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Culture Bearers

Through creative practice, culture bearers share stories, skills, and traditions that carry cultural knowledge across generations. Their work sustains heritage and keeps traditions present and meaningful within their communities.

From Folk & Traditional Arts to Culture Bearers: A Note on Language

At Arts Midwest, we strive to use community-centered language to describe how cultural knowledge is held and passed on.
 
The term “Folk & Traditional Arts” can unintentionally limit recognition of practices that extend far beyond just “art.” Many communities carry culture that is intertwined with daily life, ceremony, language, foodways, and generational knowledge.
 
With this in mind, we use the term “Culture Bearers” to honor individuals who carry and sustain living cultural traditions. Arts Midwest recognizes the full spectrum of cultural expression and affirms that all of it is vital to Midwestern creativity.

Learn About the Midwest Culture Bearers Award
A person of medium-light skin tone with silver hair showing an adult student a copper bowl.

Featured Content

Other Culture Bearers Resources

American Craft Council
For artists and makers working with craft traditions, the American Craft Council shares stories, resources, and opportunities that celebrate the handmade and connect craft communities.
Learn More via the American Craft Council
American Folklore Society
Scholars, artists, and community practitioners come together through the American Folklore Society to study and support cultural traditions, community knowledge, and everyday creativity.
Learn More via American Folklore Society
National Council for the Traditional Arts
One of the nation’s leading advocates for community-rooted cultural traditions, the National Council for the Traditional Arts supports culture bearers through festivals, programs, and initiatives that honor living heritage.
Learn More via National Council for the Traditional Arts
Native Arts & Culture: Resilience, Reclamation, And Relevance
This report from the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation explores the role of Native artists and culture bearers in sustaining cultural knowledge, strengthening community, and shaping the future of Native arts and cultural leadership.
Learn More via Native Arts and Cultures Foundation
Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Through research, festivals, recordings, and storytelling, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage promotes understanding and sustainability of community-based cultural practices.
Learn More via Smithsonian
Alliance for California Traditional Arts: Tending the Taproot
Grounded in research and community knowledge, this report from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts highlights the vital role of culture bearers as keepers of tradition and leaders of cultural continuity, while offering a call to better support their work through funding, visibility, and long-term investment.
Learn More via Alliance for California Traditional Arts

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