Mississippi Folk Arts Grants

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FOLK ARTS APPRENTICESHIP

The Folk Art Apprenticeship program helps to assure the survival, development and continued evolution of community-based traditional art forms found throughout Mississippi. The program allows master traditional artists to pass along their unique skills to promising novice artists that work in their art form. The master artist works with the apprentice on a one-on-one basis over an agreed upon period of time to teach specific aspects of the tradition.

Who is a master artist? A master artist is a skilled and experienced practitioner of a traditional art form. The master artist acts as a mentor and teacher to the apprentice.

Who is an apprentice? An apprentice is an emerging traditional artist who has an established skill set and seeks to enhance their knowledge and understanding of their art form through one-on-one instruction.

Many types of traditional artists can benefit from this program. Some examples of artists who have received Apprenticeship grants in the past include boat builders, quilters, old-time fiddlers, traditional potters, basketmakers, and blues guitarists. The program is focused on supporting forms of creative expression that have been an important part of community life for many years and that are passed on informally rather than taught through formal classes. Please consult with the Folk and Traditional Arts Program Director (contact information at bottom of the page) to see if your art form qualifies for this program.

MAC also accepts Apprenticeship applications from foodways practitioners. MAC recognizes the creativity and cultural significance of foodways to the history and identity of Mississippians. The program honors foodways artists who make dishes that are directly related to the soil and climate of the state, or to the ethnic and regional heritage of their families or communities. Whether you are frying fish, rolling dough, stuffing tamales or canning figs (or something in between), MAC encourages you to share your expertise by participating in the Apprenticeship program.

The Apprenticeship grant award is $2,000. No cash match is required. The master artist and apprentice work together to determine the budget for their project. The majority of the grant funds (80 percent or more – $1,600) should be set aside for the master artist’s teaching fee. The remaining amount can be used to purchase supplies (only expendable items, not permanent equipment) and for mileage incurred by the apprentice (this should be estimated using the State of Mississippi’s current mileage reimbursement rate.

Application Deadline: March 2

Please note: With the implementation of our new eGRANT system, MAC will no longer accept paper applications. Instructions on how to register with the eGRANT system are available here. Applications will be accepted beginning on January 15. To be considered for funding, applications must be submitted and authorized by 11:59 p.m. on March 2.

Before submitting an application, MAC recommends you thoroughly read the Frequently Asked Questions.

Please note: Apprenticeship grants are reported as income for the recipients. MAC is required to report the grants to the IRS and issues tax documents (a 1099 form) to the Master Artist (the named recipient of the grant).

WHAT ARE THE FOLK AND TRADITIONAL ARTS?

WHO MAY APPLY

REVIEW CRITERIA

HOW TO APPLY

WORK SAMPLES

APPLICATION TIMELINE

GRANT PAYMENTS

For more information on the program, contact Maria Zeringue at 601.359.6034 or mzeringue@arts.ms.gov.

SEE ALSO

• Frequently Asked Questions
 
• Grant Forms and Resources
 
• Grants for Individuals

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WHAT ARE THE FOLK AND TRADITIONAL ARTS?

The folk and traditional arts are artistic expressions of community life. A community is a group of people held together by common bonds such as shared beliefs, language, identity, ethnicity, occupation, recreational interests, and regional affiliation. In short, folk arts often reflect the shared values, identity and aesthetics of a community. 

Folk artists working within a community-based art form demonstrate a balance of individual creativity expressed within a collective arts tradition. Traditional artists usually learn informally through apprenticeships, imitation, and/or face-to face instruction, and folk arts are usually passed down from one generation to the next. There can be breaks in tradition when people migrate to new places or as a result of changing ways of life. Traditions adapt and grow over time, thus folk art can be a reflection of change and innovation as well. 

Examples of folk art include pine-needle basket weaving, Native American beadwork, bowl hewing, Gulf Coast boatbuilding, southern food traditions, storytelling, blues music, hip hop music and dance, bluegrass fiddle playing, quilting, duck-call carving, leather working, blacksmithing, instrument making, Celtic dance, Chinese New Year celebrations, Delta cowboy traditions, Our Lady of Guadalupe dance processions, and many other material, festive, and performance-based forms of art.