For the Gazette

Washington, DC – The National Endowment for the Arts has named Karen Ann Hoffman, a Stevens Point Iroquois Raised Beadworker, as a 2020 recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship – the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Hoffman, a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, is national leader in Iroquois Raised Beadwork, which is characterized by lines of beads that arch above the textile surface for a three-dimensional effect. Hoffman is known for reimagining existing forms to expand their significance for today and the future.

As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ work to support and celebrate our nation’s rich traditional arts heritage, the agency is announcing the 2020 recipients of its National Heritage Fellowships. These lifetime honor awards of $25,000 are given in recognition of both artistic excellence and efforts to sustain cultural traditions for future generations.

“Each year the Heritage Fellowships highlight the distinct living traditions of communities around our nation, as well as how our fellows instill a sense of pride, beauty, and cultural continuity through their art,” said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Fellowship recipients are nominated by the public, often by members of their own communities, and then judged by a panel of experts in the folk and traditional arts. The panel’s recommendations are reviewed by the National Council on the Arts, which sends its recommendations to the Arts Endowment chairman, who makes the final decision.

The annual celebration of the new class of National Heritage Fellows will take place virtually this year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information, visit arts.gov.