Stanley Hicks (1911–1989) was an American folk artist from Watauga County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Hicks was known for his musical instrument building, particularly banjos and dulcimers, and for his woodwork, work as a musician, dancer and storyteller. Hicks has been recognized as a "National Historic Artist" by the

Blue Ridge National Heritage Area The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area encompassing the twenty-five westernmost counties of North Carolina, which are associated with the Blue Ridge Mountains. The designation provides a framework fo ...

of the US

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

. He was a recipient of a 1983

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

awarded by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. In the early 1980s Hicks was filmed by UNC-TV for the "Music From The Hills" episode of the ''Folkways'' series. The original camera tapes from these interviews have been digitized and are being preserved by

UNC-TV The University of North Carolina Center for Public Media, branded on-air as PBS North Carolina or commonly PBS NC, is a public television network serving the state of North Carolina. It is operated by the University of North Carolina system, whic ...

References

People from Watauga County, North Carolina American folk artists 1989 deaths 1911 births National Heritage Fellowship winners American musical instrument makers American storytellers {{US-artist-stub