One of the aims of the Festival is to promote the continuity of diverse, grassroots, community-based traditions of Americans and people of other countries. To do this, the Festival relies upon several methods that demonstrate the value of such cultural traditions. First, the Smithsonian invites members of regional, ethnic, and occupational communities to illustrate their artistry, skill, and knowledge at the Festival on the National Mall. The symbolic value of the setting and the invitation by the national museum help convey the prestige accorded to the tradition and its practitioners. Second, we place Festival participants in the positions