Arts Agency Names 9 New National Heritage Fellows

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Endowment for the Arts is honoring nine new recipients of the National Heritage Fellowships.

The arts agency says the honorees announced Wednesday were chosen for their artistic excellence and their efforts to conserve American culture. They will be honored at awards ceremonies in Washington later this year.

The 2014 heritage fellows are: Mohawk basket maker Henry Arquette of Hogansburg, N.Y,; Tejano musician Manuel "Cowboy" Donley of Austin, Texas; Irish step dancer Kevin Doyle of Barrington, R.I,; The Holmes Brothers band of Rosedale, Md. and Saluda, Va.; Odawa quill worker Yvonne Walker Keshick of Petoskey, Mich.; quilting advocate Carolyn Mazloomi of West Chester, Ohio; Ukrainian embroiderer Vera Nakonechny of Philadelphia; African-American Singing and Praying Bands of Maryland and Delaware; and musician Rufus White of Walthill, Neb.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)