The North Dakota Council on the Arts is pleased to announce that North Dakota citizen and American-Armenian repoussÈ metal artist Norik Astvatsaturov will be one of nine 2017 National Heritage Fellowship recipients who will be honored in Washington, D.C. in September. The fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, and include a one-time award of $25,000. For the past 35 years, the National Endowment for Arts (NEA) has presented National Heritage Fellowships to celebrate and honor master artists working in the folk and traditional arts.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to honor these individuals for artistic mastery, as well as a commitment to sharing their traditions,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Our nation is a richer, more vibrant place because of these artists and the art forms they practice.”

Troyd Geist, NDCA Folklorist stated that, “Norik and his family came to North Dakota in 1992 as Armenian refugees fleeing religious and ethnic persecution. With little more than a worn hammer and nail punches, Norik forged a new creative life in America that has since taken him to extraordinary levels of artistry. His work is as exquisite as it is old, being a part of a tradition going back at least 4,000 years. Norik has worked with the North Dakota Council on the Arts since first arriving; teaching, presenting, and exhibiting. This national award by the NEA solidifies him as one of the nation’s preeminent traditional artists. And, we are proud to call him a North Dakotan and one who represents our state with such artistry and commitment. Norik Astvatsaturov truly is deserving of a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship.”

Norik uses a hammer and simple nail punches to work both sides of metal sheets (copper, bronze, brass, German silver, sometimes gold) and uses semi-precious stones like amethyst, turquoise, garnet, topaz, and carnelian as insets to create ornate works of art. Cultural items like jewelry boxes and icons made by Norik are used by the Armenian community to maintain their ethnic identity and remember their turbulent history.

Since settling in America, Norik has worked tirelessly, teaching and sharing his traditional art and its message with non-Armenians as well as the Armenian population throughout the United States. In fact, he began teaching and gave presentations the very year he arrived in North Dakota in 1992. He teaches apprentices, presents and demonstrates at folk festivals, presents in schools and universities, and exhibits his work regionally and nationally. He has been recognized regionally and nationally for his artwork through awards like the North Dakota Council on the Arts Artist Fellowship, a Fund for Folk Culture Fellowship, and one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious fellowships, the Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship. A television documentary about Norik and his art’s place within the cultural and historical context of Armenia and Azerbaijan was produced by Prairie Public Broadcasting.

For more information on Norik, visit https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/norik-astvatsaturov.