Eight Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Projects Selected Across the State
The Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program funds eight master artist and apprentice teams for twelve-month one-on-one training in traditional art forms rooted in Tennessee cultural communities.
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Get matched →- Deadline
- annual cycle, check dates
- Entry fee
- Not listed - check the source
- Award
- Funding for twelve-month apprenticeship training
- Location
- Tennessee
About
Overview
The Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program has awarded funding to eight projects as part of the 2027 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Entering its eleventh year, the program sustains and documents Tennessee's living traditions by investing in the work of master artists and apprentices. Each of the eight teams selected is committed to preserving a tradition that is deeply rooted in their cultural community. The artists will embark on one-on-one training for a twelve-month period.
About the Program
Tennessee's folklife traditions encompass traditional music, crafts, dance, folk games, festival customs, foodways, occupational skills, and other community-based cultural practices. These traditions are passed from person to person through observation, imitation, oral instruction, and participation within communities connected by family, ethnicity, tribe, region, occupation, or religion. Master artists and apprentices will also share their work together in public performances and demonstrations. All projects are documented by the Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program to further archive and preserve the state's current folklife practices.
2027 Awardees
- Ian Kirkpatrick, master artist, and Ellie Smith, apprentice. Unaccompanied Balladry. Knoxville and Johnson City, TN.
- Hillary Klug, master artist, and Francesca Rainwater, apprentice. Contra and Square Dance Fiddling. Nashville and Murfreesboro, TN.
- Jazmine LeBlanc, master artist, and Erika Roberts, apprentice. Black Appalachian Storytelling. Chattanooga, TN.
- Roxanne McDaniel, master artist, and Lark Bookout, apprentice. Dulcimer. Johnson City, TN.
- Martin Paschall, master artist, and Anna Atkins, apprentice. Stoneware Pottery. Paris and Buchanan, TN.
- Damion Pearson, master artist, and Courtney Bookman, apprentice. Blues Harmonica. Memphis, TN.
- Nesrin Simsek, master artist, and Yad Sharef, apprentice. Kurdish Daf. Nashville, TN.
- Charlotte Underwood, master artist, and Joanna Underwood, apprentice. Agricultural Folkways. LaFollette, TN.
- Award
- Funding for twelve-month apprenticeship training
- Theme
- The program sustains and documents Tennessee's living traditions by investing in the work of master artists and apprentices across traditional music, crafts, dance, folk games, festival customs, foodways, occupational skills, and community-based cultural practices.
- Eligibility
- Master artists and apprentices in Tennessee traditional art forms; apprentices selected by master artists based on demonstrated aptitude and dedication.
- Audience
- Master artists and apprentices in Tennessee traditional art forms
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