Rewarding Folk And Traditional Artists (NAPSA)—It sounds almost like a folk tale come true: struggling artists get the recognition they deserve from a grateful government with help from what at first seems a surprising source. Here’s the story: Thirteen artists from across the country were named as recipients of the 2001 National Heritage Fellowships, the country’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. The fellowships, which include a one-time award of $10,000 each, will be presented in Washington, D.C. in late September. 2001 National Heritage Fellowship Recipients: Celestino Avils, santero, Orocovis, Puerto Rico Mozell Benson, AfricanAmerican quilter, Opelika, AL Wilson “Boozoo” Chavis, Creole zydeco accordionist, Lake Charles, LA (deceased) Hazel Dickens, Appalachian singer-songwriter, Washington, D.C. and Montcalm, WV Joao Grande, capoeira Angola master, New York, NY Evalina Henry, Apache basketweaver, Peridot, AZ Peter Kyvelos, oud maker, Belmont, MA Eddie Pennington, thumbpicking-style guitarist, Princeton, KY Qi Shu Fang, Beijing Opera performer, Woodhaven, NY Seiichi Tanaka, taiko drummer and dojo founder, San Francisco, CA Dorothy Trumpold, rug weaver, East Amana, IA Fred Tsoodle, Kiowa sacred song leader, Mountain View, OK Joseph Wilson, folklorist, advocate and presenter, Silver Spring, MD and Trade, TN Helping the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) show the country’s appreciation of these artists is a quarter million dollar grant from a company specializing in America’s heritage of traditional crafts and cooking, Cracker Norm Hill, Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Cracker Barrel, thanks National Heritage Fellowship recipients Eddie Pennington and Joe Wilson for their contribution to the folk andtraditional arts. Barrel Old Country Store. It operates more than 4385 restaurants and gift shops in 40 states. Said Bill Ivey, NEA Chairman, “We are delighted that Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is joining with us to celebrate the accomplishments of our National Heritage Fellowship awardees. This generous support will ensure that we can continue to pay proper tribute to our nation’s finest folk and traditional artists.” Two new artistic traditions are included this year: capoeira and taiko. Each of these traditions combine music, dance, ritual and belief in a holistic integration of musical mastery, metaphysics and motion. The former is rooted in Brazilian cultural identity and the latter is grounded in Japaneseritual performance. Other awardees inelude a santero (saint carver), an Appalachian singer-songwriter, a quilt maker, a Creole zydeco accordionist, an Apache basketmaker, a thumbpicking style guitarist, a Beijing Opera performer, a rug weaver, a song leader of sacred Kiowa music, a maker of Middle Eastern string instruments known as ouds, and a folk arts advocate. For more information, see www.crackerbarrel.com or www. arts.gov.
