:: 2013 NEA National Heritage Fellows

Sheila Kay Adams Ballad Singer, Musician, & Storyteller Marshall, NC	Ralph Burns Storyteller, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Nixon, NV	Verónica Castillo Ceramicist and Clay Sculptor San Antonio, TX
Séamus Connolly Irish Fiddler North Yarmouth, ME	Nicolae Feraru Cimbalom Player Chicago, IL	Carol Fran Swamp blues Singer & Pianist Lafayette, LA
Pauline Hillaire Tradition Bearer, Lummi Tribe Bellingham, WA	David Ivey Sacred Harp Singer Huntsville, AL	Ramón "Chunky" Sánchez Chicano Musician and Culture Bearer San Diego, CA

In 1982 the National Endowment for the Arts established the NEA National Heritage Awards as a way of honoring American folk artists for their contributions to our national cultural mosaic. Modelled after the Japanese "National Living Treasures" concept, the idea began with Bess Lomax Hawes, then director of the Folk Arts Program.

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

Contact Liz Auclair in the NEA’s Public Affairs office at auclaire@arts.gov for high-resolution images of the 2013 Fellows for press purposes.

NEA Heritage Fellows
1982-Present: 
BY YEAR | ALPHA

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National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
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