 In 1989, Kmieć was honored by the Ministry of Culture with Poland’s culture honor – "The Oskar Kolberg Award" for his propagation and promotion of Polish culture abroad.In 1977, when in his teens, he founded "The Lublin Polish Song and Dance Ensemble" ("Zespół Pieśni i Tańca – LUBLINIACY").This was the first ensemble outside of Poland to present the songs and dances of the obscure Lublin sub-regions of Chełm (1982) and Biłgoraj (1985) and Powiśle (1986).