Folklife Apprenticeships

AboutThe North Carolina In These Mountains Appalachian Folklife Apprenticeship program supports 12-month apprenticeships in the folk and traditional arts of the many cultural communities within North Carolina’s Appalachian Regional Commission counties. The apprenticeship program application will focus on the traditional folk arts and culture of North Carolina’s Appalachian communities as part of the In These Mountains initiative sponsored by South Arts. The North Carolina Arts Council administered the apprenticeship program from 2019 until 2024. The program is now administered by the North Carolina Folklife Institute, as a partnership between NCFI and the North Carolina Arts Council. Contact the North Carolina Folklife Institute for more information about applying for this program at (336) 223-5956 or [email protected]. About folklife and traditional artsFolklife is the expressive arts, practices, and lifeways that emerge from within a community. Folklife that is passed through generations grows into the traditional arts of that community. Traditional arts are often deeply rooted in a geographic location and its religious, ethnic and occupational groups, or they are carried with immigrant and migrant communities as they establish themselves in new homes. Folklife and Traditional Arts are typically taught through one-on-one interaction in a community setting. Folklife is an essential and enduring part of how communities form their identity, learn from their pasts, and decide their futures. Folklife is a living and dynamic experience expressed through art, music, dance, celebration, work, story, dress, sense of place, and belief. No community is without it, and we are all its carriers.What is a mentor artist and an apprentice?A mentor artist is a tradition bearer committed to the perpetuation of a traditional art form or practice of his or her cultural heritage. Mentor artists are recognized by fellow artists and their own community members as skilled and dedicated practitioners. Applying mentor artists should demonstrate expertise, teaching experience, long engagement with their art form or practice, and deep knowledge of their tradition.An apprentice is a dedicated student who has been chosen by a mentor artist for a sustained period of study in the mentor’s art form or practice. The apprentice should have some past experience with the mentor’s tradition before beginning an apprenticeship, so that the time together will help develop the apprentice on their own path to mastery. Apprentices and mentors may be family members, and apprentices may have studied under the mentor artist previously. The strongest pairings will share a common community or religious, ethnic, or occupational group. The strongest applicants for apprenticeships will also have the intention to continue the transmission of their art form by training others in the future. Teams of two or three apprentices are eligible to study with one mentor artist if such a learning style is preferable within the tradition.Application datesApplication deadline: Friday, July 17, 2026 by 11:50 p.m. ESTAwardee announcement: August 2026Grant amountMentor: $7,000Apprentice: $3,000Alternative distributions of funding may be considered upon request.Who may applyThe In These Mountains NC Folklife Apprenticeship program is designed to encourage the continued transmission, practice, and development of the region’s many folklife traditions, especially those that face endangerment. Only apprenticeship pairs within Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) counties are eligible to apply. In North Carolina, these counties are: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey Counties. Ineligible art forms and activities include the work of contemporary studio craft artists and revivals by mentor artists from outside of the activity’s originating cultural community. While mentors must represent a tradition known and practiced within their North Carolina community, apprentices may come from different backgrounds or cultural communities. RequirementsMentors must represent a tradition known and practiced within their NC community. Please consult with NC Folklife Institute staff about eligibility of art forms and activities before applying.Master and apprentice must both reside in a North Carolina Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) county, and be able to provide proof of US and NC residency. Please contact NC Folklife Institute staff directly to discuss possible exceptions for residents of ARC counties outside of NC. Pairs must submit a work plan as part of their application that sets clear and achievable goals that can be completed within the 12-month grant period.Pairs should meet on a regularly scheduled basis. Most pairs meet weekly.Pairs must track their meetings and progress through either written evaluations, a photographic record, audio recordings, or video clips. NC Folklife Institute staff are available to discuss appropriate tracking methods.All pairs must share their accomplishments in a public presentation within their community at the end of the apprenticeship. Presentations may take the form of performances, exhibits, demonstrations, web and social media presentations, or other formats appropriate to the tradition. NC Folklife Institute staff can assist in preparations for such presentations.Applicant pairs are welcome to receive assistance from family members, advocates, translators, or other collaborators in preparing application materials. However, all mentor and apprentice applicants must review and approve the final application contents before submission. If an application is submitted online by a collaborator on behalf of the mentor and/or apprentice, the mentor and apprentice must sign the Application