Visit and Learn With Our Master Guest Artists

LISTEN to music and stories...SEE different parts of the country...LEARN about vital traditional art forms…EXPLORE local traditions

Local Learning’s virtual residencies with National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows take us into the communities and lives of master folk artists. Not only are they masters of song, story, and craft, they are also educators. They teach their art forms in the traditional ways that they learned them, honoring family and community members who taught them, preserving traditions while also creating innovations that keep the art forms alive and meaningful.

In addition to introducing some of our nation’s renowned traditions and traditional artists, these residencies can inspire finding and telling the stories of local traditions and tradition bearers. Use the Local Learning Tools to research local learning in your community and develop local Folk Artist Profiles.

In 1982 while she was director of the NEA Folk Arts Program, Bess Lomax Hawes (1921-2009) established the National Heritage Fellowships to honor our nation’s finest traditional artists. These annual awards have recognized over 350 artists who represent every region and a tapestry of vital traditions.

Learn more about the National Heritage Fellowships and order the free publication and DVD-Rom featuring many hours of audio, video, slideshows, and artist bios, National Heritage Fellowships 1982-2007. Produced by Documentary Arts, the DVD-Rom includes a PDF of the Masters of Traditional Arts Education Guide.