May 23, 2008 NEA National Heritage Fellowship Recipients

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced (May 21, 2008) the 2008 recipients of the NEA National Heritage Fellowships, the country's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Eleven fellowships, which include a one-time award of $20,000 each, are presented to honorees from eight states and Puerto Rico. These awardees were chosen for their artistic excellence and contributions to our nation's cultural heritage. They represent a cross-section of ethnic cultures and traditions including Native American, Peruvian, Ethiopian, Brazilian, and Korean and art forms ranging from saddle making and dance to bluegrass music and drum making.

The 2008 NEA National Heritage Fellowship recipients are: Dr. Michael White (see photo) - Traditional jazz musician/bandleader Mac Wiseman - Bluegrass musician Horace P. Axtell - Nez Perce drum maker, singer, tradition-bearer Dale Harwood - Saddlemaker Bettye Kimbrell - Quilter Jeronimo E. Lozano - Peruvian retablo (portable altar boxes) maker Oneida Singers of Wisconsin - Oneida hymn singers Sue Yeon Park - Korean dancer and musician Moges Seyoum - Ethiopian liturgical musician/scholar Jelon Vieira - Capoeira (Afro-Brazilian art form) master The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is a United States federally funded and donation assisted program that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. It has its offices in the Old Post Office building, in Washington, D.C. Since 1982, the Endowment has awarded 338 NEA National Heritage Fellowships. Michael White is a jazz clarinetist, bandleader, composer, jazz historian and musical educator. Scott Yanow, a jazz critic, said in a review that Michael "displays the feel and spirit of the best New Orleans clarinetists." In 1981, Michael founded The Original Liberty Jazz Band with the express intent of preserving the musical heritage of New Orleans. The group has performed an end-of-year concert at the Village Vanguard every year now starting in the early 1990s. The 2008 awardees will come to Washington, D.C. in September for a series of events including a banquet at the Library of Congress and an awards presentation on Capitol Hill as well as a concert scheduled for Friday, September 19, at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland. Event: 2008 NEA National Heritage Fellowship Award Date: September 19 (Friday), 2008 Location: Music Center at Strathmore Bethesda, Maryland. USA

SOURCE: National Endowment for the Arts

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