National Heritage Fellowships

The NEA National Heritage Fellowships recognize the recipients' artistic excellence and support their continuing contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage. Nominations for the award come from the public, so be sure to nominate a master folk and traditional artist who has made significant contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage.

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The Culture of America: A Cross-Country Visit with the 2021 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows aired Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at 8:00 pm ET. The archive is now available below.

Emmy Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits takes viewers on a virtual trip across the country to where the 2021 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows live and work.

All Heritage Fellows

2021 NEA National Heritage Fellows

A bald man looks down at his guitar with a microphone in front of him and a drum set behind

2021

Cedric Burnside

Hill Country Blues Musician and Songwriter

2021

Tom Davenport

Filmmaker, Documentarian, and Media Curator

A man with dark brown hair and glasses wears a white, light blue, and grey collared shirt

2021

Tagumpay Mendoza De Leon

Rondalla Musician

A woman with brown and grey hair is wrapped in a multicolored striped shawl

2021

Anita Fields (Osage/Muscogee)

Osage Ribbon Worker

Five men wearing black stand on the porch of a weathered wooden building with a cactus in the foreground

2021

Los Lobos

Mexican American Band

A woman with dark hair holds a black Irish whistle and leans against a latched red wooden half door

2021

Joanie Madden

Irish Flute Player

A man with long dark hair wears a colorful shirt and black vest is smiling

2021

Reginald “Reggio The Hoofer” McLaughlin

Tap Dancer

A woman with grey hair and glasses wearing a red and white paisley shirt. In front of her is lace and colorful pins

2021

Nellie Vera

Mundillo Master Weaver

Three women wearing white clothes carry large colorful decorations

2021

Winnsboro Easter Rock Ensemble

Easter Rock Spiritual Ensemble

Nominate a National Heritage Fellow!

The National Endowment for the Arts encourages nominations of master folk and traditional artists to recognize artistic excellence, lifetime achievement, and contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage.

Make a Nomination

Celebrate the 2020 National Heritage Fellows in The Culture of America: A Cross-Country Visit with the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows. Storyteller Queen Nur hosted a virtual trip across the country, taking viewers into the homes and communities where the Fellows live and create. See the archive below.