Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative Grants – United States

Deadline: 18-Feb-21

The South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) is seeking applications for its Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative Grants to support the passing of traditional artistic and cultural knowledge from Mentor Artists to qualified Apprentices.

Traditional arts are expressions of shared identity that are learned as a part of the cultural life of a particular group. This shared identity may be rooted in family, geographic, tribal, occupational, religious, ethnic or other connections. As expressions of a living culture, traditional arts are generally handed down from one generation to the next and reflect the shared experience, aesthetics and values of a group.

Purpose

The purpose of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC)’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Initiative Grant is twofold:

To support Mentor Artists who seek to pass their artistic and cultural knowledge to qualified Apprentices.
To provide Apprentices with an opportunity to advance their artistic and cultural knowledge to a higher level so that they may continue to pursue the art form beyond the life of the apprenticeship.

Funding Information

$2,000 to the Mentor Artist and $500 to the Apprentice.

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants must be legal residents of the U.S. and S.C. with a permanent residence in the state for at least one year prior to the application date and throughout the grant period.
The Mentor Artist and the Apprentice should belong to the same cultural community or group in which the traditional art form is practiced.
A Mentor Artist:
- Should be held in high regard for their skill, knowledge and cultural practice by their community through formal or informal recognition.
- Should have attained excellence within their artistic tradition as defined by their cultural community.
- Should be able to express in the application a sincere interest and commitment to teaching the tradition to the proposed apprentice.
- Must be 18 years of age or older at the time of application.
- Must not be a degree-seeking, full-time student during the grant period.
An Apprentice Artist:
- Should demonstrate interest and basic competency in the art form prior to the apprenticeship (generally at least one year of relevant experience).
- Should be able to express in the application a sincere interest and commitment to sharing with others the knowledge learned after the completion of the Apprenticeship.
- Must be at least 12 years old and have parental approval to apply if younger than 18. (If an Apprentice is under 18 years of age, the contract will be made on the behalf of the apprentice through a parent or legal guardian).