The West Virginia Folklife Program is now accepting applications for our inaugural West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. The Apprenticeship Program offers up to a $3,000 stipend to West Virginia master traditional artists or tradition bearers working with qualified apprentices on a year-long in-depth apprenticeship in their cultural expression or traditional art form. These apprenticeships, offered to masters of traditional music, dance, craft, foodways, storytelling, and more—in any cultural community in the Mountain State—aim to facilitate the transmission of techniques and artistry of the forms as well as their histories and traditions. Applications for the 2017-2018 apprenticeships are due October 15, 2017.
The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program will support up to five pairs of master traditional artists and their apprentices, culminating in a final free public showcase in Charleston in September 2018. Master/apprentice pairs will also hold a public presentation in their home communities.
The 2017-2018 West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeships will begin on December 15, 2017, and run through December 1, 2018. The next apprenticeship program cycle will be 2019-2020, depending on funding.
Application Assistance and Draft Review:
The West Virginia Folklife Program can provide assistance in completing the application, offer feedback on a completed application draft, and answer questions. Contact Emily Hilliard at hilliard@wvhumanities.org or call (304)346-8500. Drafts for review must be sent by October 1.
Electronic submission is highly encouraged. Applications must be in a Word document or PDF and submitted electronically by October 15, 2017, to hilliard@wvhumanities.org. If you are unable to submit your application electronically, it must be postmarked by October 15, 2017, to:
WV Folklife Apprenticeship Program
West Virginia Humanities Council
1310 Kanawha Blvd. E
Charleston, WV 25301
For more details, eligibility information, and an application, download our Apprenticeship Guidelines and Apprenticeship Application documents below.
The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program is supported in part by an Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
wvfolklife.org 