Collection Highlight | Folklife Today

Celebrating Hawaiian Music in the Archives of the American Folklife Center

July 23, 2025

This post provides an overview of Hawaiian traditional music collections in the archives of the American Folklife Center.

Posted in: Collection Highlight, Cowboys, Cultural Heritage, ethnomusicologists, Folk Music, Folklorists, Folksong, Hawai'i, Hawaiian Americans, NEA National Heritage Fellowship, Pacific Islander History, Pacific Islands Americans, Storytelling

A paper plate divided into three segments sits on a diner table. Sliced barbecue fills the largest segment. A scoop of Brunswick stew fills a smaller compartment, and a set of plastic cutlery and a slice of white bread rest in the third. A mismatched set of salt and pepper shakers sits to the side of the plate, at the top right of the frame. A full cup of a dark iced beverage (either tea or cola) is positioned to the top left of the plate.

“Get it hot off of the pit”: a celebration of barbecue

May 26, 2025

Posted by: Meg Nicholas

In celebration of National Barbecue Month, AFC Folklife Specialist Meg Nicholas turns to the Center's archival collections for inspiration and insight on what makes for the best barbecue.

Posted in: Collection Highlight, Foodways

A large white billboard sits off the side of Interstate 94 in Montana, against the background of a wide open bright blue sky. The billboard proclaims "Relax in...Miles City - the Friendliest Town in the West! Ext 3 Exits."

Celebrate National Road Trip Day with the American Folklife Center!

May 23, 2025

Posted by: Meg Nicholas

Readers are encouraged to take a virtual road trip through AFC's digital collections in celebration of National Road Trip Day, observed on the Friday before the Memorial Day Weekend.

Posted in: African Americans, Collection Highlight, Community Collections Grants, Tourism

Closeup photograph of two beer bottles, taken as part of a Smithsonian exhibit around the Paradise Valley collection. The bottles rest on a white surface, with the background fading to black behind them. The bottle on the right is a standard molded bottle made of brown glass. There is a fair bit of dirt, dust, or glue residue on the bottle neck and a large portion of the body. The bottle to the right is a shorter ceramic bottle with a white or cream glaze. There are several chips in the glaze along the bottom of the bottle, but it is in relatively good condition. There are no labels on either bottle.

Chock It Up To Murder (Part Two): The Aftermath

April 18, 2025

Posted by: Meg Nicholas

In the concluding half of a two-part blog series, AFC Folklife Specialist Meg Nicholas unpacks some of the contradictions between a true-crime oral history and the historical record, and reveals the eventual outcome of the trial.

Posted in: Collection Highlight, Oral History

Black and white photograph of beer kegs on their side, laid out on the floor in four rows. The bung, or plug, on each of these kegs is facing up towards the ceiling.

Chock It Up to Murder (Part One): The Incident

April 11, 2025

Posted by: Meg Nicholas

In this entry of Folklife Today, a casual listen to a lesser-known AFC collection quickly morphs into a twisty exploration of a centuries-old murder case, its ties to a regional folk drink, and some of the challenges encountered when working with oral histories. This entry is the first in a two-part series.

Posted in: Collection Highlight, Oral History

Tack Hit: Contextualizing the Library’s Oldest Poster

March 21, 2025

Posted by: Meg Nicholas

An excerpt from AFC's collection of circus worker oral histories helps to contextualize the Library's oldest poster.

Posted in: clowns, Collection Highlight

A woman stands in front of her airplane, a Monocoupe, in a Kansas field. She smiles at the camera as a breeze blows her wavy hair back from her face.

Come Josephine, In My Flying Machine: Women of Aviation

March 10, 2025

Posted by: Meg Nicholas

The American Folklife Center shares the stories of female pilots and women who worked in the aviation field in honor of the 15th annual Women in Aviation Worldwide Week (March 3-9, 2025).

Posted in: Collection Highlight, Women's History

A man sits in a woodcarving studio, surrounded by tools of his craft. He holds up a hand-carved owl statue and looks directly at the camera, a small smile on his face. His clothes are protected by a thick canvas apron.

Handmade and Heartfelt: Traditional Crafts

December 23, 2024

Posted by: Meg Nicholas

In an attempt to inspire herself and others to finish handmade gifts for the holidays, Folklife Specialist Meg Nicholas takes readers on a quick tour of hand-crafted items documented in the Center’s field survey collections.

Posted in: Collection Highlight, Crafts, Folk Art, Material Culture, Quilts, Textile arts

A man wearing a "Piney Power" t-shirt works on the gears of a large conveyor belt perched at the edge of a flooded cranberry bog. One foot rests on top of the large truck wheel of the conveyor belt, while the other balances on a metal support rod. Below him, seven men in rubber waders stand amidst the cranberries floating on top of the water in the flooded bog. The water is up to their mid-thigh, and they prepare to scoop the cranberries onto the conveyor belt.

Berry Thankful

November 29, 2024

Posted by: Meg Nicholas

The American Folklife Center shares recipes, songs, and photographs that celebrate the fruit of the season: cranberries.

Posted in: Collection Highlight, Foodways, Thanksgiving

Category: Collection Highlight