The National Endowment for the Arts has announced the 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellows | Catch My Job

Washington DC— The National Endowment for the Arts continues a long history of honoring America’s rich, artistic heritage with today’s announcement of 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellowship recipients. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the program, our country’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. A film celebrating the artists and heritage class of 2022 will premiere on arts.gov.

“In their artistic practice, NEA National Heritage Fellows tell their own stories on their own terms. They pass on their skills and knowledge to others through mentorship and teaching,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, Ph.D. “These honorees are not only sustaining their art forms and the cultural history of their communities, they are also enriching our nation as a whole.”

Each fellowship carries a $25,000 award, and all recipients will be featured in a film that will premiere on arts.gov in November 2022. Through the film, viewers will have the opportunity to see the homes and communities where the fellows live and work, providing a connection to the distinct art forms and traditions of these artists’ practices. Stay tuned for more information on the film this fall.

The 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellows are:

Grammy Award-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland inspires audiences with his talent and improvisational skills in the bluegrass tradition. In addition to touring with his band, the Flamekeepers, he has played with a legendary list of bluegrass greats.

Born into a family of flamenco dancers and artists, Eva Encinius carries on the tradition through her teaching and performing and through the National Institute of Flamenco, which she founded in 1982 and where she continues to direct artistic programming.

The Excelsior Band is a black brass marching band that has embodied the culture of the city of Mobile and its beloved Mardi Gras celebration for generations. It dates back to 1883 and the band’s membership is considered the highest achievement among musicians in the Mobile area.

• Stanley JacobsQuelbe flutist and bandleader from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

Playing the official anthem of the US Virgin Islands, Jacobs and his band carry on the traditional sound of Koelb by performing for the community and teaching the youth of St. Croix their music, dance and cultural heritage.

“Mother” Maggie Ingram taught her five children to act alongside her and formed the legendary Ingrammates. They have connected audiences with gospel music for over six decades and are known as Richmond’s “First Family of Gospel”.

Dedicated to reviving the traditional Hawaiian art of thatched house building called hale, Sinensi is leading the construction of countless new architectural structures and training the next generation of practitioners to continue the practice.

Inspired by the song and dance of his elders, Tsering Wangmo Satho co-founded Chaksam-pa, a Tibetan dance and opera company committed to sharing and preserving the artistic heritage of Tibet.

Founder of Step Africa!, the first professional company dedicated to the percussive dance of stepping, Williams preserves and promotes the art of stepping through performances and educational experiences to thousands of students each year.

• Shaka ZuluBlack masking artist, stilt dancer, and musician from New Orleans, Louisiana

A master of New Orleans black masking, drumming and stilt dancing, Shaka Zulu has transcended traditions as a teacher and culture bearer whose talents are celebrated nationally and internationally.

Inspired by her grandmother’s wool and carding tools, Natani’s curiosity to learn to knit inspired a lifelong love of art. Naataanii is also recognized as a gifted and prolific mentor and teacher of holistic Diné weaving practices – from sheep rearing, to shearing and dyeing wool, and through the complex techniques of making and weaving textiles on the loom.

Naataanii is the 2022 recipient of the Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship, presented in recognition of an individual who has made significant contributions to the preservation and awareness of cultural heritage.

About the National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is the country’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Including the Class of 2022, the Arts Endowment has awarded 467 National Heritage Fellowships since 1982, in more than 200 individual art forms, including Hill Country blues musician and songwriter Cedric Burnside, Chicana Altarista Ofelia Esparza, Tlingit Anarel Bron Serras, Bronzy Blues musician and songwriter Cedric Burnside. Acknowledging the working artists. , leather worker James F. Jackson, wood player and composer Rahim Alhaj, and quilting community advocate Caroline Mazloumi. More information about National Heritage Fellows is available on the Arts Endowment website.

Fellowship recipients are nominated by the public, often members of their own communities, and then judged by a panel of experts in folk and traditional arts. The panel’s recommendations are reviewed by the National Council on the Arts, which forwards its recommendations to the Arts Endowment Chair, who makes the final decision. Visit the National Endowment for the Arts website for more information and to submit a nomination.

About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency whose funding and support provides opportunities for Americans to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative abilities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts education, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community. Across America. To learn more, visit arts.gov or follow us TwitterFacebook, Instagram, and YouTube.