, poetry has basically added fuel to this flame that was already flickering. It was there on the sideline, and the spoken word movement brought poetry back to the people. So that the guy who’s a postman, the woman who works as a manager at Foot Locker, the guy who’s a lawyer during the week, they, too, feel like they can be poets. I think that’s really important. And more important than that is just how many young people write poetry. Now, it’s just a given, like you play basketball, you play chess, you swim and you write poetry. I think that’s very exciting for the oral tradition.

How has hip-hop influenced oral tradition?

I believe that hip-hop is what rejuvenated interest in poetry. It was hip-hop and rap that motivated an entire generation of people to consider oral expression as an option for something to do with their time.

What is the relationship between poetry and spoken word?

I do agree with people who think that there is a distinction between poetry written for the page and poetry written for the stage. There’s that material which is written to be read and that material which is written to be heard. And I think it’s okay to acknowledge that. I think what’s important, as we acknowledge it, is that we don’t’ put one above the other. It is possible for both to coexist, but not necessarily always in the same venue. What’s special about the Festival is that it attracts artists who are rooted in the spirit of the art.

Events are divided by each of the three cultures featured at this year’s festival—Giving Voice, Las Americas and Wales—and subdivided by the pavilion where the event takes place. Don’t forget to get your festival map so you can plan your day!

GIVING VOICE

Barbershop/Beauty Parlor

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Storytelling with Tejumola Ologboni and Dylan Pritchett

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Beauty Tales with Diane Ferlatte and Victoria Burnett

1:00 PM-2:00 PM The Barbershop with Baba Jamal Korama and Mitch Capel

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Beauty Tales with Toni Blackman

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Storytelling with Charlotte Blake-Alston and Victoria Burnett

4:00 PM-5:00 PM The Barbershop with Sankofa and Nothando Zulu

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Hair Stories with Brother Blue

Radio Station

11:00 AM-12:00 PM WPFW-FM Live Broadcast: In Our Voices

12:00 PM-1:00 PM WPFW-FM Live Broadcast: Don’t Forget the Blues

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Me and My Radio with Toni Blackman and Women in Black in Black Radio

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Vintage Black Radio with Paul Robeson

3:00 PM-4:00 PM The Persona of the Black Deejay, with Deborah Smith-Pollard and Documentary Footage

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Vintage Black Radio: Music of the Civil Rights

5:00 PM-5:30 PM

The Oratorium

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Poetry with Kenny Carroll, Toni Blackman, and Tonya Matthews

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Ella Jenkins

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Drama with Holly Bass

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Storytelling with Sankofa and Diane Ferlatte

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Humor with Phyllis Stickney and Branice McKenzie

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Storytelling with Len Cabral and Mitch Capel

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Storytelling with Nothando Zulu

The Stoop

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Stoop Stories with Nothando Zulu, Baba Jamal Koram, and Victoria Burnett

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Humor with James Hannah and Phyllis Stickeny

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Poetry with A. B. Spellman and Charlotte Blake-Alston

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Drama with Christylez

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Giving Voice to a Museum

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Stoop Stories with Tejumola Ologboni

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Storytelling with Len Cabral

Young Wordsmiths

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Puppet Theater with Schroeder Cherry

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Poetry Workshop with Kenny Carroll

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Puppet Theater with Schroeder Cherry

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Sing-along with Ella Jenkins

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Poetry Workshop with A.B. Spellman

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Poetry Circle with Tonya Matthews

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Storytelling with Dylan Pritchett

LAS AMERICAS

Caseta de Leandro-accordion

11:00 AM-11:45 AM

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Merengue

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Los Maestros del Joropo Oriental

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Los Maestros del Joropo Oriental

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Texmaniacs

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Las Estrellas del Vallenato

3:55 PM-4:45 PM

4:45 PM-5:30 PM Merengue

Folkways Salón

11:00 AM-11:45 AM Los Maestros del Joropo Oriental

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Conjunto de Arpa Grande

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Paraguayan Harp

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Conjunto Tejano

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Bomba y Plena

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Currulao

3:55 PM-4:45 PM Afro-Venezuelan Traditions: Grupo CUMACO

4:45 PM-5:30 PM Joropo Llanero

La Peña

11:00 AM-11:45 AM Music and Land

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Conjunto Tejano Aesthetics

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Jaranero Movement

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Drumming Workshops

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Joropo Traditions

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Folkways Recording, studio session stories

3:55 PM-4:45 PM Strings Workshop

4:45 PM-5:30 PM Paraguayan Harp

Patio de Patricia

11:00 AM-11:45 AM

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Las Estrellas del Vallenato

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Las Cantadoras del Pacífico

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Viento de Agua

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Grupo Cuero Madera y Costa CUMACO

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Grupo Cuero Madera y Costa CUMACO

3:55 PM-4:45 PM Viento de Agua

4:45 PM-5:30 PM Las Cantadoras del Pacífico

Puesto de Arcadio-harp

11:00 AM-11:45 AM Son de Madera

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Arpex

12:35 PM-1:25 PM

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Son de Madera

2:15 PM-3:05 PM

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Arpex

3:55 PM-4:45 PM Grupo Cimarrón

4:45 PM-5:30 PM

Salón de Baile

11:00 AM-11:45 AM Currulao Las Cantadoras del Pacifico

11:45 AM-12:35 PM Grupo Cuero Madera y Costa CUMACO

12:35 PM-1:25 PM Joropo Llanero Grupo Cimarrón

1:25 PM-2:15 PM Conjunto de Arpa Grande Arpex

2:15 PM-3:05 PM Connecting through Movement: Son de Madera, Hot Topics Cheerleaders, Cristine Cooper

3:05 PM-3:55 PM Merengue Tipico La India Canela

3:55 PM-4:45 PM Las Estrellas del Vallenato

4:45 PM-5:30 PM Bomba y Plena: Viento de Agua

WALES

26-Jun-09

Rugby Club

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Stories with Music

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Harp and Voice

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Sild

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Pipes and Voice

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Singer-Songwriters

4:00 PM-5:30 PM The Hennessys

5:30 PM-7:00 PM Storytellers

Story Circle

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Stories for Children

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Poetry at Lunch

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Welsh Poetry

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Stories from the Welsh Landscape

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Welsh Lesson: The Weather

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Stories in Welsh and English

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Poetry

Taste of Wales

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Preserving in Wales

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Bread and Cawl

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Wild Foods and Game

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Curing and Pickling

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Stews with Spice

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Local and Seasonal Menus

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Teatime Favorites

The Square Mile

11:00 AM-11:45 AM My Square Mile: Thomas Owen Jones; Edward Keith Jones; Alu Jones; Hywel Banwyn Evans

11:45 AM-12:30 PM The Arts in Action: Ruthin Crafts Centre and Ceramics

12:30 PM-1:15 PM Adapt, Reuse, Recycle: Cardiff Bay

1:15 PM-2:00 PM Wales and the World: Conversation with Rhodri

2:00 PM-2:45 PM Heritage Meets Innovation: The National Eisteddfod of Wales

2:45 PM-3:30 PM Think Globally, Act Locally: Endangered Languages

3:30 PM-4:15 PM Lift Up Your Voice Singing Workshop

4:15 PM-5:00 PM Reimagining Community: Youth

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Planning for the Future: Theatre

Welsh Dragon

11:00 AM-12:00 PM The Hennessys

12:00 PM-1:00 PM Welsh Dance Music

1:00 PM-2:00 PM Parti Cut Lloi

2:00 PM-3:00 PM Crasdant

3:00 PM-4:00 PM Singer-Songwriters

4:00 PM-5:00 PM Parti Cut Lloi

5:00 PM-5:30 PM Welsh Fiddle Music

6:00 PM-8:00 PM Folkways Welsh CD Launch and Dance Party

Welsh Media

11:00 AM-12:00 PM

12:00 PM-1:00 PM

1:00 PM-2:00 PM

2:00 PM-3:00 PM

3:00 PM-4:00 PM

4:00 PM-5:00 PM

5:00 PM-5:30 PM