Several medals laid out on a table.

National Heritage Fellowships - Cloned

The NEA National Heritage Fellowships recognize the recipients' artistic excellence and support their continuing contributions to our nation's traditional arts heritage.

Join us on March 4, 2021 at 8:00 pm ET for “The Culture of America: A Cross-Country Visit with the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows,” a pre-recorded, virtual trip across the country taking viewers into the homes and communities where the 2020 National Heritage Fellows live and create. Watch the preview below.

Profile materials for 1982-2007 NEA National Heritage Fellow biographies courtesy of Documentary Arts. Use of some photographs courtesy of the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives & Collections.

2019 Concert  | Photo Gallery

All Heritage Fellows

2020 NEA National Heritage Fellowships

Man wearing a pork pie hat, sunglasses, and a leather jacket.
2020
William Bell
Soul Singer and Songwriter
Man singing on stage.
2020
Onnik Dinkjian
Armenian folk and liturgical singer
A man and a woman in elaborate dress appear onstage.
2020
Zakarya and Naomi Diouf
West African Diasporic Dancers
Woman laughing holding beaded box.
2020
Karen Ann Hoffman (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin)
Haudenosaunee Raised Beadworker
Group of women in colorful red outfits dancing in the street.
2020
Los Matachines de la Santa Cruz de la Ladrillera
Traditional Religious Dancers
Man with headphones on in front of a radio mic.
2020
Hugo N. Morales
Radio Producer & Radio Network Builder
Man in hat playing a fiddle.
2020
John Morris
Old-time Fiddler and Banjo Player
Woman holding a guitar.
2020
Suni Paz
Nueva Canción Singer and Songwriter
Man carving a canoe.
2020
Wayne Valliere (Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe)
Birchbark Canoe Builder

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

Recent National Heritage Fellows Podcasts

Photo of an Asian woman smiling next to a koto instrument
June Kuramoto
Koto Musician and 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellow
Man playing a clarinete.
Revisiting Andy Statman
Klezmer Clarinetist, Mandolin Player, Composer, 2012 National Heritage Fellow
A man surrounded by carousel and carvings.
Todd Goings
Carousel Carver, Restorationist, and 2024 National Heritage Fellow

Recent News

A colorful collage of seven individual artists with a medallion in the upper right corner being held by a red, blue and yellow ribbon. Text reads 2025 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowships
National Endowment for the Arts Announces 2025 NEA National Heritage Fellows
Image of Zakir Hussain and tabla drums
National Endowment for the Arts Statement on the Death of National Heritage Fellow Ustad Zakir Hussain
An older woman with short white hair and kind eyes looks off to the side and smiles, as if recalling a beautiful story.
National Endowment for the Arts Statement on the Death of National Heritage Fellow Ella Jenkins