Smithsonian Folklife Festival at Solstice Saturday
Youth and the Future of Culture
Meet participants and get a preview of the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival (July 2-7 on the National Mall) with a performance by Dylan Lizza Quartet and sidewalk astronomy with the National Capital Astronomers club. This year's Festival focuses on Youth and the Future of Culture.
Find our Solstice Saturday popup on the National Mall at Seventh Street, in front of the FOLKLIFE sign.
Schedule: 6-10 p.m.: Sidewalk Astronomy with the National Capital Astronomers Club: , 7-7:45 p.m.: Dylan Lizza Quartet (local youth jazz band) , 8-8:30 p.m.: Dylan Lizza Quartet.
Event Location: National Mall at Seventh Street. Cost: Free.
Saturday, June 21, 2025, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Opening Ceremony
Special Events
Join representatives from the Smithsonian and the Youth and the Future of Culture program in officially opening the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building. Folklife Categories: Ceremony. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM.
All-Day Native Arts Demonstrations
Native Language Reclamation
Throughout the day, see ongoing demonstrations of ribbonwork, lacrosse stick making, beading, salve making, finger weaving, basketry, clay pot making, lei making, and more.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Reclamation Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Kodiak Island Wild Foods and Plants
Native Language Reclamation
Join members of the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers to learn about the uses of wild foods and plants on Kodiak Island, Alaska.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Gifts from the Land. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Lohe, ʻOni, Walaʻau: Hear, Do, Speak
Native Language Reclamation
Join a game of interactive ʻōlelo Hawai‘i and learn to speak some Hawaiian.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Myaamia Peekitahaminki (Lacrosse)
Native Language Reclamation
Learn about peekitahaminki (lacrosse) and try out some basic skills with Myaamia students. One of the oldest sports in North America, and one of the fastest growing today, peekitahaminki is more than just a game but a way for Myaamia students to reconnect with history, culture, and family. Learn how to play by Myaamia rules using Myaamia sticks.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Lawn. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. All-Day Trades Demonstrations
Building Trades
Throughout the day, see ongoing demonstrations of stone carving, blacksmithing, architectural carpentry, ornamental plastering, stone masonry, woodworking, Appalachian-style log building, decorative painting, preservation joinery, historic brick masonry restoration, wood color matching, and classical architecture and design.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Building Trades Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Hands-On Learning: Mount Vernon’s Preservation Trades Internship Program
Building Trades
George Washington’s Mount Vernon is committed to training the next generation of skilled artisans through its robust preservation trades internship program. Undergraduate students learn the philosophy and skills of preserving an iconic historic eighteenth-century building through on-the-job experience, working side by side with master craftspeople. Join a conversation with Mount Vernon’s preservation director Tom Reinhart, restoration manager Amy McAuley, preservation carpenters, and summer interns from the American College of the Building Arts to hear about hands-on learning at Mount Vernon.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. All-Day Activities for Kids and Families
Youth Expressive Culture
The Family Activities tent is a place especially for young visitors to play and explore—in addition to the things that kids can try throughout the program demonstration areas. Join in the fun with blocks, games, magnetic poetry, coloring, school spirit banners, and more! The U.S. Copyright Office hosts educational games and creative art activities, too.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Family Activities. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
Artisan Demonstrations: Luthiery, Weaving, Saddle Making, and Leather, Silver, and Beadwork
Youth Expressive Culture
The artisans in this program area share artistic traditions and ways of life passed down through apprenticeships, family ties, and community-based programs. Luthiery: The Delgado family from Nashville, Tennessee, shares the construction of traditional stringed instruments used in mariachi and many other musical genres. Weaving: Master weavers and students from the Karen Weaving Circle revitalize their textile tradition from Burma (Myanmar) after resettling as refugees in Minnesota. Saddlery: The Carter family from Pingree, Idaho, demonstrate building Western saddles by hand. Leather, Silver, and Beadwork: The Severe family from Castleford, Idaho, demonstrate a wide range of skills that go into Western crafts or cowboy gear.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Learning Together Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Creativity and Sustainability with SAVA
Youth Expressive Culture
Explore lowrider-inspired family activities with Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy—featuring a custom lowrider photo op and car-themed puzzles. Kids (and kids at heart) can bring lowriders to life with an assortment of coloring pages. Learn how students converted a classic car into an EV lowrider.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Lowriders. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Custom Builds with Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club
Youth Expressive Culture
Watch the students of Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club transform ordinary frames into rolling works of art—complete with twisted chrome, bold paint, and classic lowrider flair. Try your hand at sanding, and get inspired by the power of leadership, teamwork, and hands-on creativity.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Lowriders. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Family Drumming Workshop with ABOP
Youth Expressive Culture
By creating strong relationships between protégés and mentors, the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists creates pathways for young Black musicians to become professional classical musicians. Come join their six virtuosi protégés in a drumming workshop for participants of all ages. Drums will be provided, first come, first served.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Beatworks. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Get Creative with MoCAT
Youth Expressive Culture
MoCAT Bedroom: Jewelry, Fashion, and Cosplay,
Come into The Bedroom to explore teenage identity, fashion, taste, and expression! The Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers presents rotating hands-on activities, demos, and discussions:
Jewelry making
Sewing and fashion up-cycling demonstration
Meet with a local cosplayer club to learn about their creative hobby
,
Hands-on activities are limited to ten visitors at a time, first come, first served.
MoCAT Bathroom: Mural Painting ,
Guest artists from local high schools collaborate on an original mural exploring teen creativity and activism. At noon, stop by for a Q&A with the artists to learn about their collaborative mural and creative practice.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Live Street Art with RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam
Youth Expressive Culture
Artists from the Cheyenne River Youth Project’s groundbreaking public art project are beautifying the Festival grounds with graffiti, bringing contemporary street art and Lakota perspectives together. Find their work in the Streetwise, Native Language Reclamation, and Main Stage areas.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Lowrider Art Demonstrations
Youth Expressive Culture
Cruise in for ongoing lowrider-inspired painting and plaque-making demonstrations by visual artist Cecelia Perez and the craftspeople of Indonesian jewelry brand SWEDA. Watch as they turn lowrider dreams into bold, vibrant reality.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Lowriders. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando
Youth Expressive Culture
Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando is the performance ensemble of the Mariachi Master Apprenticeship Program (MMAP) based in Los Angeles County. Created in 2001 in collaboration with the late Nati Cano (founder of Mariachi Los Camperos, Smithsonian Folkways recording artists), MMAP has helped develop many generations of mariachi musicians in Southern California by pairing master musicians with community members and youth. Hear Mariachi Tesoro perform classics from the mariachi repertoire as well as new arrangements on our Festival Main Stage.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Muralism with Artist Evelyn Morán Cojoc
Youth Expressive Culture
Artist Evelyn Morán Cojoc is joined by local art students to create an original mural reflecting her Poqomchi’ Maya heritage and relations to land and place in her homeland of Guatemala: Ir kooch qa K'een Ak'al (Grandmother Earth's Gifts).
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Poetry by National Youth Poet Laureates
Youth Expressive Culture
Join us for a reading with National Youth Poet Laureate Evan Wang (Pennsylvania) and state youth poet laureates Harmony Devoe (Vermont), Emily Hsu (New Jersey), and Elani Spencer (Virginia).
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Popcorn Songwriting with Rebel Song Academy
Youth Expressive Culture
Join Rebel Song Academy for a special residency at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. In this workshop, visitors can join in the communal creative process of writing a pop song. We encourage you to bring your instruments, however, they are not required. All levels of music experience are welcome. Rebel Song Academy is an innovative music camp that guides participants through their own personal artistic process, building life and career skills as they collaborate through music writing, recording, producing, and promoting. Through Rebel Song Academy, mentees produce music from their own experiences and find their voices within their own heritage.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Skate Arts and Design with Di’Orr Greenwood and Hootie Hoo
Youth Expressive Culture
Custom Skateboards and Wearable Art: Diné multidisciplinary artist Di’Orr Greenwood with her team, Brice Bowman and Samuel Bowman, share skate arts like hand-painted and wood-burned skateboard decks, as well as wearable art, traditional handmade flutes, and other objects they create.
Grip Tape Art and Muralism: D.C.-based artist, muralist, and skater Hootie Hoo demonstrates his graffiti-inspired custom grip-tape art. Grip tape, the sandpaper-like covering on skateboard decks that helps skaters to control the board, is an essential tool and a surface for art.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Skating. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Onkwehonwe'néha Tewatá:ti! Learn Some Easy Kanien’kéha
Native Language Reclamation
Join Ionkwahronkha’onhatie to learn greetings and introductions in Kanien’kéha, or the Mohawk language.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. From Tablets to Tools: Traditional Trades Training at Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School
Building Trades
Founded in partnership with the National Park Service, the Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School is a Career and Technical Education high school in New York City. Mather offers hands-on skills training in the specialized building arts and landscape trades, focusing on high-quality craftsmanship and historic preservation, while also providing its students with a solid college- and career-ready foundation. Hear from Mather students Omarion Thompson and Tyrone Vick, and Matthew Jacobs, the director of preservation, education and youth engagement for the National Parks of New York Harbor, about their experiences teaching and learning the preservation building crafts in our country’s national parks.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. “Coleman’s March”: Celebrating Pete Sutherland’s Legacy with Fiona and Emmett Stowell from Sugar in the Pan
Youth Expressive Culture
Pete Sutherland was a beloved pillar of Vermont’s traditional music scene, known for uniting people through collaboration, mentorship, and his boundless generosity. In this workshop, you will learn “Coleman’s March,” an old-time tune that he popularized. Together, we will bring to life a modern arrangement inspired by his signature old-time groove and beautifully simple yet evocative harmonies. Bring your string instruments! Fiona and Emmett Stowell of Sugar in the Pan have been playing traditional music since they were five, and they were students and dear friends of Sutherland. He profoundly shaped them as musicians; inspired them with his deep knowledge, kindness, and ability to make music a shared, joyful experience; and instilled in them the importance of being a tradition bearer, or, as he liked to call it, “passing the torch.” Sugar in the Pan is a six-piece band that grew out of the Young Tradition Vermont Touring Group run by Vermont Folklife, an education and cultural research nonprofit that works…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Classic Shrimp Ceviche
Youth Expressive Culture
Join lowrider artist Cecelia Perez as she prepares her take on shrimp ceviche, using lime, cilantro, and jalapeños. Ceviche was a summer staple for the Perez family, and she shares the recipe with us in honor of her father.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/w_aR5AZGINU. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Drawing from History: Ancestral Storytelling
Youth Expressive Culture
Storytellers Malcolm Davis and Jada Anderson discuss how they use historical research to tell ancestral stories.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Kids’ Skate Arts Activities with Music by DJ Jah Messenger
Youth Expressive Culture
Come to the skate area and get creative with hands-on activities inspired by the designs of skate gear, wearable art, and the creative world of skating! Uplifting tunes will be provided by DJ and comic artist Jah Messenger (Blas Goncalves-Borrega).
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Skating. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
Media Arts Workshop: Zine Lab with DC Zinefest
Youth Expressive Culture
Share your art, stories, and perspectives in pocket-size publications that you can make, take, and share.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit www.facebook.com. Media Arts Workshops: Zines, Cyanotypes, Animation, Videos and Podcasts, Vinyl Painting
Youth Expressive Culture
Every afternoon, join us for ongoing media arts workshops in the north wing of the Arts and Industries Building. No sign-up is required, but workshops are limited to ten participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Activities include:
Zine Making: Self-published zines (pronounced zeen, like magazine) are accessible and affordable forms of self-expression. Use materials here to make your zine, then you can make copies to distribute to friends!
Cyanotype Prints: This workshop will demonstrate the expressive nature of reverse photography using cyanotype—one of the oldest forms of photography in the world. The premise is to take a photograph and invert it to create a negative, then print the photo using cyanotype ink and UV light (or sunshine).
Stop-Motion Animation: Stop-motion is one of the earliest forms of animation, and it’s still being used today! Try your hand at creating your own animation here.
Podcasting: Ever thought about making your own film, podcasting, or being an influencer? Learn how…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Open Studio Hours
Youth Expressive Culture
Calling all aspiring musicians and songwriters! Our open-air recording studio on the National Mall is open for collaborations with the help of the mentors and sound engineers at Rebel Song Academy. Rebel Song Academy is an innovative music camp, a program of the Arts as Mentorship nonprofit. Founder Enrique Chi believes that arts-music mentorship can be a space of healing and social change. Since it started in 2017, the academy has built a network of professional, award-winning musicians who mentor its students. Their curriculum guides participants through their own personal artistic process, building life and career skills as they collaborate through music writing, recording, producing, and promoting. Through Rebel Song Academy, mentees produce music from their own experiences and find their voices within their own heritage.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: New Sounds Lab. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Plugged In: D.C.-Area Community Resources Fair
Youth Expressive Culture
Want to join something? Looking for a new club or extracurricular activity? Come to the rotunda of the Arts + Industries Building to meet with local organizations that create opportunities for youth, from employment and leadership to the arts and more.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (Rotunda). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Puppet Show: Creativity and Copyright
Youth Expressive Culture
Copyright is all around you! It protects your favorite books, songs, artwork, movies, video games, and so much more. At noon and 3 p.m. enjoy an interactive puppet show that teaches kids about creativity and copyright. Presented by the U.S. Copyright Office.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Family Activities. Folklife Categories: Performance. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:10 PM.
Reflections on Mentorship
Youth Expressive Culture
Musicians Jazmín Morales and Raynor Carroll discuss their work mentoring young classical musicians.
Named one of Musical America’s Top Movers and Shakers in the Performing Arts, Jazmín Morales has dedicated her career to helping young artists use their gifts to enact meaningful change in the world. A classically trained violinist who also grew up playing mariachi and other regional Mexican music, Morales navigates the space between classical and folk art traditions while acting as a cultural translator between these worlds. She currently serves as chief of staff at the Juilliard School, where she partners with the president and board of trustees to advance a historic campaign to make the world’s leading conservatory ever more tuition-free.
Raynor Carroll held the titles of co-principal timpani and principal percussion with the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1983 until his retirement in 2016. During his distinguished thirty-three-year career, he performed, toured, and recorded with renowned conductors, and…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Soul Classics with Stax Music Academy’s 910 Band
Youth Expressive Culture
The mission of Stax Music Academy is to inspire young people and enhance their academic, cognitive, performance, and leadership skills through music, focusing on the rich legacy of Stax Records. Since 2000, the academy has been igniting the professional careers of musicians including MonoNeon, Amber Robinson, and Evvie McKinney. In addition to providing music performance and music theory training in popular genres such as blues, gospel, rock ’n’ roll, and R&B, Stax teaches music history, business, and leadership, ensuring students can produce their own music and create their own musical paths. The music business is an ever-changing landscape that young musicians must quickly adapt to. Join Pasley Thompson from the Stax Music Academy to talk and learn about the many aspects of having a music career, from licensing and distributing your first album to creating your own brand.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Youth and Belonging
Youth Expressive Culture
Students from the Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT) lead a discussion on teenagers’ sense of belonging, based on research from the Global Belonging Collaborative and the Lantern Collective. They will explore what fosters a sense of belonging, as well as draw parallels between different teens’ experiences.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Youth Voices on Screen: Film Screening & Panel
Youth Expressive Culture
Experience the creativity and storytelling of Wide Angle Youth Media’s emerging filmmakers in this special screening of films from the organization’s Film Club and personal projects. Film Club projects are a fun way to challenge themselves and create something in under two hours. After the screening, the filmmakers will join a panel and Q&A to share insights into their creative process and the stories behind their work. Panelists include Tahir Juba and Kamaria Avery. Accessibility note: While the films in this session are subtitled or open captioned, introductions prior and discussions after may not be captioned.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (South Hall). Folklife Categories: Film. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Kaloolitiitaawi! Let’s Speak Together in Easy Myaamia
Native Language Reclamation
Join Myaamia students to learn greetings and introductions in the Myaamia language.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Educating Artisans: American College of the Building Arts
Building Trades
The American College of the Building Arts helps train a new generation of craftspeople by integrating professional hands-on training in the traditional building trades with a liberal arts core curriculum. Its mission is to foster exceptional craftsmanship and encourage the preservation, enrichment, and understanding of the world’s architectural heritage. Craft specializations for students include architectural carpentry, blacksmithing, plastering, architectural stone carving, timber framing, and classical architecture and design. Join the conversation with stone carving student Tatum Connor and carpentry student Thomas Dezii talking with their professors Joseph Kincannon, Markus Damwerth, and Christina Butler about why the building arts matter to them.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Cantos de Mi Tierra Voice Workshop with Mariachi Tesoro
Youth Expressive Culture
Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando is the performance ensemble of the Mariachi Master Apprenticeship Program (MMAP) based in Los Angeles County. Created in 2001 in collaboration with the late Nati Cano (founder of Mariachi Los Camperos, Smithsonian Folkways recording artists), MMAP has helped develop many generations of mariachi musicians in Southern California by pairing master musicians with community members and youth. Come and learn to sing a ranchera, a corrido, or even a bolero. Through the songs, Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando will teach us about their musical customs and traditions.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Amplifying Youth Voices through Social Media
Youth Expressive Culture
In this interactive workshop led by student producers at Wide Angle Youth Media in Baltimore, visitors can learn how to intentionally use social media to uplift and amplify the voices of young people in their communities. Through guided brainstorming and hands-on activities, we will explore platform strategies, content planning, and messaging tailored to youth audiences. Each workshop attendee will use a printed workbook to develop ideas and leave with clear next steps for creating youth-centered content on their organization’s social media platforms.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (West Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Andean Hip-Hop with Andes MC and Eber Miranda
Youth Expressive Culture
Andes MC and Eber Miranda from Bolivia perform rap music in Aymara and Spanish.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Dancing with DJ Emmett Lanter
Youth Expressive Culture
Get your body moving with a set by DJ Emmett Lanter and the Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT). Dancing is encouraged!
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Filmmaker Spotlight with Samuel Habib and Chloe Barnett
Youth Expressive Culture
Join filmmakers Chloe Barnett and Samuel Habib in a discussion about using film to elevate youth voices. Samuel Habib is a college student and an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. The New York Times Op-Doc My Disability Roadmap (2022), a short film which he co-directed, was a Critics Choice Awards nominee. He has served as a story consultant on the nationally broadcast film Mr. Connolly Has ALS, worked as a Concord Monitor newspaper columnist, interviewed U.S. presidential candidates, and presented nationally on disability rights, inclusive education, and his transition to adulthood—themes he explores in the feature-length film The Ride Ahead (2024). Chloe Barnett is an Emmy-award winning documentary filmmaker. Her work, Women of the Watershed documents a young woman journeying to the source of the Everglades headwaters to better understand the historic challenges of water management and pollution that now threaten this fragile ecosystem. Along the way she will meet a new generation of advocates who a…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (South Hall). Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. It’s Not Pizza: Manoushe
Youth Expressive Culture
More than 1,000 years before pizza’s inception, people in the Levant region were eating manoushe, a flatbread topped with with za’atar and zayt (olive oil). Chefs from Z&Z Manoushe Bakery in Rockville, Maryland, demonstrate their family’s manoushe in this outdoor cooking demonstration.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
Library of Congress Youth Archives Challenge 2025
Youth Expressive Culture
Through the Archive Challenge, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress encourages musicians, singers, and other artists to explore its archive and get creative with what they find. Since 2015, AFC has helped artists find a song or piece of music they love so they can put their own stamp on it with a new arrangement or interpretation—and then perform it in a live setting or on a recording. The Archive of Folk Culture, located within the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, is the largest ethnographic archive in the world, containing treasures for everyone to explore.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/AbdR1winFPo. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit guides.loc.gov. MoCAT Bedroom: “Dear Diary” Cross-Generation Chat
Youth Expressive Culture
Join an intergenerational conversation about history, memory, and teen experience through the lens of diaries and journaling.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Tradition and Fashion in Youth Style
Youth Expressive Culture
Young designers and textile artists share how learning their heritage textile and adornment traditions fits into their contemporary style and self-presentation.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
Guangkuta litnuarlita Alutiit’sun! Let’s Speak Alutiiq!
Native Language Reclamation
Join the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers to learn greetings and introductions in the Alutiiq language.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Mary Kawena Pukui Set with Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo
Native Language Reclamation
The hālau (school) will introduce a few hula (dances) and mele (songs) celebrating the legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui. Visitors are encouraged to participate in learning the hula “Ke Ao Nani,” a simple children’s hula that teaches about the world around us.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Myaamia Miincipi (Corn) Restoration and Meaning
Native Language Reclamation
Learn from Kara Strass about Myaamia miincipi, a unique variety of corn that Myaamia have preserved for centuries.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Gifts from the Land. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Reclaiming Our Native Languages
Native Language Reclamation
Join a conversation about motivations, approaches, and challenges of revitalizing Indigenous languages, culture, and community.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Learning Gothic-Style Stonework at Washington National Cathedral
Building Trades
Washington National Cathedral was severely damaged when a rare 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the mid-Atlantic region in 2011. Since that time, the Cathedral’s highly skilled craftspeople have worked tirelessly to restore the structure’s damaged stonework—its elaborately crafted pinnacles, gargoyles, crockets, and flying buttresses—and to reinforce and protect the nearly 120-year-old national treasure against future damage. Hear from Brianna Castelli, the Cathedral’s first female journeyman stone mason and carver who has been learning Gothic-style stonework from longtime head stone mason Joe Alonso and experienced stone carvers and masons Sean Callahan and Andy Uhl.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Sak’iq: Sustaining Guatemalan Maya Foodways
Youth Expressive Culture
Maya Poqomchi' artist Evelyn Morán Cojoc prepares a white Guatemalan recado made with turkey, ground corn, and cobanero chili peppers.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/Sm4Pq5GMPrc. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit www.zandzdc.com. Becoming a Poet Laureate
Youth Expressive Culture
The National Youth Poet Laureate program works with youth literary arts organizations across the United States to identify and celebrate exceptional youth poets who use their voice to inspire change. Join National Youth Poet Laureate Evan Wang and state youth laureates Harmony Devoe, Emily Hsu, and Elani Spencer as they discuss the journey to become a youth poet laureate.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Elevating Local Voices
Youth Expressive Culture
Join participants from Maryland-based Action Youth Media (Silver Spring) and Wide Angle Youth Media (Baltimore) for a discussion about their work and the importance of elevating local voices in their surrounding communities.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (South Hall). Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Mental Health Awareness among Teens
Youth Expressive Culture
Join the Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT) for a discussion about mental health awareness among teenagers with Eliana “Ellie” Seiler, Maya Shweiki, and Mia Valentine, leaders of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School’s mental-health activism club, Supportive Minds Society.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. MoCAT Bathroom: Ceramics Workshop
Youth Expressive Culture
Celebrate teen art making and join in a hands-on clay sculpture activity, suitable for older kids and teens. Participation in this workshop is limited to ten visitors at a time—first come, first served.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Orchestral Repertoire with ABOP
Youth Expressive Culture
By creating strong relationships between protégés and mentors, the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists (ABOP) creates pathways for young Black musicians to become professional classical musicians. Come join their six virtuosi protégés demonstrate one of the most iconic percussion instruments in the orchestra, the timpani. They are led by director and lead mentor Raynor Carroll.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Beatworks. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Silver Pendant Making Demonstration
Youth Expressive Culture
Learn about traditional silver craftsmanship as the artists of Indonesian jewelry brand SWEDA demonstrate intricate pendant-making techniques and artistry. Each day, these demonstrations feature an exchange with guest artists of other creative disciplines.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Lowriders. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. What’s Your Story: Oral History Gathering
Youth Expressive Culture
Everyone has a story to share, and it’s our stories that weave together the fabric of each community. Action Youth Media invites you to share the stories that make your family or community unique. Visitors will have the opportunity to record their story for personal use and/or for addition to the AYM oral history archive for the region.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (West Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Ancestral Artistry: The Influence of Africans & Creoles of Color on Louisiana Architecture
Building Trades
Ancestral Artistry: The Influence of Africans & Creoles of Color on Louisiana Architecture explores the rich architectural legacy that began 300 years ago with the arrival of enslaved Africans, who were skilled in the building trades, in French colonial Louisiana. The film highlights these trades and tells the stories of contemporary master craftsmen in New Orleans: plasterer Jeffrey Poree, blacksmith Darryl Reeves, and the late brick mason Teddy Pierre.
After the screening, join a conversation with Poree, Reeves, and Jonn Hankins with the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild. They will share their hopes to preserve their fragile traditions and train apprentices to carry on their craft. The film, produced by the Louisiana Architecture Foundation, was made possible through public and private donations. Special thanks to the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development-Division of Historic Preservation and AIA Louisiana.
Registration is required. Reserve your free tickets.
This screening is presented in…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Oprah Winfrey Theater (NMAAHC). Folklife Categories: Film. Accessibility: Captioning. Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
For more info visit www.louisianaarchitecture.org. Media Arts Workshop: Zine Lab with DC Zinefest
Youth Expressive Culture
Share your art, stories, and perspectives in pocket-size publications that you can make, take, and share.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit www.facebook.com. Basket Making & Language Learning
Native Language Reclamation
Join in an informal discussion with members of Ionkwahronkha’onhátie’ as they talk about learning basket-making skills while immersing themselves in the Kanienʼkéha (Mohawk) language.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Myaamia Peekitahaminki (Lacrosse)
Native Language Reclamation
Learn about peekitahaminki (lacrosse) and try out some basic skills with Myaamia students. One of the oldest sports in North America, and one of the fastest growing today, peekitahaminki is more than just a game but a way for Myaamia students to reconnect with history, culture, and family. Learn how to play by Myaamia rules using Myaamia sticks.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Lawn. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. The Past and Future of Historic Trades Training and Apprenticeships in America
Building Trades
Join Nicholas Redding, president and CEO of Preservation Maryland and The Campaign for Historic Trades, for a conversation about the trades required to save historic buildings. Redding will discuss the recent history of trades training in the United States and what’s being done today to address the shortage of tradespeople qualified to tackle the restoration of some of the country’s most iconic places. Come learn about how new apprenticeships are creating new pathways for the passage of knowledge in the race to save history.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Brass Instruments, Traditions, and Youth with Mariachi Tesoro and Stax Music Academy
Youth Expressive Culture
When brass instruments arrived to the Americas, they became a fundamental part of multiple musical genres across the continent. During this musical conversation, brass players from the Stax Music Academy and trumpet players from Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando will talk about the influence of brass instruments in their musical traditions and will share with the audience parts of their musical soundscape. Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando is the performance ensemble of the Mariachi Master Apprenticeship Program (MMAP) based in Los Angeles County. Created in 2001 in collaboration with the late Nati Cano (founder of Mariachi Los Camperos, Smithsonian Folkways recording artists), MMAP has helped develop many generations of mariachi musicians in Southern California by pairing master musicians with community members and youth. The mission of Stax Music Academy is to inspire young people and enhance their academic, cognitive, performance, and leadership skills through music, focusing on the rich legacy of Stax…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Coming of Age: The Quinceañera
Youth Expressive Culture
Local teens share their experiences with an important rite of passage, the quinceañera (celebrating girls’ fifteenth birthdays in Latino cultures).
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Eats + Beats
Youth Expressive Culture
Eats + Beats is a show where chefs and music producers break bread and chop it up—literally. Featured guests find connection and commonality in how they move from inspiration to execution to final product. Born and raised in Washington D.C. Darryl “Chef DJ” Johnson has been cooking and doing food business for over twenty years and has launched his own award-winning sandwich shoppe, Marty Clarks Uptown. When he is not spending time with his family, you can catch him in kitchens around the country, cooking, teaching and consulting, doing his part to push the industry forward.
THEORY is a producer, DJ, and writer in the D.C. underground hip-hop scene. He is part of the Legendary INFINITE LOOP crew, a member of his original group Live Society, and co-owner of BadHumn Arthaus, LLC.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/GbI79kyWUhw. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
Maryland Folklife Apprenticeships: Film Screening & Panel
Youth Expressive Culture
Join us for a special screening of short films showcasing folklife apprenticeships across Maryland, created by Wide Angle Youth Media’s production team in collaboration with the Maryland State Arts Council. Following the screening, emerging producers will take the stage for a panel and Q&A, sharing their experiences documenting these rich cultural traditions. Panelists include Tahir Juba, Janai Cherry, and Kamaria Avery. Don’t miss this opportunity to see Maryland’s living traditions through the eyes of the next generation of storytellers! Accessibility note: While the films in this session are subtitled or open captioned, introductions prior and discussions after may not be captioned.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (South Hall). Folklife Categories: Film. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Puppet Show: Creativity and Copyright
Youth Expressive Culture
Copyright is all around you! It protects your favorite books, songs, artwork, movies, video games, and so much more. At noon and 3 p.m. enjoy an interactive puppet show that teaches kids about creativity and copyright. Presented by the U.S. Copyright Office.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Family Activities. Folklife Categories: Performance. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:10 PM.
Telling the Story: Malcolm Davis
Youth Expressive Culture
“Affrilachian” storyteller and theatre practitioner Malcolm Davis performs his solo performance piece The Slave, Monk Estill, a journey into the Revolutionary War in Kentucky.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Tunes from New England and Beyond with Sugar in the Pan
Youth Expressive Culture
Vermont Folklife’s Sugar in the Pan band plays traditional music from New England, Québec, Maritime Canada, and beyond, featuring lively tunes that will have folks of all ages up and dancing! These fantastic teenage musicians with the Young Tradition Touring Group offer creative and engaging arrangements for audiences.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Young Artists and Music Legacies with the Library of Congress Archives Challenge
Youth Expressive Culture
Join a conversation with musical artists who are mining the archive of traditional music recordings to create and perform new works, via the Archive of Folk Culture at the Library of Congress and the Archives Challenge project.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit www.loc.gov. Kanien’kehá:ka Natural Dyeing Plants and Dyeing Traditions
Native Language Reclamation
In the garden area, learn about Kanien’kehá:ka dyeing traditions and the use of natural dyeing plants with Ieshontenhawe King.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Gifts from the Land. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers
Native Language Reclamation
Watch the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers perform traditional and new songs and dances.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/vnimD77Z_ZQ. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Making New Words
Native Language Reclamation
How do you say “satellite”? Join an interactive discussion on how language revitalization programs and new speakers update their Indigenous languages by creating new words.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Play Ukulele with Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo
Native Language Reclamation
Hawaiian musicians Pelehonuamea Harman, Ku‘ulei Ventura, and U‘ilani Zimmer introduce us to basic ukulele chords and strums. They will also teach a mele (song). Bring your own instruments!
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Historic Preservation, Craftsmanship, and the Environment
Building Trades
Join skilled artisans and historic preservation experts for a discussion of the important role that preservation craftsmanship plays in environmental sustainability.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. MoCAT Bathroom: Gallery Walk
Youth Expressive Culture
Join student artist-curators for a guided walk through the open-air gallery of teen artworks, with Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers team member Olivia Carty.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. MoCAT Bathroom: Graffiti Time
Youth Expressive Culture
Grab a Sharpie and join the conversation on the walls of the Bathroom! We invite you to bring positive messages and creativity to the age-old tradition of marking on the bathroom walls.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. MoCAT Bedroom: Nail Art Demo with nailsxxlex
Youth Expressive Culture
Bethesda-based teen nail tech Alexis Jamie, known as nailsxxlex, will demonstrate the skilled artistry behind up-to-the-minute nail art fashions, and share her experience becoming a business owner while in high school.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Open Studio Hours
Youth Expressive Culture
Calling all aspiring musicians and songwriters! Our open-air recording studio on the National Mall is open for collaborations with the help of the mentors and sound engineers at Rebel Song Academy. Rebel Song Academy is an innovative music camp, a program of the Arts as Mentorship nonprofit. Founder Enrique Chi believes that arts-music mentorship can be a space of healing and social change. Since it started in 2017, the academy has built a network of professional, award-winning musicians who mentor its students. Their curriculum guides participants through their own personal artistic process, building life and career skills as they collaborate through music writing, recording, producing, and promoting. Through Rebel Song Academy, mentees produce music from their own experiences and find their voices within their own heritage.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: New Sounds Lab. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Sourdough Pancakes
Youth Expressive Culture
The Severe family of Castleford, Idaho, shares the recipes and benefits of the sourdough starter that has been in their family for over thirty years.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
Storytelling with David Fakunle and Jada Anderson
Youth Expressive Culture
Storytellers Dr. David Fakunle and Jada Anderson share ancestral stories and wisdom.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Street Art and Community
Youth Expressive Culture
Muralists and graffiti artists from Indonesia, South Dakota, and Washington, D.C. share their artistic journeys and the global connections of graffiti.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. What Is MoCAT?
Youth Expressive Culture
In this discussion, students from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School discuss the origins of the Museum of the Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT) and the importance of elevating teen voices.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Andean Hip-Hop with Andes MC Featuring Eber Miranda
Youth Expressive Culture
Enjoy the lyricism and hip-hop stylings of Carlos Andres Orellana Patiño, a rapper, singer, and songwriter from La Paz, Bolivia. His stage name, Andes MC, reflects his Andean identity. In 2020, he released his first singles, “Sistemas de Control” and “Ser.” He is joined on stage by his mentor, Eber Miranda, an Indigenous hip-hop artist and Aymara language teacher dedicated to uplifting Indigenous communities.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Folklife Coffeehouse
Youth Expressive Culture
Stop by the Foodways stage for a chance at a small drink sampling, food poetry, and the flavorful sounds of DJ Mojo to close out daytime festival programming.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Jam Session with Sugar in the Pan
Youth Expressive Culture
Enjoy this jam session as a listener or a player along with musicians of Sugar in the Pan. Learn and listen to the New England folk music traditions, or share your own tunes with the audience and participants. All levels of musicianship are welcome, but you must bring your own instrument!
Sugar in the Pan is a six-piece band that grew out of the Young Tradition Vermont Touring Group run by Vermont Folklife, an education and cultural research nonprofit that works to document, nurture, and present community-based expressions including traditional music genres.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Wednesday, July 2, 2025, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. All-Day Native Arts Demonstrations
Native Language Reclamation
Throughout the day, see ongoing demonstrations of ribbonwork, lacrosse stick making, beading, salve making, finger weaving, basketry, clay pot making, lei making, and more.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Reclamation Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Alutiiq/Sugpiaq Dance Regalia: History, Words and Meaning
Native Language Reclamation
Join in an informal discussion with members of the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers from Alaska on the history and meaning of their regalia.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Iethiiehià:rons (We Raise Them) Community Garden Initiative
Native Language Reclamation
Learn about Iethiiehià:rons “We Raise Them,” the Ionkwahronkha'onhátie community garden initiative, with Taiawentón:ti Chelsea Sunday.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Gifts from the Land. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Myaamia Peekitahaminki (Lacrosse)
Native Language Reclamation
Learn about peekitahaminki (lacrosse) and try out some basic skills with Myaamia students. One of the oldest sports in North America, and one of the fastest growing today, peekitahaminki is more than just a game but a way for Myaamia students to reconnect with history, culture, and family. Learn how to play by Myaamia rules using Myaamia sticks.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Lawn. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. All-Day Trades Demonstrations
Building Trades
Throughout the day, see ongoing demonstrations of stone carving, blacksmithing, architectural carpentry, ornamental plastering, stone masonry, woodworking, Appalachian-style log building, decorative painting, preservation joinery, historic brick masonry restoration, wood color matching, and classical architecture and design.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Building Trades Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. The Legacy of Spanish Stone Masons in Washington, D.C.
Building Trades
Join a conversation with José Francisco Sieiro Bugallo, Ivan Sieiro Lopez, Manuel Seara, Victor Castro, and Joe Alonso, stone masons descended from immigrants from Spain who brought their regional stone working skills to the Americas, eventually settling in the Washington, D.C. area and contributing their skills and knowledge to building and restoring many of the city’s important buildings and historic monuments.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. “Bring Me a Little Water, Sylvie”: Harmonies and History with Grace Martin from Sugar in the Pan
Youth Expressive Culture
“Bring Me a Little Water, Sylvie” is a traditional African American work song first popularized by prominent folk musician Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter. Originally passed down through oral tradition, it continues to be popular today. In this workshop, learn how to sing three-part harmony while exploring the roots and context of folk work songs, their shared elements, and how melodies are preserved or altered over time. All voices are welcome, and no prior experience is needed!
Grace Martin is a Vermont singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who teaches at Cordova Bluegrass Camp. She performs with trad band Sap Line and an a cappella ensemble at Bates College, where she is a history major. She is also a member of Sugar in the Pan, a six-piece band that grew out of the Young Tradition Vermont Touring Group run by Vermont Folklife, an education and cultural research nonprofit that works to document, nurture, and present community-based expressions including traditional music genres.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. All-Day Activities for Kids and Families
Youth Expressive Culture
The Family Activities tent is a place especially for young visitors to play and explore—in addition to the things that kids can try throughout the program demonstration areas. Join in the fun with blocks, games, magnetic poetry, coloring, school spirit banners, and more! The U.S. Copyright Office hosts educational games and creative art activities, too.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Family Activities. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
Andean Hip-Hop with Andes MC and Eber Miranda
Youth Expressive Culture
Andes MC and Eber Miranda from Bolivia perform rap music in Aymara and Spanish.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Artisan Demonstrations: Luthiery, Weaving, Saddle Making, and Leather, Silver, and Beadwork
Youth Expressive Culture
The artisans in this program area share artistic traditions and ways of life passed down through apprenticeships, family ties, and community-based programs. Luthiery: The Delgado family from Nashville, Tennessee, shares the construction of traditional stringed instruments used in mariachi and many other musical genres. Weaving: Master weavers and students from the Karen Weaving Circle revitalize their textile tradition from Burma (Myanmar) after resettling as refugees in Minnesota. Saddlery: The Carter family from Pingree, Idaho, demonstrate building Western saddles by hand. Leather, Silver, and Beadwork: The Severe family from Castleford, Idaho, demonstrate a wide range of skills that go into Western crafts or cowboy gear.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Learning Together Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Creativity and Sustainability with SAVA
Youth Expressive Culture
Explore lowrider-inspired family activities with Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy—featuring a custom lowrider photo op and car-themed puzzles. Kids (and kids at heart) can bring lowriders to life with an assortment of coloring pages. Learn how students converted a classic car into an EV lowrider.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Lowriders. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Custom Builds with Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club
Youth Expressive Culture
Watch the students of Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club transform ordinary frames into rolling works of art—complete with twisted chrome, bold paint, and classic lowrider flair. Try your hand at sanding, and get inspired by the power of leadership, teamwork, and hands-on creativity.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Lowriders. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Family Drumming Workshop with ABOP
Youth Expressive Culture
By creating strong relationships between protégés and mentors, the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists creates pathways for young Black musicians to become professional classical musicians.
Come join their six virtuosi protégés in a drumming workshop for participants of all ages. Drums will be provided, first come, first served.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Beatworks. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Get Creative with MoCAT
Youth Expressive Culture
MoCAT Bedroom: Jewelry, Fashion, and Cosplay,
Come into The Bedroom to explore teenage identity, fashion, taste, and expression! The Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers presents rotating hands-on activities, demos, and discussions:
Jewelry making
Sewing and fashion up-cycling demonstration
Meet with a local cosplayer club to learn about their creative hobby
,
Hands-on activities are limited to ten visitors at a time, first come, first served.
MoCAT Bathroom: Mural Painting ,
Guest artists from local high schools collaborate on an original mural exploring teen creativity and activism. At noon, stop by for a Q&A with the artists to learn about their collaborative mural and creative practice.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Lebanese Mujadara
Youth Expressive Culture
Join Muna Dubbaneh of Z&Z Manoushe Bakery as she prepares her family’s mujadara, a beloved Lebanese dish made with lentils, rice, and tender, flavorful onions.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
Live Street Art with RedCan Invitational Graffiti Jam
Youth Expressive Culture
Artists from the Cheyenne River Youth Project’s groundbreaking public art project are beautifying the Festival grounds with graffiti, bringing contemporary street art and Lakota perspectives together. Find their work in the Streetwise, Native Language Reclamation, and Main Stage areas.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Lowrider Art Demonstrations
Youth Expressive Culture
Cruise in for ongoing lowrider-inspired painting and plaque-making demonstrations by visual artist Cecelia Perez and the craftspeople of Indonesian jewelry brand SWEDA. Watch as they turn lowrider dreams into bold, vibrant reality.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Lowriders. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Muralism with Artist Evelyn Morán Cojoc
Youth Expressive Culture
Artist Evelyn Morán Cojoc is joined by local art students to create an original mural reflecting her Poqomchi’ Maya heritage and relations to land and place in her homeland of Guatemala: Ir kooch qa K'een Ak'al (Grandmother Earth's Gifts).
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Open Studio Hours
Youth Expressive Culture
Calling all aspiring musicians and songwriters! Our open-air recording studio on the National Mall is open for collaborations with the help of the mentors and sound engineers at Rebel Song Academy. Rebel Song Academy is an innovative music camp, a program of the Arts as Mentorship nonprofit. Founder Enrique Chi believes that arts-music mentorship can be a space of healing and social change. Since it started in 2017, the academy has built a network of professional, award-winning musicians who mentor its students. Their curriculum guides participants through their own personal artistic process, building life and career skills as they collaborate through music writing, recording, producing, and promoting. Through Rebel Song Academy, mentees produce music from their own experiences and find their voices within their own heritage.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: New Sounds Lab. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Skate Arts and Design with Di’Orr Greenwood and Hootie Hoo
Youth Expressive Culture
Custom Skateboards and Wearable Art: Diné multidisciplinary artist Di’Orr Greenwood with her team, Brice Bowman and Samuel Bowman, share skate arts like hand-painted and wood-burned skateboard decks, as well as wearable art, traditional handmade flutes, and other objects they create.
Grip Tape Art and Muralism: D.C.-based artist, muralist, and skater Hootie Hoo demonstrates his graffiti-inspired custom grip-tape art. Grip tape, the sandpaper-like covering on skateboard decks that helps skaters to control the board, is an essential tool and a surface for art.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Skating. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Soul Classics with Stax Music Academy’s 910 Band
Youth Expressive Culture
The mission of Stax Music Academy is to inspire young people and enhance their academic, cognitive, performance, and leadership skills through music, focusing on the rich legacy of Stax Records. Since 2000, the academy has been igniting the professional careers of musicians including MonoNeon, Amber Robinson, and Evvie McKinney. In addition to providing music performance and music theory training in popular genres such as blues, gospel, rock ’n’ roll, and R&B, Stax teaches music history, business, and leadership, ensuring students can produce their own music and create their own musical paths.
The music business is an ever-changing landscape that young musicians must quickly adapt to. Join Pasley Thompson from the Stax Music Academy to talk and learn about the many aspects of having a music career, from licensing and distributing your first album to creating your own brand.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Working with Your Hands: Skills Training in School
Youth Expressive Culture
Join a conversation with students who have enrolled in vocational or trades training in their high school, with emerging artisans from Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School in New York City and the Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
Youth and Volunteerism
Youth Expressive Culture
Join the Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT) for a discussion with teens about the importance of volunteering and community service.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Visual Description Tour: Streetwise Tent
Special Events
This tour, designed for those who are blind or low-vision, will explore the Streetwise tent of the Folklife Festival featuring lowrider culture (cars and bikes), skating and skate arts, street art and graffiti, and sidewalk astronomy. This tour will feature audio description and tactile exploration of this demonstration area and interactive engagement with the artists and athletes. Live description will be transmitted using LiveVoice, a free audio streaming app. We recommend that visitors download the LiveVoice app for free on Google Play or the App Store prior to arriving. The access code for this event will be made available onsite. Visitors are welcome (but not required) to wear masks due to proximity during the tour. Traditional sighted-guide assistance (hand resting on the guide’s elbow) will be available, although the describer and volunteers can also offer spoken navigation and orientation guidance if preferred. For more information or to pre-register, please call 202-633-7488 or email folklife@si.…
Stage: Accessibility Tent. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Audio description.
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
Easy ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i
Native Language Reclamation
Join members of Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo to learn greetings and introductions in ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i, the Hawaiian language.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Invitational Dances with the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers
Native Language Reclamation
Come and dance with the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers! This hands-on workshop introduces visitors to easy dance steps.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Old Walls, New Hands: Bridging Generations in the Building Trades & Attracting New Audiences
Building Trades
How do we attract new skilled labor into preservation and the traditional building trades? Join us as we tackle this urgent challenge. Hosted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s HOPE Crew, this session features insights from former program participant Jordan Lamar and long-time trades practitioner and mentor James Turner. Together, they’ll reveal strategies for attracting fresh talent to the field, share personal stories of mentorship, and explore what it takes to ignite passion for these vital trades. Are you ready to help shape the future of preservation?
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Action Youth Media: Shorts
Youth Expressive Culture
Join us for a screening of film shorts by Action Youth Media participants. Accessibility note: While the films in this session are subtitled or open captioned, introductions prior and discussions after may not be captioned.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (South Hall). Folklife Categories: Film. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Ancestral Connections: Sharing Our Cultural Stories through Indigenous Tribal Art with Katrina Villavicencio
Youth Expressive Culture
Through this zine workshop, visitors will learn about the history of Indigenous Filipinos, their use of tribal symbols, and its significance to modern-day culture. You’ll also walk away with a better understanding of globalization through an ancestral lens.
Visitors will be guided to create zines that narrate their individual stories—relationships, achievements, and identities past, present, and future—and leave with not only a zine but also a renewed passion to preserve the work and teachings of our ancestors as a catalyst to confront contemporary challenges. For ages twelve and up. No sign-up is required, but workshops are limited to ten participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
Katrina Villavicencio is an artist, designer, and tribal arts practitioner who teaches art and forgotten creative practices as a way to draw connections between past, present, and future. Through her work, she discovered that by tuning deeper into her own culture’s past, she found universal connections throughout human his…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Healing & Truth Through Storytelling: Jada Anderson and David Fakunle
Youth Expressive Culture
Join storytellers Dr. David Fakunle and Jada Anderson in an interactive workshop that explores how storytelling can be used as a dynamic tool for health and healing.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (West Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. It’s Not Pizza: Manoushe
Youth Expressive Culture
More than 1,000 years before pizza’s inception, people in the Levant region were eating manoushe, a flatbread topped with with za’atar and zayt (olive oil). Chefs from Z&Z Manoushe Bakery in Rockville, Maryland, demonstrate their family’s manoushe in this outdoor cooking demonstration.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/L2GfVQoefMI. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
Kids’ Skate Arts Activities with Music by DJ Jah Messenger
Youth Expressive Culture
Come to the skate area and get creative with hands-on activities inspired by the designs of skate gear, wearable art, and the creative world of skating! Uplifting tunes will be provided by DJ and comic artist Jah Messenger (Blas Goncalves-Borrega).
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Skating. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
Learning in the Family: Spotlight on Western Crafts
Youth Expressive Culture
Working ranchers and saddlemakers from two Idaho families, the Carters and the Severes, will share their journeys as leather artisans and their commitments to passing on their skills and way of life to the next generation.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando
Youth Expressive Culture
Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando is the performance ensemble of the Mariachi Master Apprenticeship Program (MMAP) based in Los Angeles County. Created in 2001 in collaboration with the late Nati Cano (founder of Mariachi Los Camperos, Smithsonian Folkways recording artists), MMAP has helped develop many generations of mariachi musicians in Southern California by pairing master musicians with community members and youth. Hear Mariachi Tesoro perform classics from the mariachi repertoire as well as new arrangements on our Festival Main Stage.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Media Arts Workshops: Fold a Poem with Olivia Braley
Youth Expressive Culture
A zine, like a poem, is brief, creative, and form-limited. Also like a poem, it is a place to get real, confess, play, and break rules. In this workshop, visitors will be led through several generative writing exercises to get the poetic mind working. They will then turn their freshly written words into zines to trade, share, give to their lover or keep like a secret. Ages ten and up. Olivia Braley is a D.C.-based poet and educator who has taught workshops locally and virtually for nearly a decade. She is the author of the chapbook SOFTENING and co-founder of Stone of Madness Press.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM.
For more info visit oliviabraley.com. Media Arts Workshops: Zines, Cyanotypes, Animation, Videos and Podcasts, Vinyl Painting
Youth Expressive Culture
Every afternoon, join us for ongoing media arts workshops in the north wing of the Arts and Industries Building. No sign-up is required, but workshops are limited to ten participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Activities include:
Zine Making: Self-published zines (pronounced zeen, like magazine) are accessible and affordable forms of self-expression. Use materials here to make your zine, then you can make copies to distribute to friends!
Cyanotype Prints: This workshop will demonstrate the expressive nature of reverse photography using cyanotype—one of the oldest forms of photography in the world. The premise is to take a photograph and invert it to create a negative, then print the photo using cyanotype ink and UV light (or sunshine).
Stop-Motion Animation: Stop-motion is one of the earliest forms of animation, and it’s still being used today! Try your hand at creating your own animation here.
Podcasting: Ever thought about making your own film, podcasting, or being an influencer? Learn how…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Plugged In: D.C.-Area Community Resources Fair
Youth Expressive Culture
Want to join something? Looking for a new club or extracurricular activity? Come to the rotunda of the Arts + Industries Building to meet with local organizations that create opportunities for youth, from employment and leadership to the arts and more.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (Rotunda). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Puppet Show: Creativity and Copyright
Youth Expressive Culture
Copyright is all around you! It protects your favorite books, songs, artwork, movies, video games, and so much more. At noon and 3 p.m. enjoy an interactive puppet show that teaches kids about creativity and copyright. Presented by the U.S. Copyright Office.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Family Activities. Folklife Categories: Performance. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:10 PM.
What Is MoCAT?
Youth Expressive Culture
In this discussion, students from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School discuss the origins of the Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT) and the importance of elevating youth voices.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Youth in Literary Spaces
Youth Expressive Culture
Young writers discuss the reality of working in the largely adult-dominated literary field. Presented by Cassandra Quayson. .
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Kodiak Island Wild Foods and Plants
Native Language Reclamation
Join members of the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers to learn about the uses of wild foods and plants on Kodiak Island, Alaska.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Gifts from the Land. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: ASL-interpreted program.
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Raising Children in the Language through Halloween Potion Making
Native Language Reclamation
Watch how young Kanien’kehá:ka families teach and interact in their language through a kid-friendly potion-making activity.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Preservation Craftsmanship: Three Generations of Decorative Painters
Building Trades
Meet three generations of talented craftspeople with John Canning & Co. and learn about their decorative painting techniques and their passion for perfecting preservation. John Canning, a master decorative painter and a generous and dedicated teacher, has passed his extensive old-world craft skills and knowledge onto his daughter Jacqueline Canning Riccio, son-in-law David Riccio, and granddaughters Isabella and Zoe Riccio, making for a family tradition of artistry that spans nearly half a century.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Expanding the Archive: The Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project
Youth Expressive Culture
Students from ARTxFM Next Wave: Teen Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, discuss their work with the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (South Hall). Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Green Chicken Enchiladas
Youth Expressive Culture
Representing lowrider culture in Sacramento, California, at the Festival, the Rodriguez family prepares their delicious and simple green chicken enchiladas.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/eSq96KRQjFg. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit www.zandzdc.com. Mental Health Awareness and the Supportive Minds Society
Youth Expressive Culture
Join the Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT) for a presentation and Q&A with teen narrative essayist Eliana “Ellie” Seiler, a student at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. She’ll read her work based on experiences overcoming mental health challenges and open the discussion about mental health awareness among teenagers with Maya Shweiki and Mia Valentine, leaders of B-CC’s mental-health activism club, Supportive Minds Society.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Stax Music Academy: Open Dress Rehearsal Conducted by Sam Franklin IV
Youth Expressive Culture
Do you have what it takes to be a music director? Join Stax Music Academy during this open rehearsal to witness the behind-the-scenes work done by music director Sam Franklin IV. Witness the teaching-learning process of how directors mentor young musicians. The mission of Stax Music Academy is to inspire young people and enhance their academic, cognitive, performance, and leadership skills through music, focusing on the rich legacy of Stax Records. Since 2000, the academy has been igniting the professional careers of musicians including MonoNeon, Amber Robinson, and Evvie McKinney. In addition to providing music performance and music theory training in popular genres such as blues, gospel, rock ’n’ roll, and R&B, Stax teaches music history, business, and leadership, ensuring that students can produce their own music and create their own musical paths.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Telling the Story: Malcolm Davis
Youth Expressive Culture
“Affrilachian” storyteller and theatre practitioner Malcolm Davis performs his solo performance piece The Slave, Monk Estill, a journey into the Revolutionary War in Kentucky.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Tunes from New England and Beyond with Sugar in the Pan
Youth Expressive Culture
Vermont Folklife’s Sugar in the Pan band plays traditional music from New England, Québec, Maritime Canada, and beyond, featuring lively tunes that will have folks of all ages up and dancing! These fantastic teenage musicians with the Young Tradition Touring Group offer creative and engaging arrangements for audiences.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Youth in Classical Music
Youth Expressive Culture
Join young classical musicians for a discussion about their journeys into the world of classical music performance, finding community, and the relevance of orchestral and classical music to emerging musicians today.
The session will be moderated by Jazmín Morales. Named one of Musical America’s Top Movers and Shakers in the Performing Arts, Morales has dedicated her career to helping young artists use their gifts to enact meaningful change in the world. A classically trained violinist who also grew up playing mariachi and other regional Mexican music, Morales navigates the space between classical and folk-art traditions while acting as a cultural translator between these worlds. She currently serves as Chief of Staff at The Juilliard School, where she partners with the President and Board of Trustees to advance a historic campaign to make the world’s leading conservatory ever more tuition-free.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM.
The Ride Ahead
Special Events
Join us for a screening of The Ride Ahead, a documentary by Emmy-Award winning father-son filmmaker duo Samuel and Dan Habib. The Ride Ahead follows Samuel Habib, a typical twenty-one-year-old, itching to move out, start a career, and find love. But no one tells you how to be an adult, let alone an adult with a disability.
Following the screening, Samuel and Dan will be joined by lawyer-scholar-activist and community organizer Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown (they/them) for a post-film discussion with the audience.
ASL interpretation, live real-time (CART) captioning, open audio description, and assisted listening will be available.
A registration link is forthcoming.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Warner Bros. Theater (NMAH). Folklife Categories: Film. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Audio description. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
Ancestral Connections: Sharing Our Cultural Stories through Indigenous Tribal Art with Katrina Villavicencio
Youth Expressive Culture
Through this zine workshop, visitors will learn about the history of Indigenous Filipinos, their use of tribal symbols, and its significance to modern-day culture. You’ll also walk away with a better understanding of globalization through an ancestral lens.
Visitors will be guided to create zines that narrate their individual stories—relationships, achievements, and identities past, present, and future—and leave with not only a zine but also a renewed passion to preserve the work and teachings of our ancestors as a catalyst to confront contemporary challenges. For ages twelve and up. No sign-up is required, but workshops are limited to ten participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
Katrina Villavicencio is an artist, designer, and tribal arts practitioner who teaches art and forgotten creative practices as a way to draw connections between past, present, and future. Through her work, she discovered that by tuning deeper into her own culture’s past, she found universal connections throughout human his…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM.
Mary Kawena Pukui Set with Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo
Native Language Reclamation
The hālau (school) will introduce a few hula (dances) and mele (songs) celebrating the legacy of Mary Kawena Pukui. Visitors are encouraged to participate in learning the hula “Ke Ao Nani,” a simple children’s hula that teaches about the world around us.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. What’s Cool about Kanienʼkéha?
Native Language Reclamation
Join in an informal discussion about the Kanien’kéha language, its origins and linguistic relatives, and some ways that the language is unique.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. A Tour with Skilled Artisans in the Traditional Building Crafts
Building Trades
Stone carvers and masons with Washington National Cathedral and skilled artisans with the American College of the Building Arts share their craft techniques and discuss why passing on their centuries-old traditional knowledge to the next generation matters.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Building Trades Area. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/gFNMESoTMyg. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Accessibility: Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Forging Connections: New Orleans Master Crafts Guild and Colonial Williamsburg
Building Trades
What do the New Orleans Master Crafts Guild and Colonial Williamsburg have in common? A dedication to preserving and sharing traditional craft skills and knowledge.
The New Orleans Master Crafts Guild Apprenticeship Program is vital to preserving the city’s architectural legacy while creating sustainable career opportunities in the skilled trades. This program ensures that the knowledge, techniques, and craftsmanship passed down for centuries remain alive by training the next generation of master artisans.
Apprentice blacksmith Karina Roca from New Orleans is currently interning at Colonial Williamsburg with Ken Schwarz, blacksmith and master of the shop with Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; and master plasterer Jeffrey Poree led a plastering residency in his shop in New Orleans with Madeleine Bolton, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation apprentice brickmaker.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Andean Hip-Hop with Andes MC and Eber Miranda
Youth Expressive Culture
In this interactive workshop, visitors craft rhymes in Spanish and Aymara with Andean hip-hop artists Andes MC and Eber Mirando.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (West Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Artists at Work: Making a Living in Art and Culture
Youth Expressive Culture
From music to design to the written word, participants discuss how their creative work intersects with business know-how, issues of ownership and authenticity, and the nuts and bolts of artistic livelihoods.
Participants:
Enrique Chi, artistic and executive director of Art as Mentorship, leader and songwriter of Grammy-nominated band Making Movies
Cecelia Perez (Hey Ruca), visual artist and product designer
Evan Wang (王潇), 2025 National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States
Presented with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Chile Verde Pork Gorditas: A Family Tradition
Youth Expressive Culture
Join chef Checo Alonso and his daughter Aida Alonso as they prepare and share the rich story of gorditas filled with chile verde and pork, a cherished recipe passed down through generations of family. Checo will reflect on how making gorditas with his daughter brings them closer to their roots in his mother’s hometown, preserving and celebrating their Mexican heritage.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
Community and Environmental Media: Women of the Watershed Film Screening
Youth Expressive Culture
A young woman journeys to the source of the Everglades headwaters to better understand the historic challenges of water management and pollution that now threaten this fragile ecosystem. Along the way she will meet a new generation of advocates who are redefining the balance of women in conservation. This hour-long documentary celebrates the important role women have played in the conservation of the Florida Everglades beginning with its earliest advocates at the turn of the 20th century and through insightful analysis of present-day solutions that may be able to forge a more sustainable future. The journey begins in Florida Bay, moving through the Everglades, then North towards Lake Okeechobee, continuing up through the Kissimmee River Basin and with a final pause at the head of Shingle Creek. A delicate balancing act of divergent priorities that continue to create a complicated dance of compromises that will ultimately rest upon the shoulders of a future generation. Chloe Barnett is an Emmy-award winning do…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (South Hall). Folklife Categories: Film. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit womenofthewatershed.com. Conversation on Youth Advocacy with Delaney Reynolds
Youth Expressive Culture
Delaney Reynolds was fourteen years old when she began turning her passion for the environment into action. Now at age twenty-five, the founder of “The Sink or Swim Project” will discuss her mission to educate and engage young people about rising sea levels and climate change. In a conversation moderated by Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT) students, Reynolds explores her journey to becoming one of her generation’s leading voices on the environment. This event is a presentation by MoCAT in collaboration with the Freedom Forum.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. MoCAT Bathroom: Ceramics Workshop
Youth Expressive Culture
Celebrate teen art making and join in a hands-on clay sculpture activity, suitable for older kids and teens. Participation in this workshop is limited to ten visitors at a time—first come, first served.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Orchestral Repertoire with ABOP
Youth Expressive Culture
By creating strong relationships between protégés and mentors, the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists (ABOP) creates pathways for young Black musicians to become professional classical musicians. Come join their six virtuosi protégés demonstrate one of the most iconic percussion instruments in the orchestra, the timpani. They are led by director and lead mentor Raynor Carroll.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Beatworks. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Silver Pendant Making Demonstration
Youth Expressive Culture
Learn about traditional silver craftsmanship as the artists of Indonesian jewelry brand SWEDA demonstrate intricate pendant-making techniques and artistry. Each day, these demonstrations feature an exchange with guest artists of other creative disciplines.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Streetwise | Lowriders. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Media Arts Workshops: Fold a Poem with Olivia Braley
Youth Expressive Culture
A zine, like a poem, is brief, creative, and form-limited. Also like a poem, it is a place to get real, confess, play, and break rules. In this workshop, visitors will be led through several generative writing exercises to get the poetic mind working. They will then turn their freshly written words into zines to trade, share, give to their lover or keep like a secret. Ages ten and up.
Olivia Braley is a D.C.-based poet and educator who has taught workshops locally and virtually for nearly a decade. She is the author of the chapbook SOFTENING and co-founder of Stone of Madness Press.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit oliviabraley.com. Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers
Native Language Reclamation
Watch the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers from Alaska perform traditional and new songs and dances.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Myaamia Kiilhswaakani: The Myaamia Lunar Calendar
Native Language Reclamation
Learn about the Myaamia lunar calendar and the ecological changes that happen during each phase of the moon with Tim McCoy, Kara Strass, and Myaamia students.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Bridging Design and Craftsmanship: Architects and Artisans at the American College of the Building Arts
Building Trades
The American College of the Building Arts students and faculty believe that one of the college’s greatest strengths is the way it combines hands-on training in the traditional building crafts with the study of classical architecture and design, each discipline learning from and gaining respect for the other. Join a conversation with professor of classical architecture Phillip Smith and his student Isabel Wood, along with the chair of architectural carpentry, Markus Damwerth, and his student Thomas Dezii as they discuss the importance of exchanging ideas and knowledge in the building trades.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Ancestral Connections: Sharing Our Cultural Stories through Indigenous Tribal Art with Katrina Villavicencio
Youth Expressive Culture
Through this zine workshop, visitors will learn about the history of Indigenous Filipinos, their use of tribal symbols, and its significance to modern-day culture. You’ll also walk away with a better understanding of globalization through an ancestral lens.
Visitors will be guided to create zines that narrate their individual stories—relationships, achievements, and identities past, present, and future—and leave with not only a zine but also a renewed passion to preserve the work and teachings of our ancestors as a catalyst to confront contemporary challenges. For ages twelve and up. No sign-up is required, but workshops are limited to ten participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
Katrina Villavicencio is an artist, designer, and tribal arts practitioner who teaches art and forgotten creative practices as a way to draw connections between past, present, and future. Through her work, she discovered that by tuning deeper into her own culture’s past, she found universal connections throughout human his…
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Arts + Industries Building (North Hall). Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
Eats + Beats
Youth Expressive Culture
Eats + Beats is a show where chefs and music producers break bread and chop it up—literally. Featured guests find connection and commonality in how they move from inspiration to execution to final product.
KaTisha J. Smittick is a proud D.C. area native whose remarkable journey began with eleven years of service as a decorated staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. Today, she channels her passion and discipline into the culinary world as the founder of Mental Meals, and into the creative arts as the CEO of Mental Mayhem Photography, a vibrant creative agency based in D.C.
Tony “Cashual T” Verlich is a producer who began making beats on Ableton Live Lite with a MIDI keyboard. He is inspired by artists who create music with samples and how sampling has evolved since the early days of hip-hop. He has gone completely analog, using just an MPC and records.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
Mentors and Apprentices: Spotlight on Lowriders
Youth Expressive Culture
Join a conversation with youth members and leaders from two lowrider-centered organizations, the Olathe Leadership Lowrider Bike Club and Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy EV Lowrider Conversion Project, as they discuss how their programs develop young people’s talents and connections to lowrider culture.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. MoCAT Bedroom: Whitman Cosplay Crew
Youth Expressive Culture
Meet members of a local cosplay club to learn about this vibrant subculture and creative hobby.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Owning Your Craft
Youth Expressive Culture
Young writers discuss and reflect on their evolution as artists.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Popcorn Songwriting with Rebel Song Academy
Youth Expressive Culture
Rebel Song Academy is an innovative music camp that guides participants through their own personal artistic process, building life and career skills as they collaborate through music writing, recording, producing, and promoting. Through Rebel Song Academy, mentees produce music from their own experiences and find their voices within their own heritage. Join Rebel Song Academy for a special residency at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. In this workshop, visitors can join in the communal creative process of writing a pop song. We encourage you to bring your instruments, however, they are not required. All levels of music experience are welcome.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Puppet Show: Creativity and Copyright
Youth Expressive Culture
Copyright is all around you! It protects your favorite books, songs, artwork, movies, video games, and so much more. At noon and 3 p.m. enjoy an interactive puppet show that teaches kids about creativity and copyright. Presented by the U.S. Copyright Office.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Family Activities. Folklife Categories: Performance. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:10 PM.
Teens, Social Media, and Mental Health
Youth Expressive Culture
Join the Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT) for a discussion about the effects of social media on teen mental health and strategies to maintain a healthy relationship with social media. The discussion is led by Miana Bryant, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, a school-based therapist in Prince George’s County Public Schools.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Myaamia Peekitahaminki (Lacrosse)
Native Language Reclamation
Learn about peekitahaminki (lacrosse) and try out some basic skills with Myaamia students. One of the oldest sports in North America, and one of the fastest growing today, peekitahaminki is more than just a game but a way for Myaamia students to reconnect with history, culture, and family. Learn how to play by Myaamia rules using Myaamia sticks.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Lawn. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Play Ukulele with Hālau I Ka Leo Ola O Nā Mamo
Native Language Reclamation
Hawaiian musicians Pelehonuamea Harman, Ku‘ulei Ventura, and U‘ilani Zimmer introduce us to basic ukulele chords and strums. They will also teach a mele (song). Bring your own instruments!
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Music Room. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. The Importance of Elders and Ancestors
Native Language Reclamation
Join an informal discussion with participants of the Native Language Reclamation program.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Language Lodge. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Training Next Generation Artisans: The National Park Service’s Traditional Trades Advancement Program
Building Trades
The National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center’s Traditional Trades Advancement Program (TTAP) is committed to providing aspiring young preservationists—especially those who are underrepresented in the preservation trades—with a unique opportunity to work on important, real-world projects and learn how to preserve historic cultural resources in the nation’s national parks. Hear from expert craftspeople from the Historic Preservation Training Center in Frederick, Maryland, TTAP interns, and students from the Stephen T. Mather Building Arts & Craftsmanship High School in New York City about training the next generation of artisans.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Shop Talk. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Cast-Iron Steak
Youth Expressive Culture
Teen artisan Bronson Carter speaks about all things steak—marbling, prime cuts, and growing up raising cattle in Idaho—as he makes a T-bone steak in a cast-iron skillet.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/eAqTaY9SR2k. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
Cross-Culture Kids: Between Here and There
Youth Expressive Culture
In this session led by the Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT), teens discuss what it’s like to grow up and interact in two or more cultural worlds.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: The Classroom. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. ASL-interpreted program. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. MoCAT Bathroom: Gallery Walk
Youth Expressive Culture
Join student artist-curators for a guided walk through the open-air gallery of teen artworks, with Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers team member Olivia Carty.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Demonstration. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. MoCAT Bathroom: Graffiti Time
Youth Expressive Culture
Grab a Sharpie and join the conversation on the walls of the Bathroom! We invite you to bring positive messages and creativity to the age-old tradition of marking on the bathroom walls.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: MoCAT Area. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Open Studio Hours
Youth Expressive Culture
Calling all aspiring musicians and songwriters! Our open-air recording studio on the National Mall is open for collaborations with the help of the mentors and sound engineers at Rebel Song Academy. Rebel Song Academy is an innovative music camp, a program of the Arts as Mentorship nonprofit. Founder Enrique Chi believes that arts-music mentorship can be a space of healing and social change. Since it started in 2017, the academy has built a network of professional, award-winning musicians who mentor its students. Their curriculum guides participants through their own personal artistic process, building life and career skills as they collaborate through music writing, recording, producing, and promoting. Through Rebel Song Academy, mentees produce music from their own experiences and find their voices within their own heritage.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: New Sounds Lab. Folklife Categories: Workshop. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Wordslingers: Slam-Poetry Workshop
Youth Expressive Culture
Local and national poets face off in this interactive literary competition, presented by Cassandra Quayson.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Wordsmiths’ Cafe. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: High (direct participation is encouraged).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:15 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Youth Voices in Music: Spotlight on Women and Girls
Youth Expressive Culture
Emerging musical artists from Sugar in the Pan (Vermont) and Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando (California) share their perspectives as young women growing into the world of traditional music—and reshaping it.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Olivia Cadaval Story Circle. Folklife Categories: Narrative Session. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM.
For more info visit festival.si.edu. Folklife Coffeehouse
Youth Expressive Culture
Stop by the Foodways stage for a chance at a small drink sampling, food poetry, and the flavorful sounds of DJ Mojo to close out daytime festival programming.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Foodways. Folklife Categories: Foodways. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. Interactivity Level: Medium (direct participation is possible and invited but not required).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM.
Homegrown Futures: The Sound of D.C.
Special Events
Washington, D.C. boasts a deep repertoire of homegrown music and spoken word. Through after-school and cultural programs, local artists are training the next generation of performers from go-go to spoken word to jazz. This concert celebrates some of D.C.’s own young artists and their teachers with performances by DCPS Let’s Go-Go Band, the UDC JAZZtet, and spoken-word artists from Words Beats & Life.
Program: Youth and the Future of Culture. Stage: Festival Main Stage. Online Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/NP6Xm3fO2zY. Folklife Categories: Performance. Accessibility: Assisted listening devices. ASL-interpreted program. Captioning. Interactivity Level: Low (direct participation is not expected).
Thursday, July 3, 2025, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM.