Tom Pich is a professional photographer who has traveled across America for the past 25 years photographing the extraordinary recipients of the National Heritage Fellowships. His portraits have been exhibited at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian Institution, the Russell Office Building of the US Senate, and the Library of Congress.

Barry Bergey was Director of Folk and Traditional Arts at the National Endowment for the Arts, recently retiring after a career of nearly 30 years at the agency. His involvement in international arts policy includes consultation with UNESCO, the Organization of American States, the World Bank, the US Information Agency, and the Department of State.

Introduction

Portraits

Hugh McGraw (1982)

Philip Simmons (1982)

Ray Hicks (1983)

Mary Jane Manigault (1984)

Ralph Stanley (1984)

Eppie Archuleta (1985)

Julio Negrón Rivera (1985)

Periklis Halkias (1985)

Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin (1986)

Helen Cordero (1986)

John Jackson (1986)

Sonia Domsch (1986)

Juan Alindato (1987)

Genoveva Castellanos (1987)

Kansuma Fujima (1987)

Newton Washburn (1987)

Wade Mainer (1987)

Clyde "Kindy" Sproat (1988)

Chesley "Goseyun" Wilson (1989)

Harry V. Shourds (1989)

Vanessa Paukeigope [Morgan] Jennings (1989)

Natividad "Nati" Cano (1990)

Wallace "Wally" McRae (1990)

Etta Baker (1991)

George Blake (1991)

Irván Perez (1991)

Jerry Brown (1992)

Charles Hankins (1993)

D.L. Menard (1994)

Simon Shaheen (1994)

Sosei Shizuye Matsumoto (1994)

Blind Boys of Alabama (1994)

Danongan Kalanduyan (1995)

Nathan Jackson (1995)

Betty Pisio Christenson (1996)

Obo Addy (1996)

Vernon Owens (1996)

Ramón José López (1997)

Julius Epstein, of the Epstein Brothers (1998)

Alfredo Campos (1999)

Elliott "Ellie" Mannette (1999)

Frisner Augustin (1999)

Jimmy "Slyde" Godbolt (1999)

Mick Moloney (1999)

Ulysses "Uly" Goode (1999)

Felipe García Villamil (2000)

Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins (2000)

Konstantinos Pilarinos (2000)

Evalena Henry (2001)

João Oliveira Dos Santos (João Grande) (2001)

Peter Kyvelos (2001)

Qi Shu Fang (2001)

Seiichi Tanaka (2001)

Flory Jagoda (2002)

Jean Ritchie (2002)

Losang Samten (2002)

Nadim Dlaikan (2002)

Monoochehr Sadeghi (2003)

Nicholas Toth (2003)

Norman Kennedy (2003)

Basque Poets (Bertsolari) Martin Goicoechea and Jesus Goni (2003)

Jerry Douglas (2004)

Milan Opacich (2004)

Yiqin Wang and Zhengli Xu (2004)

Chuck Brown (2005)

Eldrid Skjold Arntzen (2005)

Herminia Albarrán Romero (2005)

Delores E. Churchill (2006)

Henry Gray (2006)

Irvin L. Trujillo (2007)

Joe Thompson (2007)

Julia Parker (2007)

Nicholas Benson (2007)

Bettye Kimbrell (2008)

Horace P. Axtell (2008)

Jeronimo E. Lozano (2008)

Mac Wiseman (2008)

Michael G. White (2008)

Moges Seyoum (2008)

Sue Yeon Park (2008)

Walter Murray Chiesa (2008)

Chitresh Das (2009)

Joel Nelson (2009)

Teri Rofkar (2009)

Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor (2010)

Mary Jackson (2010)

Frank Newsome (2011)

Warner Williams (2011)

Harold A. Burnham (2012)

Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (2012)

Molly Neptune Parker (2012)

Nicolae Feraru (2013)

Ramón "Chunky" Sánchez (2013)

Verónica Castillo (2013)

Henry Arquette (2014)

Dolly Jacobs (2015)

Yary Livan (2015)

Quilters of Gee’s Bend Loretta Pettway, Lucy Mingo, and Mary Lee Bendolf (2015)

Billy McComiskey (2016)

Clarissa Rizal (2016)

Acknowledgments

Complete List of NEA National Heritage Fellowship Awardees, 1982-2016

Sources for Artist Quotes