National Endowment for the Arts

2011 National Heritage Fellow Frank Newsome. Photo by Michael G. Stewart Washington, DC—It is with great sadness that the National Endowment for the Arts acknowledges the passing of Old Regular Baptist singer Frank Newsome of Haysi, Virginia, who was the recipient of a 2011 NEA National Heritage Fellowship, the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Primarily located in rural Appalachia, Old Regular Baptists maintain the tradition of no musical accompaniment in their services.

Curriculum IV: Spin and Spin! Turn! Turn! Turn! rehearsals. Pictured: Wyeth Walker, Justin Rainey, Phillip Strom, Barrington Hinds, Rosa Allegra Woolf, Hannah Seiden, Babou Sanneh, Ryan Charles-Marc, Mak Thornquest, Babou Sanneh, 2026. Photo by Cole Witter, courtesy of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council On September 12, 2001, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) planned to present a dance performance from choreographer and National Medal of Arts recipient Bill T. Jones.

WHAT: The National Endowment for the Arts will present a free tribute concert in honor of the 2026 Jazz Masters on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. PT at The Music Center's Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California, and streamed online. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship is the nation’s highest honor in jazz.

2026 Poetry Out Loud National Champion Jayda Dawn (Indiana). Photo by James Kegley This past spring, after reciting poems by Langston Hughes, Alice Duer Miller, and Albery Allson Whitman, Jayda Dawn, then an 11th grade student at University High School of Indiana in Carmel, Indiana, was named 2026 Poetry Out Loud National Champion and winner of a $20,000 grand prize.

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2026 Poetry Out Loud National Champion Jayda Dawn of Indiana. Photo by James Kegley Washington, DC—Poetry Out Loud®, an arts education program of the National Endowment for the Arts, is returning for the 2026-2027 school year, inviting high school students from across the country to participate in this dynamic poetry recitation competition that is designed to improve public speaking skills, build confidence, and teach about literary history and contemporary life.

It is with great sadness that the National Endowment for the Arts acknowledges the passing of vocalist, composer, guitarist, and 2022 Jazz Master Cassandra Wilson. Wilson used her distinctive voice and fascinating arrangements of standards, in not just jazz, but blues, country, and folk as well, to create a body of work that expanded the definition of jazz.

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Mary Anne Carter recently traveled to Alaska in partnership with the Alaska State Council on the Arts. The visit highlighted several of her priorities for the Arts Endowment: strengthening engagement with Native American, Pacific Islander, and Alaska Native communities; integrating the arts into healing; and expanding access to the arts in rural communities.

Join staff from the National Endowment for the Arts for an in-person grant workshop to learn more about grant opportunities and the process for applying for federal grants to support arts projects. Staff from the California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs will also join to share information on additional grant opportunities to support artists and arts organizations throughout California.

Bio From his early life in Michoacán, Mexico, to his training in midcentury Hollywood, to his residency as a creative luminary in Nashville, clothing designer Manuel Cuevas, best known now as just “Manuel,” has measured, cut, and stitched a brilliant and indelible legacy in American culture. Born in 1933, Manuel learned to sew at age seven from his older brother. By 14, he was a popular creator of prom dresses in his hometown in western Mexico. Sewing, Manuel believed, came naturally to him.