Curators and scholars at the Center are specialists in the fields of cultural heritage, cultural studies, ethnomusicology, folklore, area and policy studies. Our research is grounded in collaborative and community-oriented approaches. We study and develop educational and public programs and produce online resources on traditional knowledge and expressive culture, including craft, language vitality, and performance, among other practices. Our research and curation shape the rich programming of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Mother Tongue Film Festival, the releases of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and our Cultural Sustainability initiatives.
Our researchers contribute to journals, magazines, and award-winning books. We support our fields by taking leadership positions in national professional organizations and participating as members of national academies and international research projects. Center scholars also teach college and university courses, develop community training programs, and serve as mentors to visiting fellows from the United States and around the world, sponsored by Fulbright, Smithsonian, and other programs.
We collaborate with a range of professional societies, traditional arts organizations, government offices, and grassroots-driven efforts. To learn more about the engaged research produced at the Center, click on the curators’ names to see their research profiles and explore featured projects.
Featured Exhibitions
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Featured Films & Publications
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Curatorial Conversations: Cultural Representation and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Edited by Olivia Cadaval, Sojin Kim, and Diana Baird N’Diaye -
Good Work: Masters of the Building Arts
Directed by Marjorie Hunt and Paul Wagner -
Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Culture Of, By, and For the People
Written by Richard Kurin -
Reflections of a Culture Broker: A View from the Smithsonian
Written by Richard Kurin
Fellowships
We offer fellowships to predoctoral, postdoctoral, and senior postdoctoral scholars involved in cultural heritage, ethnomusicology, museum studies, and more. Fellows work directly with staff in our office in Washington, D.C., or remotely, with access to Smithsonian archives, collections, and other resources. Applicants are welcome from the United States and around the world.
As a result of the research carried out during their fellowships, many scholars have gone on to produce films, recordings, Folklife Festival programs, and books, such as Introduction to American Folk Music, by Kip Lornell, and Making People’s Music: Moe Asch and Folkways Records by Peter Goldsmith.
Smithsonian fellowships are very competitive and are awarded annually through the Smithsonian’s Office of Fellowships & Internships. Find other fellowship opportunities at the Smithsonian on the Office of Fellowships & Internships website.
Internships
Every year, the Center involves over a hundred interns in our various activities. We offer internships year-round in various fields, including folklore, cultural anthropology, ethnomusicology, linguistics, museum studies, arts administration, graphic and web design, videography, marketing, social media, and library science. Internships take place in Washington, D.C., or remotely.
Intern projects, conducted under the guidance of the Center’s professional staff, often focus on research and production for the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives, educational outreach, and Cultural Sustainability research and programs.
Learn more about our internship offerings on our Jobs and Internships page.
