Last week, the Washington Post arts and culture blog ran a story about National Heritage Fellow and Bluegrass legend Del McCoury who is speaking out about the National Endowment for the Arts plans to abolish the popular National Heritage Fellowships beginning in 2012.  In this budget cycle, the NEA has proposed taking the Jazz Master Fellowships, the National Heritage Fellowships and the NEA Opera Honors and creating a new honorific called NEA American Artists of the Year.

McCoury sent out a letter to the hundreds of recipients of the Heritage awards, who include basketmakers, boatmakers, quilters, fiddlers and stonemasons.  "It's now particularly disturbing to hear" about the plans, he wrote. "All of us must take immediate action to keep this from happening."  To read more go to: Del McCoury protests the NEA plan to merge its honorary awards.

Read more articles about the abolishment of the NEA Heritage and Jazz awards:

NEA proposes a new American Artists of the Year award (Washington Post)

NEA wants to end Jazz Masters program (Arts Journal)

NEA ends Jazz, Folk, Opera awards for "full range of American artists" (Arts Journal)

Danongan Kalanduyan, 1995 National Heritage Fellow. Photo: ACTA

Join us in sharing your stories about National Heritage Fellows as we begin to document the far-reaching meaning and impact of this vital National Endowment for the Arts program.  Please take this quick 5-minute survey to tell us about an experience you've had with a fellow or by participating in a traditional arts experience. Follow this link to share your story: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/heritagefellows.

ACTA will compile and share the results with you, the field, and policy-makers in an effort to articulate the value that the National Heritage Fellowships and the folk & traditional arts field bring to our communities - locally, nationally, and globally.

Responses are already coming in:

Madame Fujima Kansuma is one of the most gracious people that I know. Her dancing and her teaching skills have made an indelible mark on the Japanese American community. I had the pleasure of being in Washington, DC when she received the National Heritage Award. An experience to be remembered forever.

Jerry Yoshitomi, Port Hueneme

I am a Mexican immigrant who has lived in the Central Valley of California for 11 years. Having all my family in Mexico and feeling alone and lost in a country with a different language and culture, I tried to link with cultural activities in Spanish. To my surprise I found Agustin Lira, a Chicano who had received the National Heritage Fellowship, and who has played a prominent role in keeping our Latino roots alive through his music and community theatre. My relationship with him was limited to attending his performances; however since January of 2011 our family had the fortune to become closer to this talented and humble artist. My 8-year old son is now taking music classes with Agustin and is developing a passion for Chicano, and other forms of Latin American music. I am excited that this will perpetuate our Latino culture even though my son was born in the U.S.

Nayamin Martinez-Cossío, Fresno

 

Read more and see a complete list of California's National Heritage Fellows...

South Arts will offer online professional development sessions for folklife organizations, folklorists, traditional arts advocates, community scholars, and other interested parties.  Topics covered in the webinars range from "Who Owns Folklore? Copyright and Sharing Content" to "Folklife Emergency! 12 Steps to Readiness."  If you are unable to attend the webinar for which you have registered, South Arts will have archived recordings available for 60 days after the original date of the webinar.

For a complete list of available webinars, or to register, visit South Arts' website. 

Arts lovers have an advantage for "tax day" in 2011: the Arts Tax Check Off.  Here's how it works.  You can make a tax deductible contribution directly to the California Arts Council on your state tax return.  In the "Contributions" section of your return, specify the amount you want to give to the Arts Council, from $1 or more.  It's an easy way to support the California Arts Council and its arts programs for children and communities.  In fact, ACTA is a California Arts Council grantee.