The U.S. Congress in 1976 took action to preserve American folk life culture by establishing an American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress. In the "American Folklife Preservation Act," it says, "American folklife" means the traditional expressive culture shared within the various groups in the United States: familial, ethnic, occupational, religious, regional; expressive culture includes a wide range of creative and symbolic forms such as custom, belief, technical skill, language, literature, art, architecture, music, play, dance, drama, ritual, pageantry, handicraft; these expressions are mainly learned orally, by imitation, or in performance, and are generally maintained without benefit of formal instruction or institutional direction. "The diversity inherent in American folklife has contributed greatly to the cultural richness of the Nation and has fostered a sense of individuality and identity among the American people.

Of several museums devoted to the collection and exhibition of folkart, the best known is probably the American FolkArt Museum in New York City.

• American Fork Art Museum
• American Folklife: A Commonwealth of Cultures US Library of Congress, American Folklife Center Washington 1991

• African American Art – Internet Resources University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• African American Art on the Internet Long Island University
• American Folklife Center US Library of Congress
• The Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters (APNQ)
• Culture, Folklife from American Memory US Library of Congress
• Folk Art Internet Public Library
• Folk Art Librarians' Internet Index
• Index of American Design
• La Conner Quilt Museum
• Quilts, Counterpanes & Throws
• The Quilt Index
• Smithsonian: Textiles and Quilts

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