National Heritage Fellowship

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National Heritage Fellowship
Awarded forLifetime achievement in folk or traditional arts
LocationWashington, D.C.
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Endowment for the Arts
Reward(s)$25,000
First awarded1982
Last awardedpresent
Websitehttps://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage Edit this on Wikidata

The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award,[1] the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.[2][3] It is a one-time only award and fellows must be living citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Each year, fellowships are presented to between nine and fifteen artists or groups at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The Fellows are nominated by individual citizens, with an average of over 200 nominations per year. From that pool of candidates, recommendations are made by a rotating panel of specialists, including one layperson, as well as folklorists and others with a variety of forms of cultural expertise. The recommendations are then reviewed by the National Council on the Arts, with the final decisions made by the chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts.[4] As of 2021, 458 artists in a wide variety of fields have received Fellowships.[5]

History[]

The program was officially founded in 1982 by Bess Lomax Hawes, the first director of the Folk and Traditional Arts Program at the NEA,[6] following a five-year period of development.[4] In 1982, the monetary award associated with the Fellowship was $5,000;[1] in 1993, it was increased to $10,000 and since 2009, the award amount is $25,000, which is considered "enough to make a difference, but not enough to go to anyone's head".[4] Each recipient receives a certificate of honor, the monetary award, and a congratulatory letter from the President of the United States.

The annual recognition events are held in the Fall and consist of an awards ceremony, a banquet, and a concert that is open to the public. Over the years, the awards ceremony has been held at different locations in the US capitol city, including the NEA headquarters, Ford's Theatre, George Washington University,[1] the Library of Congress,[7] and for the first time at the White House in 1995.[8] Since 2000, the banquet has been held in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress.[4] The concert features musical performances, craft demonstrations, and interviews with the honorees.[7] Masters of ceremonies at the concerts have included folksinger Pete Seeger, actress Ruby Dee, author Studs Terkel, journalist Charles Kuralt, and since 1997 Nick Spitzer, the host of public radio program American Routes.[4] Beginning in 2010, the Fellowship concerts have been streamed live on the NEA website and archived on YouTube.

In 2000, the NEA instituted the Bess Lomax Hawes Award in conjunction with the Fellowships, "given to an individual for achievements in fostering excellence, ensuring vitality, and promoting public appreciation of the folk and traditional arts".[7] The Hawes Award has been given annually since 2000 to recognize "artists whose contributions, primarily through teaching, advocacy, and organizing and preserving important repertoires, have greatly benefited their artistic tradition. It also recognizes individuals, such as producers and activists, who have comprehensively increased opportunities for and public visibility of traditional artists."[4]

Publications[]

  • A companion volume titled American Folk Masters: The National Heritage Fellows was published in 1992 to accompany a traveling exhibition (1991–1994) called "America's Living Folk Traditions" that featured the artistry of 36 Fellowship recipients.[1][9]
  • A two-volume biographical dictionary of the award winners from the first 20 years was published in 2001, titled Masters of Traditional Arts.[10]
  • A young readers book featuring five of the National Heritage Fellows entitled Extraordinary Ordinary People: Five American Masters of Traditional Arts was published in 2006.[11]

Winners[]

Awardees have included Native American basket weavers, African American blues musicians, traditional fiddlers, Mexican American accordionists, and all manner of traditional artisans and performers of numerous ethnic backgrounds.


1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990

1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000

2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010

2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020

2021

National Heritage Fellowship winners are:

1982[]

  • Dewey Balfa, Cajun fiddler
  • Joe Heaney, Irish Sean Nós singer
  • Tommy Jarrell, Appalachian fiddler
  • Bessie Jones, singer, member of the Georgia Sea Island Singers
  • George López, Santos woodcarver
  • Brownie McGhee, blues guitarist
  • Hugh McGraw, shape note singer
  • Lydia Mendoza, Mexican American singer
  • Bill Monroe, bluegrass musician
  • Elijah Pierce, carver and painter
  • , Tamburitza musician
  • Georgeann Robinson, Osage ribbonworker
  • , saddlemaker
  • Philip Simmons, ornamental ironworker and blacksmith
  • Sanders "Sonny" Terry, blues musician

1983[]

1984[]

  • Clifton Chenier, zydeco accordionist
  • , knotted bedspread maker
  • , violinist
  • Elizabeth Cotten, guitarist and songwriter
  • , potter
  • , hammered dulcimer maker and player
  • Janie Hunter, singer and storyteller
  • Mary Jane Manigault, seagrass basket maker
  • , lace maker
  • Martin Mulvihill, fiddler
  • Howard "Sandman" Sims, tap dancer
  • Ralph Stanley, Appalachian banjo player and singer
  • Margaret Tafoya, potter
  • Dave Tarras, klezmer clarinetist
  • , Eskimo maskmaker, dancer, and singer
  • , storyteller and singer
  • , hula master

1985[]

1986[]

  • Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin, Creole accordionist
  • , whittler
  • Helen Cordero, potter
  • , bobbin lace maker
  • Canray Fontenot, Creole fiddler
  • John Jackson, songster and guitarist
  • , Cambodian court dancer and choreographer
  • , accordionist
  • Doc Tate Nevaquaya, Comanche flutist
  • , rawhide worker
  • Ola Belle Reed, Appalachian banjo picker/singer
  • Jennie Thlunaut, Chilkat blanket weaver
  • Nimrod Workman, Appalachian ballad singer

1987[]

1988[]

  • Pedro Ayala, accordionist
  • , egg painter
  • , quilter and needleworker
  • Michael Flatley, Irish step dancer
  • , bobbin lacemaker
  • John Dee Holeman, dancer, musician, and singer
  • Albert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew, blues pianist and singer
  • , weaver and embroiderer
  • , fiddler
  • Willie Mae Ford Smith, gospel singer
  • Clyde "Kindy" Sproat, cowboy singer and ukulele player
  • Arthel "Doc" Watson, guitarist and singer

1989[]

1990[]

  • Howard Armstrong, string band musician
  • , silk weaver
  • Nati Cano, Mariachi musician, leader of Mariachi los Camperos[13]
  • , Southern Italian musicians and dancers
  • Maude Kegg, Ojibwe storyteller and craftswoman
  • Kevin Locke, Lakota flute player, singer, and dancer
  • , lei maker
  • Wally McRae, cowboy poet
  • , accordionist
  • , woodcarver
  • , flatfoot dancer
  • Douglas Wallin, Appalachian ballad singer

1991[]

  • Etta Baker, guitarist
  • , Hupa-Yurok craftsman
  • , flautist
  • Rose Frank, cornhusk weaver
  • Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero, singer, guitarist, and composer
  • , singer
  • , western saddlemaker
  • Riley "B.B." King, bluesman
  • , Tlingit regalia maker
  • , musician
  • Irvan Perez, Isleño décima singer and woodcarver
  • , Appalachian banjo player and singer
  • , bagpipe player
  • , quilter
  • , quilter
  • Melvin Wine, Appalachian fiddler

1992[]

1993[]

  • Santiago Almeida, conjunto musician
  • Kenny Baker, bluegrass fiddler
  • Inez Catalon, French Creole singer
  • , Yupik woodcarvers, maskmakers, and skinsewers
  • , boatbuilder
  • , hula masters
  • , Mesquakie singer
  • , spiritual/shout performers
  • , bit & spur maker/silversmith
  • Jack Owens, blues singer and guitarist
  • , weavers, needleworkers, and loommakers
  • , pipa player

1994[]

1995[]

1996[]

  • Obo Addy, drummer
  • , egg decorator
  • , fiddler
  • , drummer
  • , Hawaiian singers
  • , banjo player
  • , blacksmith
  • , Shoshone regalia maker
  • & , railroad worksong singers
  • , stoneware potter
  • , Inupiat dollmaker

1997[]

  • , shout band leader
  • Charles Brown, blues pianist, singer and composer
  • , spinner and weaver
  • Georgia Harris, Catawba potter
  • , Kunqu opera singer
  • Ali Akbar Khan, classical sarod player
  • , santero and metalsmith
  • Jim & Jesse McReynolds, bluegrass musicians
  • (Nguyễn Thuyết Phong), musician and ethnomusicologist
  • , quilter
  • Francis Whitaker, blacksmith and ornamental ironworker

1998[]

  • , Cambodian traditional dancers and musicians
  • Eddie Blazonczyk, musician and bandleader
  • , boat builder
  • , Sac and Fox-Pawnee, German silversmith[18]
  • , conjunto accordionist
  • Epstein Brothers, Klezmer musicians
  • , Yakama – Colville beadworker
  • Nadjeschda Overgaard, hardanger embroidery needleworker
  • , Greek Byzantine chanter
  • Claude "Fiddler" Williams, jazz and swing fiddler
  • Pops Staples, gospel and blues musician

1999[]

  • Frisner Augustin, Haitian drummer
  • , Ho-Chunk Black Ash basketmaker and needleworker
  • Shirley Caesar, gospel singer
  • , horse hair hitcher
  • Mary Louise Defender Wilson, -Hidatsa traditionalist and storyteller
  • Jimmy "Slyde" Godbolt, tapdancer
  • , Western Mono basketmaker
  • Bob Holt, Ozark fiddler
  • Zakir Hussain, tabla player
  • Elliott "Ellie" Mannette, steel pan builder, tuner and player
  • Mick Moloney, Irish musician
  • , Ukrainian American weaver and textile artist
  • , boatbuilder

2000[]

  • , weaver
  • The Dixie Hummingbirds, gospel quartet
  • , hammock weaver
  • , Klickitat basketmaker
  • Santiago Jiménez Jr., accordionist
  • Genoa Keawe, singer and ukulele player
  • Frankie Manning, Lindy Hop dancer and choreographer
  • Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, blues piano player
  • , Orthodox Byzantine icon woodcarver
  • Chris Strachwitz, record producer and label founder
  • , weaver
  • , drummer and santero
  • Don Walser, singer and guitarist

2001[]

  • , santero
  • , quilter
  • Wilson "Boozoo" Chavis, Creole zydeco accordionist
  • Hazel Dickens, Appalachian singer and songwriter
  • João Oliveira dos Santos (Mestre João Grande), Capoeira Angola master
  • , Apache basketweaver
  • , oud maker
  • , thumbpicking-style guitarist
  • Qi Shu Fang, Beijing Opera performer
  • Seiichi Tanaka, Taiko drummer and dojo founder
  • , rug weaver
  • , Kiowa sacred song leader
  • , folklorist

2002[]

2003[]

  • , , and , Basque (Bertsolari) poets
  • Rosa Elena Egipciaco, mundillo (Puerto Rican bobbin lace) maker
  • , Salish beadworker and regalia maker
  • , weaver, singer, storyteller
  • and , father and son musicians
  • Norma Miller, swing dancer and choreographer
  • , singer, composer, teacher
  • , Hardanger fiddle maker
  • and , father and son Carolinian stick dancers
  • Manoochehr Sadeghi, santur player
  • Nicholas Toth, diving helmet builder

2004[]

  • , Kathak dancer
  • , Gospel steel guitarist
  • Joe Derrane, Irish-American button accordionist
  • Jerry Douglas, Dobro player
  • , Skokomish tradition bearer, carver, basket maker
  • , Cambodian musician and teacher
  • , Tamburitza instrument maker
  • Eliseo Rodriguez and , husband and wife straw appliqué artists
  • Koko Taylor, blues musician
  • and , Chinese rod puppeteers[19]

2005[]

  • , rosemaler
  • Earl Barthé, building artisan
  • Chuck Brown, musical innovator
  • Janette Carter, country musician
  • Michael Doucet, Cajun fiddler, composer, band leader
  • Big Joe Duskin, blues and boogie-woogie pianist[20]
  • Jerry Grcevich, Tamburitza musician, prim player
  • Wanda Jackson, country, rockabilly and gospel singer
  • Grace Henderson Nez, Navajo weaver
  • Herminia Albarrán Romero, paper cutting artist
  • Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman, Yiddish singer, songwriter, and poet
  • Albertina Walker, gospel singer
  • , Hawaiian chanter[21]

2006[]

2007[]

  • Nicholas Benson, stone letter cutter and calligrapher
  • , Guinean dancer and musician
  • Violet Kazue de Cristoforo, Haiku poet and historian
  • Roland Freeman, photo documentarian, author, and exhibit Curator
  • Pat Courtney Gold, Wasco sally bag weaver
  • Eddie Kamae, Hawaiian musician
  • , Chicano singer and musician,
  • Julia Parker, Kashia Pomo basketmaker
  • Mary Jane Queen, Appalachian musician
  • Joe Thompson, string band musician
  • , Rio Grande weaver
  • Elaine Hoffman Watts, Klezmer musician

2008[]

  • , Nez Perce drum maker, singer, tradition-bearer
  • , saddlemaker
  • Bettye Kimbrell, quilter
  • , Peruvian retablo maker
  • , Korean dancer and musician
  • , Ethiopian liturgical minister and scholar
  • Jelon Vieira, Capoeira master
  • Dr. Michael White, traditional jazz musician and bandleader
  • Mac Wiseman, Bluegrass musician
  • , traditional arts specialist and advocate

2009[]

2010[]

2011[]

2012[]

2013[]

  • Sheila Kay Adams, Storyteller and musician
  • , Pyramid Lake Paiute storyteller
  • , Ceramicist and clay sculptor
  • , Irish fiddler and scholar
  • , Cimbalom player
  • Carol Fran, Swamp blues singer and pianist (both French Creole and English singer)
  • , Lummi artist, teacher, and storyteller
  • , Sacred Harp singer
  • , Chicano musician

2014[]

[22]

  • , Mohawk basketmaker
  • Manuel "Cowboy" Donley, Tejano musician and singer
  • , Irish step dancer
  • The Holmes Brothers, blues, gospel, and R&B band
  • Yvonne Walker Keshick, Odawa quill artist[23]
  • Carolyn Mazloomi, quilting community advocate
  • , Ukrainian embroiderer and bead worker
  • , African-American religious singers
  • , Omaha traditional singer and drum group leader

2015[]

[24]

  • Rahim AlHaj, oud player & composer
  • Michael Alpert, Yiddish musician and tradition bearer
  • Mary Lee Bendolph, Lucy Mingo, and Loretta Pettway — quilters of Gee's Bend
  • Dolly Jacobs, circus aerialist
  • , Cambodian ceramicist
  • , ethnomusicologist/folklorist
  • Drink Small, blues artist
  • , Japanese classical dancer
  • , Slovak straw artist/egg decorator

2016[]

  • Bryan Akipa, Dakota flute maker and player
  • Monk Boudreaux, Mardi Gras Indian craftsman and musician
  • , Irish button accordionist
  • , Master Huastecan son musician and advocate
  • Clarissa Rizal, Tlingit ceremonial regalia maker[25]
  • Theresa Secord, Penobscot Nation ash/sweetgrass basketmaker
  • , Laotian khaen player
  • , master shipwright
  • , white oak basketmaker

2017[]

2018[]

  • , Palestinian embroiderer
  • , Appalachian fiddler
  • Kelly Church, Gun Lake Band Potawatomi black ash basket maker
  • , African American quilter
  • Manuel Cuevas, Mexican-American rodeo tailor
  • , Chicana altarista (Day of the Dead altar maker)
  • Barbara Lynn, African American R&B guitarist
  • , French-American musicians
  • , advocate for customary music and dance[26]

2019[]

[27]

  • , Basque musician and tradition bearer
  • , Crow storyteller
  • Linda Goss, African-American storyteller
  • James F. Jackson, leatherworker
  • , balafon player and djeli
  • , Spanish colcha embroiderer
  • , decoy carver
  • : Beatriz "La Paloma del Norte" Llamas and Blanquita "Blanca Rosa" Rodríguez, Tejano singers
  • Bob Fulcher, folklorist

2020[]

[28]

  • William Bell, soul singer and songwriter
  • Onnik Dinkjian, Armenian folk and liturgical singer
  • , West African diasporic dancers
  • , Iroquois raised beadworker
  • , traditional religious dancers
  • John Morris, old-time fiddler and banjo player
  • Suni Paz, Nueva Canción singer and songwriter
  • , birchbark canoe builder
  • Hugo N. Morales, radio producer and radio network builder

2021[]

[5]

  • Cedric Burnside, Hill Country blues musician
  • , Rondalla musician
  • Anita Fields, Osage ribbon worker
  • Los Lobos, Mexican-American band
  • Joanie Madden, Irish flute player
  • Reginald McLaughlin, tap dancer
  • , Mundillo master weaver
  • , Easter Rock spiritual ensemble
  • Tom Davenport, filmmaker, documentarian, and media curator

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Siporin, Steve (1992). "Introduction". American Folk Masters: The National Heritage Fellows. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. in association with The Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, NM. pp. 14–21. ISBN 0810919176. OCLC 24699109.
  2. ^ "National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2013 NEA National Heritage Fellowship Recipients". US Fed News Service. Washington, DC. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  3. ^ Lane, Sarah (September 24, 2015). "Daniel Sheehy Named National Heritage Fellow". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. p. Metro section, T23. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "National Heritage Fellowships 30th Anniversary" (PDF). arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2021 NEA National Heritage Fellows". National Endowment for the Arts. June 15, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  6. ^ Sullivan, Patricia (December 2, 2009). "Bess Lomax Hawes, 88; folklorist, performer, NEA official". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c "NEA National Heritage Fellows Fact Sheet" (PDF). arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. September 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  8. ^ Trescott, Jacqueline (September 28, 1995). "First Lady Defends NEA: Art Fellowships Presented at the White House". The Washington Post. p. Style section, C03.
  9. ^ Sullivan, Meg (July 3, 1992). "Keeping Traditional Crafts Alive". Daily News of Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA. p. L.A. Life Section, L45.
  10. ^ Govenar, Alan (2001). Masters of Traditional Arts: A Biographical Dictionary. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio. ISBN 1576072401.
  11. ^ Govenar, Alan B. (2006). Extraordinary Ordinary People: Five American Masters of Traditional Arts. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763620479.
  12. ^ 1989 NEA National Heritage Fellow: Chesley Goseyun Wilson Archived October 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, National Endowment for the Arts (USA)
  13. ^ Colker, David (October 4, 2014). "Musician Nati Cano dies at 81; leader of Mariachi los Camperos". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  14. ^ "Jerry Brown". arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  15. ^ Broadfoot, Jan. "Twentieth-Century Tar Heels," Broadfoot's of Wendell, 2004.
  16. ^ "Fatima Kuinova". arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  17. ^ Jason Ankeny. "Elder Roma Wilson". AllMusic. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  18. ^ "Lifetime Honors: Bruce Caesar." Archived September 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine National Endowment for the Arts. (retrieved August 6, 2011)
  19. ^ "News | NEA". Nea.gov. February 5, 2014. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  20. ^ "Big Joe Duskin; Bluesman who flourished in later life – obituary by Tony Russell". The Guardian. London. June 19, 2007. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
  21. ^ "About Ka'upena Wong". Coconutinfo.com. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  22. ^ "NEA Announces Lifetime Honors Recipients". arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  23. ^ Yohe, Jill Ahlberg; Greeves, Teri (2019). Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists. Minneapolis Institute of Art in association with the University of Washington Press. p. 131. ISBN 9780295745794. LCCN 2018967294. Keshick refers to her practice as 'quill art' rather than 'quill work,' both to assert the aesthetic significance of her creations and to firmly position this artistic practice as a valued art form.
  24. ^ "NEA Announces Recipients of Nation's Highest Award in the Folk and Traditional Arts". arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  25. ^ "National Endowment for the Arts Statement on the Death of Clarissa Rizal, 2016 National Heritage Fellow". National Endowment for the Arts. NEA. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  26. ^ "National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2018 National Heritage Fellows". National Endowment for the Arts. June 20, 2018.
  27. ^ "National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2019 National Heritage Fellows". arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. June 18, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  28. ^ "National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2020 Recipients of Nation's Highest Honor in the Folk and Traditional Arts". National Endowment for the Arts. June 23, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.

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