01376nas a2200169   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260000800043100001800051700001800069700002100087245007500108300001200183490000700195520099000202022001401192       2014                            d  coct1 aKurt Dewhurst1 aDiana N Diaye1 aMarsha Macdowell00aCultivating Connectivity: Folklife and Inclusive Excellence in Museums  a455-4720 v573 aToday there is a growing global awareness of the need to address issues related to the safeguarding and use of both tangible and intangible heritage. By engaging with communities in the documentation of local cultures-especially their folklife, or in other words, their traditional intangible cultural heritage-museums can create collections that will serve as foundations for museum research, exhibitions, and programs that have more resonance with and relevance for those communities. Interactions of these kinds-in particular those of the Smithsonian s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the Michigan State University Museum, home of the Michigan Traditional Arts Program, as well as collaborations between the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Great Lakes Folk Festival, and other programs around the world-have served as important platforms for public discourse about a variety of issues and have produced programs and exhibitions both at home and around the world.  a0011-3069