2023 IHFA Recipients

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INDIANA ARTS COMMISSION WE ARE PROUD TO PRESENT THE

2023 INDIANA HERITAGE FELLOWSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTS

Please join Traditional Arts Indiana in congratulating the recipients of the 2023 Indiana Heritage Fellowship Award (IHFA); Dick Lehman, Helen Kiesel, and Stephen and Nancy Dickey. The IHFA recognizes traditional artists who have made outstanding contributions to their artistic traditions, celebrating art forms rooted in community life in Indiana.

Congratulations to all recipients. For more information about celebrations in the awardees' home communities, visit www.traditionalarts.indiana.edu

Dick Lehman, clay artist, is a founding member of the Michiana Pottery Tour and has lived and worked in Elkhart and Goshen, Indiana throughout his career. He has mentored numerous ceramic artists and is a highly skilled and accomplished craftsperson. A trusted leader in the creative community in his region and a valued teacher, Dick is a master artist whose career has had an incredible impact on his local clay tradition.

Helen Kiesel, accordion musician, is a lifelong resident of Vanderburgh County. Helen took accordion lessons in her youth and picked the instrument up again after her children were grown. Now, she regularly performs at area nursing homes and the weekly services of Sts. Peter & Paul in Haubstadt, Indiana, sharing the joy that she feels when playing the accordion with her community and beyond.

Stephen and Nancy Dickey, fiddle and banjo musicians, are important tradition bearers within string band music in Southern Indiana and are recognized for their contributions, both in their musical excellence and in their role in supporting and sustaining the community. Their generosity towards others encourages people to continue learning, playing, and supporting this tradition, with their impact felt by many throughout the state.