This post details, in English and Spanish, the American Folklife Center's latest Homegrown (at Home) Concert with Argentine artist, Nadia Larcher. In the concert, Larcher reinterprets songs from the AFC collections of Isabel Aretz--a pioneering female ethnomusicologist born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1909--and performs two of her original songs.
Esta publicación detalla, tanto en inglés como en español, el concierto más reciente de la serie *Homegrown (at Home)* del American Folklife Center, con la artista argentina Nadia Larcher. En el concierto, Larcher reinterpreta canciones provenientes de las colecciones del AFC pertenecientes a Isabel Aretz —una etnomusicóloga pionera nacida en Buenos Aires, Argentina, en 1909— y presenta dos de sus propias composiciones originales.
How well do you know the Veterans History Project and military history trivia? If you couldn’t join us for our in-person trivia event last week, put your knowledge to the test as you try to answer questions inspired by the stories and collections of America’s veterans. Put your answers, and any suggestions for future trivia questions, in the comments!
In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Folklife Center, we take a look at the 50th disc accessioned for the Archive of Folk Song. The disc numbered AFS 50 features Huddie Ledbetter, more generally known as “Lead Belly,” singing “Go Down Old Hannah” and “In Them Long Hot Summer Days” in 1935. Lead Belly went on to be a crucial figure in blues and folk music, and these classic archival recordings show him at the beginning of his professional career. We discuss the songs as well, especially “Go Down, Old Hannah,” which was a staple of the rural south in the 1930s and especially well known as a prison song, and which remained a prominent part of Lead Belly’s performances throughout his career. We examine this all in the light of Lead Belly's relationship with John A. Lomax, which ended about the time this disc was recorded.
An interview with documentarian Kamilah Thurmon about her 2024 American Folklife Center Community Collections Grant project, Evolution of Blacks in Ballet in Washington D.C., and project-based film, Making Their Pointe. The interview discusses the importance of her project and the community of ballet dancers in the Washington, DC region whom she documented. Thurmon also discusses her film, Making Their Pointe, screened at the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Saturday, March 21, 2026.
Are you a U.S. or military history buff? Put your knowledge to the test with questions inspired by the stories and collections that preserve the voices and experiences of America’s veterans. Learn from this blog how to join us in-person for this fun trivia event on March 19.
At the dawn of the American Folklife Center’s 50th year, we would like to reintroduce ourselves. Regular readers of the blog likely already have a good idea about the current work of the Center, but those who are reconnecting with us after an absence or tuning in for the first time will learn about the work we've been up to recently. This post offers highlights of AFC activity over the past year, while prefacing a full listing of planned anniversary programs to be released next month.
