The West Virginia Folklife Program, a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council, is now accepting applications for its statewide Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Hosted biennially, this program supports traditional artists working with dedicated apprentices on a yearlong apprenticeship in their cultural expression or art form. Since 2017, the West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program has celebrated traditional artists and helped them pass on cultural knowledge, stories, and techniques to their apprentices. Applications are due August 26, 2024 for the 2024-2025 yearlong program. Applications will be evaluated by a review panel in September, and successful applicants will be notified in October 2024.
Folklife apprenticeships can be based in music, dance, craft, fiber arts, occupational arts, foodways, storytelling, and much more. The traditions may be based in generations of practice in West Virginia or from more recent immigrant communities in the Mountain State. Traditional artists will receive $3,000, and apprentices $800 for their participation in the program. Teaching artists must apply with their proposed apprentices. Pairs may request an additional $400 to pay for supplies related to their apprenticeship. Pairs design their own work plans and are expected to participate in a community presentation, recorded documentation of their apprenticeship experiences, virtual meetings as a cohort, and a final public showcase.
The West Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program is administered by the West Virginia Folklife Program at the West Virginia Humanities Council. It is supported with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. West Virginia Folklife is dedicated to the documentation, preservation, presentation, and support of West Virginia’s vibrant cultural heritage and living traditions.
Guidelines and applications are available at https://wvfolklife.org/folklife-apprenticeship-program/. For more information on the West Virginia Folklife Program, visit wvfolklife.org and http://wvhumanities.org/programs/west-virginia-folklife-program/ or contact Jennie Williams at williams@wvhumanities.org or 304-346-8500.
The West Virginia Humanities Council, an independent nonpartisan nonprofit corporation, is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Council is supported by the NEH, the State of West Virginia, and contributions from the private sector. The purposes of the West Virginia Humanities Council are educational, and its mission is to support a vigorous program in the humanities statewide in West Virginia.
