Elkins folklorist receives national award
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Folklorist Gerry Milnes of Elkins received a National Heritage Fellowship in a ceremony last week at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The fellowship, awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, is the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Milnes was recognized for his 50 years of researching and documenting folk artists throughout West Virginia. He received special distinction as the recipient of the Bess Lomax Hawes fellowship to honor individuals who have made major contributions to the preservation, vitality and public awareness of cultural heritage and traditional arts.
Milnes, an award-winning fiddler in his own right, is considered the leading expert on West Virginia folk and traditional arts. He has produced 25 original albums for the Augusta Heritage Center of Elkins, where he served as Folk Arts Coordinator for 25 years. He has produced 15 documentary films on West Virginia folk culture, and he has written five books on the state's music, folklore and rustic architecture. He has written countless articles for folklife publications and has amassed some 2,000 hours of field recordings and 20,000 photographs of traditional artists.
Other recipients of National Heritage Fellowships this year include a saddlemaker and leather artist from Idaho, a Conjunto Tejano fiddler from Texas, a dancer and choreographer from Guam, a pair of Mexican folk musicians from Chicago, a Latin percussionist from Puerto Rico, a flutemaker from Georgia, and a pair of twined basketry artists from Hawaii.