Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
A concern for the continued existence of folk traditions motivated the Festival project since it began in 1967. It also served as the basis of the Smithsonian's cooperation with the Folk Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts, a cooperation that resulted in 1982 in a Festival program honoring the recipients of NEA's National Heritage Fellowships. The 1983 Festival saw a similar program, and organizers hoped that future years would as well.
When the Folk Arts Program presented the fellowships, they were signalled by a certificate of honor hailing each of the laureates as "a Master Traditional Artist who has contributed to the shaping of our artistic traditions and to preserving the cultural diversity of the United States."
Sixteen artists were awarded Heritage Fellowships in 1983 during the Festival. Behind each stood a phalanx of other creative Americans, reaching across neighborhoods and back through time. They were the ones from whom the honorees learned, the ones who made the mistakes, tested the limits, confirmed the aesthetic centers. In honoring these sixteen artists, the NEA also honored their forebears, and each one represented not a single creative genius but a linkage of people joined together to produce beauty and truth and meaning, each in their own special way.
The week-long series of events surrounding the awarding of the Arts Endowment's 1983 National Heritage Fellowships were made possible through the generous support of Continental Telecom Inc. In addition, from June 23 through September 5, 1983, an exhibition honoring the 1983 National Heritage Fellowship recipients was on display in the National Museum of American History.
Marjorie Hunt served as National Endowment Exhibit Coordinator and Meg Glaser as NEA Program Assistant.
Participants:
Fellowship Recipients
Sister Mildred Barker, Shaker hymn singing, Poland Spring, Maine
Rafael Cepeda, Afro-Puerto Rican music and dance, Santurce, Puerto Rico
Ray Hicks, 1922-2003, Appalachian storytelling, Banner Elk, North Carolina
Stanley Hicks, 1911-1989, Appalachian instrument making, music and storytelling, Vilas, North Carolina
John Lee Hooker, blues guitar and singing, San Carlos, California
Mike "Papa" Manteo, Sicilian-American puppetry, Staten Island, New York
Narciso Martinez, Texas-Mexican -- conjunto -- accordion, San Benito, Texas
Lanier Meaders, southern pottery, Cleveland, Georgia
Almeda Riddle, Ozark ballads, Greers Ferry, Arkansas
Simon St. Pierre, French-Canadian fiddle, Smyrna Mills, Maine
Joe Shannon, 1920-, Irish-American -- uilleann -- pipes, Chicago, Illinois
Alex Stewart, 1891-1985, Appalachian coopering and woodworking-Sneedville, Tennessee
Ada Thomas, 1924-1992, Chitimacha basket making, Charenton, Louisiana
Lucinda Toomer, 1888-1983, Black quilt making, Columbus, Georgia
Dewey Williams, 1898-1985, Black sacred harp singing, Ozark, Alabama
Lemuel T. Ward, Chesapeake Bay decoy carving, Crisfield, Maryland
Crafts
Mozell Benson, Black quilt making, Waverly, Alabama
Jesus Cepeda, -- pandereta -- (tambourine) making, Santurce, Puerto Rico
Bill Henry, coopering, whittling, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oliver Lawson, 1938-, duck decoy carving, Crisfield, Maryland
Cleater J. Meaders, Jr., southern pottery, Georgia
Rick Stewart, 1960-, coopering, Sneedville, Tennessee
Music
Sister Frances Carr, Shaker singing, Poland Spring, Maine
Liz Carroll, Irish fiddle, Chicago, Illinois
Brother Arnold Haddad, Shaker singing, Poland Spring, Maine
Pedro Juarez, -- bajo sexto -- , Brownsville, Texas
Brother Theodore Johnson, Shaker singing, Poland Spring, Maine
James Keane, 1948-, accordion, Queens, New York
Johnny McGreevy, 1919-1990, Irish fiddle, Oaklawn, Illinois
Mick Moloney, tenor banjo, mandolin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Robbie O'Connell, 1950-, guitar, vocals, Franklin, Massachusetts
Jerry O'Sullivan, 1959-, Irish -- uilleann -- pipes, Yonkers, New York
Hattie Presnell, 1907-1996, Appalachian music, Banner Elk, North Carolina
Frank Proffitt, Jr., 1946-2005, Appalachian music and storytelling, Todd, North Carolina
Isaiah Ross, 1925-1993, blues guitar and harmonica, Flint, Michigan
Sabino Salinas, -- tololoche -- (bass), Brownsville, Texas
La Familia Cepeda: Afro-Puerto Rican Music and Dance Group -- La Familia Cepeda: Afro-Puerto Rican Music and Dance GroupAlba Rosario CepedaCaridad Brenes CepedaCarlos CepedaJesus CepedaJulia Caridad CepedaLuis CepedaMargarita Sanchez CepedaMario CepedaOrlando CepedaPetra CepedaJosé Lopez, 1959-Milagros MojicaJosé Calderon Pou
Wiregrass Sacred Harp Singers -- Wiregrass Sacred Harp SingersAnnie Joy Belcher, Ozark, AlabamaGladys Bivins, 1933-1992, Ozark, AlabamaPauline Griggs, Dothan, AlabamaBernice Williams Harvey, Ozark, AlabamaHenry Jackson, Ozark, AlabamaWillie Nell Lewis, Winterhaven, FloridaRobert Reynolds, Jr., Abbeyville, AlabamaAlice Williams, Ozark, Alabama
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1983 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
