National Endowment for the Arts’ virtual celebration for the 2021 NEA National Heritage Fellows

The NEA National Heritage Fellowship is our nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. 

The Culture of America: A Cross-Country Visit with the 2021 NEA National Heritage will debut on November 17 at 8pm ET on arts.gov. It will be hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits, who will take viewers on a virtual trip across the country where this year’s National Heritage Fellows live and work. The pre-recorded virtual presentation will be webcast free to the public at arts.gov. 

You can watch the one-minute trailer for the film and read more about the honorees in the press release.

“The traditions of these culture bearers are shared in this film as stories of community, of unity, and of individual pride for one’s heritage,” said Ann Eilers, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “The diverse artforms of the National Heritage Fellows invite us to understand and appreciate the experiences of the past and allow us to see a bright future where culture grounds us and new ideas take hold.”