Washington, DC — For one night each year, the National Endowment for the Arts invites the recipients of the nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts to share their art forms with the public at the NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert, which also is streamed live at
arts.gov. The 2013 concert will be held on Friday, September 27, 2013 at 8 p.m. EDT, and will feature art forms as diverse as Irish fiddling, traditional gypsy music, and Native American storytelling, among others. Nick Spitzer, host of public radio’s
American Routes, will emcee this evening of conversations, demonstrations, and performances. The recipients also will be honored in an awards ceremony on Wednesday, September 25 at 5 p.m. EDT at the Library of Congress. Both events are open to the public and managed by the National Council for the Traditional Arts.
The 2013 NEA National Heritage Fellowship recipients are:
- Sheila Kay Adams, Ballad singer, musician, and storyteller (Marshall, North Carolina)
- Ralph Burns, Storyteller, Pyramid Lake Paiute tribe (Nixon, Nevada)
- Verónica Castillo, Ceramicist and clay sculptor (San Antonio, Texas)
- Séamus Connolly, Irish fiddler (North Yarmouth, Maine)
- Nicolae Feraru, Cimbalom player (Chicago, Illinois)
- Carol Fran, Swamp blues singer and pianist (Lafayette, Louisiana)
- Pauline Hillaire*, Tradition bearer, Lummi tribe (Bellingham, Washington)
- David Ivey, Sacred Harp singer (Huntsville, Alabama)
- Ramón "Chunky" Sánchez, Chicano musician and culture bearer (San Diego, California)
*Pauline Hillaire is the recipient of the Bess Lomax Hawes NEA National Heritage Fellowship Award. The Bess Lomax Hawes Award recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of cultural heritage.
Profiles of the artists are available in the
Lifetime Honors section of the NEA’s website, along with photos, audio, and video samples of their work.
NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert
Attend in person:
The NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert will be held at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium at 730 21st Street NW in Washington, DC, on Friday, September 27, 2013 at 8 p.m. Free tickets to this concert are available online at
lisner.org or in person at the George Washington University Lisner Auditorium Box Office at 730 21st Street NW in Washington, DC, and the House of Musical Traditions at 7010 Westmoreland Avenue in Takoma Park, Maryland. WAMU 88.5 is the official radio station of the 2013 NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert.
PLEASE NOTE: Ticket-holders should arrive by 7:45 p.m. At that time, all empty seats will be claimed by those in the stand-by line.
Watch the live webcast:
The NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert will be live streamed at
arts.gov with an archive available following the event. The NEA encourages households and schools to gather together to watch the webcast and use this opportunity to share our nation's diverse folk and traditional arts with families and students. Viewers can share comments and photos on Twitter using the hashtag #NEAHeritage. You may also request copies of the concert program by emailing
heritage@arts.gov.
NEA National Heritage Fellowships Awards Ceremony
In addition to the concert, the NEA also will hold the National Heritage Fellowship Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 at 5 p.m. in Room 119 of the Library of Congress's Thomas Jefferson Building at 10 First Street SE in Washington, DC. NEA Senior Deputy Chairman Joan Shigekawa and members of Congress will present the awards to the recipients. This event is open to the public and no tickets are required.
Members of the press who wish to attend the concert or awards ceremony or obtain photographs or video from either event should contact Liz Auclair at auclaire@arts.gov.
About the NEA National Heritage Fellowships
The 2013 honorees join the ranks of previous Heritage Fellows, including bluesman B.B. King, Cajun fiddler and composer Michael Doucet, sweetgrass basketweaver Mary Jackson, cowboy poet Wally McRae, gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples, and bluegrass musician Bill Monroe. Since 1982, the Arts Endowment has awarded 386 NEA National Heritage Fellowships, including the 2013 Fellows. Fellowship recipients are nominated by the public, often by members of their own communities, and then judged by a panel of experts in folk and traditional arts on the basis of their continuing artistic accomplishments and contributions as practitioners and teachers.
For more information on the NEA's National Heritage Fellowships, including bios, interviews, and audio selections for the NEA National Heritage Fellows; portraits of more than 170 NEA National Heritage Fellows by Tom Pich; and publications such as a 30th anniversary publication featuring a DVD-Rom, created by Documentary Arts, with photos, videos, and audio recordings of all the Heritage Fellows, and a
Masters of Traditional Arts Education Guide, visit arts.gov.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
The
National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at
arts.gov.
