Humanity in the Public Square

Why a folklife festival matters right now by Kimi Eisele as published in Borderlore The year I was born, United States soldiers were overseas fighting a strange war in Vietnam. The conflict caused millions of casualties and long-term psychological trauma. In America, it left many with distrust of government and a cynicism toward authority. Americans

“The Festival is a gateway”

Mohyeddin Abdulaziz on finding belonging and community through sharing his culture at Tucson Meet Yourself As told to Kayleigh Stack in 2022 as part of an oral history project, 50 Years of Tucson Meet Yourself, for which we interviewed long-time participants on their Tucson Meet Yourself experience and how their tenure with the festival impacted

One, two, three, hop … one, two, three, hop

Phyllis Gracy on the joy and satisfaction of Scandinavian folk dancing at Tucson Meet Yourself As told to Kayleigh Stack in 2022 as part of an oral history project, 50 Years of Tucson Meet Yourself, for which we interviewed long-time participants on their Tucson Meet Yourself experience and how their tenure with the festival impacted

Intercultural Exchange

This summer 2025, the Southwest Folklife Alliance was honored to connect 15 traveling artists from Kazakhstan with heritage-based artists in Southern Arizona. The Kazakhstan Artisan Initiative is the first project of the Kazakhstan Cultural Heritage Fund and supports community-based work and cross-cultural exchange to strengthen cultural sustainability in Kazakhstan.  The artists are members of the

What is Folklife?

To put it simply, the term folklife refers to the life of folks. “Folk” most often means everyday people—friends, relatives, workers, artisans, bus drivers, skateboarders, sushi chefs, etc.—rather than elites and the privileged. But the ruling class has its folklife, too, of course. Rituals and traditions that create a sense of belonging. That’s the basic idea, and it applies to all humans on the planet.

RIC RAC: The Joyful Zig-Zag

Ric rac (sometimes spelled rickrack) is a zigzag ribbon used as trimming decor in clothing and other textiles. Used as way to finish an edge of fabric,pre-sewing machine, it has remained a chosen decorative trim to bring color and pizzazz to twirling dresses, traditional regalia, and performance costume.In Europe, in the late 1880s, ric rac

Got Pockets? Here’s The Dough!

Across the globe, dough holds treasure. Especially when it’s formed into pockets or rolled up and stuffed with tasty ingredients then fried, steamed, boiled, or baked.Think dumpling, ravioli, samosa, burrito! Eggroll, empanada, knish, calzone! Try these dough pocket variations at TMY Food Vendor stands: EMPANADAS are filled with meat, vegetables, cheese, or fruit. Deep fried.

The Magnificent Accordion bellows around the world!

Invented in Germany in the early 19th century, the accordion is now played around the world in many distinct music genres. As wind instruments, accordions make sound when air is forced through a free reed to fill the bellows. Accordions can produce both melody and accompaniment at the same time with two “keyboards” (either a

Watch The TMY Story

Hear about our values and contributions to Tucson over the past 50 years. Then, listen to audio “tastes” from the Festival on

Big Jim