Ohio Arts Council Announces 2012 Ohio Heritage Fellowship Winner
by Kaitlin Armocida
Every year, the Ohio Arts Council awards Ohio Heritage Fellowships to acknowledge the valuable impact folk and traditional artists have on the arts in Ohio. Kenny Sidle, the 2012 Ohio Heritage Fellowship recipient, exemplifies this impact by continuously enriching communities across the state through the arts. In recognition of his accomplishments and contributions to the Ohio arts community, Sidle will receive his 2012 Ohio Heritage Fellowship award in Performing Arts at the Ohio State Fair on Thursday, July 26 at 4 p.m. on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources stage.
Kenny Sidle, fiddler for the Frosty Morning Bluegrass band and member of the Central Ohio Bluegrass Association, was born in Toboso, Ohio near his present home in Hanover, Licking County. He began playing the fiddle at age five and over the years has used his skills as an instrumentalist for the Ohio Country-Western Music Association and as a staff fiddler for the Paint Valley Jamboree, a position he has held for the past 11 years. Sidle has won state championships in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Indiana, as well as the Canadian International fiddle contest.
In 1994, Sidle received the Dr. Perry Harris Distinguished Fiddle award, and in 1988 he received the National Heritage Fellow Award given by the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington D.C. For his incredible skill, he has been honored by Oprylands Grandmaster Fiddle Championship and has been inducted into the Licking County Hall of Fame. Recently, Sidle and his wife traveled to Zambia where he performed at several churches and played for five days at the African Regional Conference. In between his many musical projects, Sidle also finds time to teach students how to play the fiddle.
The Ohio Heritage Fellowship award ceremony will take place July 26, during Ohio Heritage Day at the Ohio State Fair, presented for the fourth year by the Ohio Arts Council and Cityfolk, Ohios only full-time, professional presenter of traditional and ethnic performing arts. The award will be presented at the Ohio Heritage Showcase, prior to a performance by this years Ohio Heritage Fellowship winner.
The Ohio Arts Councils Ohio Heritage Fellowships are awarded to individuals and organizations whose work in the folk and traditional arts has had a significant impact on the people and communities of Ohio. Folk and traditional arts grow out of particular cultures and are recognized as the artistic expressions of ethnic, linguistic, occupational or regional groups.
About the Ohio Arts Council:
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
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