If you are in DC from now until July 4th, you should definitely check out the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival. Nestled in the National Mall between the many Smithsonians, tents and vendors are set up selling food, wares and sharing festive music. The featured heritages this year Mexican and Asian Pacific Americans, two cultures I often feel are undermined and underrepresented in American culture.
Another feature of the Folklife Festival is Smithsonian: Inside Out where visitors can see different departments of the Smithsonian and what they have, as well as a chance to talk to the workers who are often hidden away during museum hours. I think that is an excellent idea to get visitors not only interested in parts of the Smithsonian they might not have known about, but to also get them interested in museum work. This past Sunday my department, Numismatics, had a tent in the International section of the festival. Along with having my supervisor and resident curator in the tent to talk about their jobs, we also had coins to show off to the public.
Since I did not have the chance to attend the festival, and I wish I could have, I hope any of you reading this will have the chance to attend. I personally think this an ingenious event that the Smithsonian has put on since 1967 and I appreciate that it promotes diverse American cultures.
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