2026.11.13 The Muse

Congratulations to Illinoians Yuko Asada of DeKalb and Lucy Park of Glenview, who each received this year's Midwest Culture Bearers Award. The award recognizes artists who are passionate about preserving and promoting cultural traditions through arts, storytelling, language preservation, and more. It highlights the value of cultural heritage and the importance of passing it on to future generations.

Yuko Asada has been celebrated for her outstanding work in steelpan building, tuning, and performance. Her journey started at Northern Illinois University and took her to Trinidad, the home of the steelpan. She has dedicated her career to teaching and preserving the Trinidadian roots of the steelpan, sharing this lively tradition with students and her community. Lucy Park has made remarkable contributions to Korean Sijo poetry, having worked with the Sejong Cultural Society since 2004. Her efforts in developing sijo competitions and educational programs have broadened the reach of this Korean poetic form globally, allowing poets to explore sijo in their own languages.

This year, Arts Midwest awarded eighteen awards to artists from across the Midwest, each receiving $5,000. The recipients come from states including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. This recognition, backed by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies and the National Endowment for the Arts, highlights the diverse and vibrant cultural landscape of the Midwest. For more information about the 2026 awardees and their inspiring work, please follow the link below to Arts Midwest's website.