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The National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowships are the highest form of recognition for folk and traditional artists in the USA. Each year since 1982, ten to thirteen individuals, "national living treasures" from across the country, are chosen to receive this one-time-only fellowship in recognition of lifetime achievement, artistic excellence, and contributions to the nation's cultural heritage. The idea for the fellowship program was modeled after Japan's "National Living Treasures" concept. Since its inception by Bess Lomax Hawes, first director of NEA's Folk and Traditional Arts Program, over 300 artists have received the Heritage Fellowship. The award recognizes traditional art forms such as rug weaving, basketmaking, boatmaking, storytelling, blacksmithing, and, of course, music making. Smithsonian Global Sound is proud to offer recordings from over 60 of the musicians represented in this illustrious group.
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Prayer Chants
Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele, Nalani Kanaka'ole (1993 Fellow) |
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NEA National Heritage Fellows come from all over the country, from major urban areas and isolated rural communities. The ethnic backgrounds of the artists range from Native American to Scandinavian, from Vietnamese to Mexican. As a group, these folk and traditional artists reflect the diverse heritage and cultural traditions that transcend their beginnings to become part of our national character. Americans all, they bring age-old customs, crafts, and ways of living to the flux of American life.
National Heritage Fellowships begin with nominations from ordinary citizens who put forward local folk and traditional artists that they feel are deserving of national recognition and who embody artistic excellence, authenticity, and significance within their tradition. Nominees must be worthy of national recognition, have a record of continuing artistic accomplishment, and actively participate in their art form, either as practitioners or as teachers. Each year, the select group of artists comes to Washington, D. C. , to receive their awards in a public ceremony and perform in a concert celebrating our nation of nations during late September.
As the awards celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2007, Smithsonian Global Sound launches a new effort to recognize the National Heritage Fellows in the collections from our partners. Look for the NEA Heritage Fellow logo next to recordings by honorees. It is to not only remind us of the individual talent represented on Smithsonian Global Sound, but to also to demonstrate what Barry Bergey, current Director of NEA Folk and Traditional Arts, wrote: "National Heritage Fellows represent the best of that which is unique combined with the most enduring of that which is common to us all. Collectively their stories remind us of our artistic commonwealth; individually their lives narrate tales of persistence, of stewardship, and of creativity. "
Find more NEA National Heritage Fellows on Smithsonian Global Sound.
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FEATURED VIDEOS
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Nati Cano's Los Angeles-based Mariachi Los Camperos is one of the most accomplished modern mariachi bands in the world. Cano's excellent musicianship and commitment to mariachi music education in the USA were recognized with an NEA National Heritage Fellowship in 1990.
Source: 768k Quicktime Video, 4m 56s.
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Ralph Stanley, an Appalachian bluegrass musician from Stratton, Virginia, was honored as an NEA National Heritage Fellow in 1984. Here he performs "Little Birdie" with the Clinch Mountain Boys at an NEA National Heritage concert in 2003 at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Source: 768k Quicktime Video, 3m 54s.
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Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten built her musical legacy on a unique guitar style and a firm foundation of late 19th- and early 20th-century African-American instrumental traditions. She received the NEA National Heritage Fellowship in 1984.
Source: 768k Quicktime Video, 2m 50s.
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FEATURED LINKS
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NEA Website
Learn more about the National Heritage Fellowships on the NEA website.
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