In the summer of 2006, over 80 Native basketmakers will be featured at the 40th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which is held on the National Mall of the United States between the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. Attracting more than one million visitors annually and reaching another 40 million through the media, this free event takes place for ten days, overlapping the Fourth of July holiday.

Visitors to the festival will see master native artists demonstrate weaving traditions that are expressions of the outstanding cultural and artistic of their respective communities. This special opportunity will enable visitors to learn about the inter-relationship of basketry to other tribal cultural knowledge associated with ceremonies, language, stories, dance, song, and foodways. The program will also raise public awareness of the critical, yet fragile connection of basketry to natural resources.

Through live demonstrations, dance performances, discussion sessions, and hands-on activities, the program will explore how native basketmakers have acquired and sustained their extraordinary skills and knowledge. In addition, through the Festival Store and other venues, there will be opportunities to buy examples of contemporary woven art. 

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