Heritage fellows coming to town

A step dancer and musician who raised the profile of Irish artists in the United States. A gospel group that has influenced everyone from The Temptations to Paul Simon. An Arabic nye player who has fostered understanding through music. A thumb-picking guitarist from Kentucky. A fifth-generation Finnish kantele player.

All rich traditions. All National Heritage Fellows. All coming to Bangor.

Donny Golden and Mick Moloney of The Green Fields of America, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Eddie Pennington, Nadeem Dlaikan and Wilho Saari all have achieved the country’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. This diverse group of performers will be a highlight at this weekend’s American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront.

To celebrate the fellowship program’s 25th anniversary, the National Endowment for the Arts has lined up a nationwide schedule of festival appearances and concerts. Over the years, visitors to the Bangor festival have taken in performances and demonstrations from such honorees as Michael Doucet, Wanda Jackson and Maine’s own Simon St. Pierre. But organizers say this group of six may be the largest gathering of heritage fellows at a festival in the program’s history.

“You’re experiencing the best of the best in terms of folk and traditional arts,” said Barry Bergey, the NEA’s folk and traditional arts director. “You’re experiencing folks who have been revered in their own communities, who represent a diverse array of traditions in the United States.”

Since the program’s inception in 1982, 327 artists have received the honor and the accompanying monetary award, which has grown from $5,000 to $20,000. At first, there were concerns among NEA staffers that singling out individuals might cause resentment among traditional artists, whose work has its roots in the collective experience. Instead, it has become a point of pride within communities.

“They don’t see this as a singular honor,” Bergey said. “They realize that they represent a tradition that is more than themselves. In that sense, it has become bigger than the sum of its parts.”

Take, for instance, a National Heritage Fellow from Chicago named Michael Flatley. Seven years after he received his award, he put together a little Irish show called “Riverdance,” which certainly became larger than the sum of its parts.

Some of the successes are less commercial, but no less resonant. Take, for instance, Nadeem Dlaika of Detroit, Mich., a member of the country’s largest Arab-American community. He plays the nye, a reed flute that is notoriously difficult to learn. And he has made it his mission to introduce his music to the younger generations.

“Often, it’s not just teaching technique,” Bergey said, “it’s carrying the repertoire forward.”

Dlaika’s dedication to passing on his tradition is one of the things that set him apart. Every year, the NEA receives an average of 250 nominations. Artistic excellence, as well as an artist’s contributions to the community through performance, teaching and advocacy, are all factors in deciding who makes the final cut.

“It’s a very democratic process,” Bergey said. “Anybody can write a letter saying they’d like to nominate someone.”

Just ask Carol Fisher of Camden, who has successfully nominated two National Heritage Fellows – Passamaquoddy basket makers Clara Neptune Keezer and Mary Mitchell Gabriel. A nurse who inherited an American Indian basket collection from her mother and grandfather, Fisher read about the program and wondered why nobody from Maine had received the honor.

“No one’s ever heard of this,” she said. “Maine should be nominating more people. … I’m an absolute nobody and I nominated two people from Maine that won.”

The state now boasts five heritage fellows: Keezer, Gabriel, boat builder Ralph Stanley, Franco-American fiddler Simon St. Pierre, and Sister Mildred Barker, a Shaker singer.

Keezer, who lives in Perry, won’t be able to attend this year’s festival. But she said she would never forget her trip to Washington, D.C., where she met the other honorees, toured the White House and enjoyed a banquet in the winners’ honor.

“I was surprised and happy and glad,” she recalled recently.

Fisher, who accompanied her on the trip, counts the gathering of the nation’s finest traditional artists among the most inspiring experiences of her life.

“You’re never more proud to be an American,” Fisher said. “These artists all share a common thread of keeping an art form alive that’s on its way out, and that’s what is so special.”

Maine’s own National Heritage Fellows

. Sister Mildred Barker of Poland Spring, Shaker singer, received award in 1983.

. Mary Mitchell Gabriel of Princeton, Passamaquoddy basket maker, received award in 1994.

. Clara Neptune Keezer of Perry, Passamaquoddy basket maker, received award in 2002.

. Simon St. Pierre of Smyrna Mills, Franco-American fiddler, received award in 1983.

. Ralph Stanley of Southwest Harbor, boat builder, received award in 1999.