Skip to main content

Mississippi Folk Arts Grants




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.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

RESEARCH TOPICS AND RESOURCES- ABSTRACTS

Music in West African churches Article  · January 1956 E.G. Parrinder It has been estimated that some twenty million Africans have become Christians; more than the total number of Christians in all the countries of Asia. This great movement towards Christianity is undoubtedly due largely to the breakdown of traditional African ways of life. In West Africa Islam also has profited by the change to extend its sway, especially in Northern Nigeria and parallel territories but hardly at all in Eastern Nigeria or the lower Gold Coast. The importance of music in African religious life is widely recognised, but this now needs to be considered in its modern forms and in the new religions which have largely replaced the old. It is curious that Islam, which bans all music in the mosque, should be so successful. But outside the mosque Muslims are notorious for their festivals and dances, and these have a great popular appeal. A full study of modern African Muslim music needs yet...

Drumming in Worship: Experiencing God's heartbeat

Drumming in Worship: Experiencing God's heartbeat What is it about percussion that appeals to worshipers in so many cultures? How does drumming together help Christians build community? By: Joan Huyser-Honig John Meulendyk, pastoral lay assistant at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, could plainly see the problems facing Ferndale, Michigan. Like many inner-ring suburbs of Detroit, Ferndale is losing people, jobs, and income. Meulendyk gathered five women at his church to pray and discern how to address these changes. "We wanted to do a worship renewal project that would be ecumenical, something to unite the congregations in our community. We sat in prayer. We thought about this question: If we put aside all the theology, what unites us? "It's our heart beat. We all have that in common. And 90 perce...