The 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will kick off later this month in the nation’s capitol — and the Ozarks will be front and center. Hundreds of thousands will converge on the national mall for the two-week event featuring master artisans and other tradition bearers. They will share stories of culture, creativity and community through their various performances, and demonstrations.

Produced annually by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the festival has featured participants from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. It honors contemporary living cultural traditions and celebrates those who practice and sustain them. This year’s festival carries the theme, “The Ozarks: Faces and Facets of the Region.”

Thomas Peters, the dean of library services at Missouri State University, is co-curator of this year’s festival.

Read the full transcript.

If you’d like to learn more about The Ozarks: Faces and Facets of the Region during the Smithsonian Folklife festival and see a full schedule of events, visit festival.si.edu.