The theme of the 58th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, "Youth and the Future of Culture," explores the contributions and experiences of young people and how they create, innovate and sustain cultural practices and traditions. This theme is focused on youth from around the globe.
This year’s theme, Youth and the Future of Culture, spotlights young innovators under 30—the largest demographic in recorded history—and highlights how they shape the cultural landscape they will inherit. With 52 percent of the world’s population under thirty, youth participants will explore and present creative practices ranging from traditional building crafts and Indigenous language reclamation to digital media production and lowrider-bike innovations.
Karen Weaving Circle
The Karen Weaving Circle is a group of refugee weavers who came together to revive their textile tradition after moving to the United States. Members meet at the East Side Freedom Library in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to weave together and to hold classes for the next generation of Karen artisans.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon Preservation Trades Internship Program
Preservation Carpenters
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 historic eighteenth-century building through on-the-job experience, working side by side with master craftspeople, particularly in the areas of preservation carpentry, timber-frame construction, and heritage masonry.
American College of the Building Arts
American College of the Building Arts (Charleston, SC)
The American College of the Building Arts is dedicated to preserving traditional building crafts through education and hands-on training. Students learn from master craftsmen in a variety of trades, including carpentry, masonry, and blacksmithing, ensuring that these vital skills are passed down to future generations.
Joseph Kincannon, Master Stone Carver
Sacramento Academic & Vocational Academy (SAVA)
The EV Lowrider Project was selected to showcase and represent Sacramento at the prestigious Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Featured in the Streetwise section of the festival, this project highlights the creativity and innovation of SAVA students. It reached hundreds of thousands of visitors and offered national recognition to students, educators, and sponsors alike.
What People Are Saying
"The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a celebration of culture and community. The youth-focused theme this year is inspiring, showcasing the creativity and resilience of young people from around the world," said one attendee on Instagram.
"The Folklife Festival is a unique opportunity to learn about different cultures and traditions. The youth theme this year is particularly relevant, as young people are the future of our world," said another attendee.
Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT)
The Museum of Contemporary American Teenagers (MoCAT) was started in 2017 by high school and middle school students in Montgomery County, Maryland. For the Festival, MoCAT will bring together teenagers from across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia to collaborate on exhibitions that highlight some of the dynamic and often overlooked youth movements that shape American culture.
Their setting will feature a high school hallway, classroom, and auditorium and a bedroom and bathroom where teens can share everything from fashion to their futures. Through performances, discussions, and demonstrations, teen participants will explore topics as varied as “third spaces,” social media, fashion, slang, and coming of age. MoCAT will also explore pressing topics such as school lockdowns and mental health, presented from the perspective of young advocates and activists.
