Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (US)

Forms of traditional expression include craft, technical skill, music, dance, and ritual celebration.

Funding Information

• Maximum award request: $4,500.

Expected Outcomes

• Folk and traditional art forms are passed on between two or more individuals in an ongoing, structured relationship between a master and an apprentice(s).
• North Dakota communities are enriched because folk and traditional art forms are practiced, preserved, and shared.
• Greater public awareness, increased knowledge, and documentation of folk arts is achieved.

Eligibility Criteria

• Master Artist:
  • Is an individual artist who is among the finest tradition bearers in their respective community or region
  • Must be 18 years of age or older
  • Must be a North Dakota resident or from neighboring states
  • Must be a United States citizen or have attained permanent resident status
• Apprentice(s):
  • Is an individual artist (or artists) who already possess some skills in the traditional art they wish to study
  • Must demonstrate a commitment to mastery of the art
  • Must be a North Dakota resident for at least two years prior to the start of apprenticeship activity and continue to reside in North Dakota throughout the contract period
  • Must be a United States citizen or have attained permanent resident status
  • Apprentices under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their legal guardian
• Strong proposals include:
  • The continuation of rare and endangered art forms;
  • Teaching and learning more about the applicant’s own cultural traditions;
  • Teaching and learning more about traditions that have been continuously maintained rather than recently revived;
  • A highly skilled master who learned in an informal, traditional way.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Projects completed in previous fiscal years
• Payment of project costs incurred before the project start date
• Applications that are not complete and received by the application deadline
• Applicant has any overdue reporting requirements as specified in a previous grant agreement with NDCA.

For more information, visit North Dakota Council on the Arts.