Dedicated to individuals working in the folk and traditional arts, through their creativity, excellence and service, reflect the history, practices, beliefs and values of diverse peoples throughout Ohio. Many of these master artists are not recognized beyond their own communities but their contribution to our cultural life is essential to our sense of history and collective identity. The Ohio Arts Council created the Ohio Heritage Fellowship program in 2003 to honor and celebrate these living cultural treasures.

Award recipients are recognized within their communities as exemplary practitioners of a folk or traditional art form with work of the highest quality and authenticity. Through an open nomination process and careful consideration by recognized professionals in the field; the Ohio Heritage Fellowship program offers statewide visibility and a one-time financial award that allows master artists and community leaders to share their expertise and promote the awareness of folk and traditional cultures.

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The Ohio Arts Council values the history and background of each citizen of our state and recognizes that the quality of life in Ohio depends on continued vitality of traditions of every kind. Ohio Heritage Fellows represent the best of those things that make us unique combined with the most enduring of that which is common to all, and the Ohio Heritage Fellowship program ensures that those working in the folk and traditional arts do not remain among us just as faded photographs or distant memories but have an essential place in the present and future of Ohio.

Have a Lead?

If you know about a traditional artist or folk tradition who should be documented, please contact Kathy Signorino, Ohio Arts Council Program Coordinator.