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For Immediate Release
March 3, 2006
Media Contact
- Allison Tratner
- 609.292.4524
- allison@arts.sos.state.nj.us
State Arts Council Offers Apprenticeships Grants for Traditional Folk Arts
Applications and Guidelines Now Available
(TRENTON, NJ) The New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) is now distributing Guidelines and Applications for its 2006-2007 Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program. Three technical assistance workshops to assist applicants have been scheduled for locations throughout the state beginning March 10th.
NJSCA Chair Carol Herbert explains, “The Council has long recognized that cultural diversity is one of New Jersey’s most significant and valuable characteristics. New Jersey is filled with a wide variety of communities defined by locality, work, ethnicity, belief and culture whose traditional arts and crafts are valued ways of expressing identity, strengthening group ties and enriching the larger community around us. Support for these traditional arts preserves important cultural traditions, nurtures artists and celebrates what it means to live in New Jersey.”
Folk Arts Apprenticeships – intended to support the traditional arts and crafts of New Jersey’s many different cultural communities – help talented folk artists further hone their skills by working directly and intensively with a master artist or craftsperson of a shared community. According to NJSCA Executive Director David Miller, “These highly competitive awards help break down the barriers that might otherwise impede or prevent the preservation and transmission of important traditions by offsetting the cost of working with master artists. The masters help the apprentice artists develop their skills in the traditional arts and crafts so they may continue to be practiced and shared.” Apprenticeship stipends range between $1,000 and $3,000 and the deadline for submission of apprenticeship applications is April 07, 2006. The awards will be announced at the Council’s Annual Meeting in July.
To receive an application, artists should contact the NJSCA Folk Arts Program at (609)292-6130 or (609)633-1186 (TTY) or access the application from the Council’s Web site at njartscouncil.org. The NJSCA will hold six application workshops at sites around the state to assist artists with the application process (see attached).
The application process requires that each interested folk arts apprentice apply with a master artist as a team by providing information on their shared artistic and cultural backgrounds and their planned scope of work, as well as audio visual materials that detail their level of skill and preparation. The teams may carry out their work over the course of twelve months or less, and may also have the opportunity to present their traditions to other audiences as well as to their own communities.
About the NJSCA/Folk Arts Apprenticeships
Over the last ten years, the Council’s Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program has assisted more than a hundred artists, who comprise a fascinating spectrum of traditional arts and crafts. Some of the apprenticeships included Filipino calligraphy and rondalla music; Puerto Rican cuatro building and the traditional jibaro music it plays; African-derived bomba music; Portuguese folk dance and button accordion music; Native American song and women’s dance; Ukrainian pyzanky; Japanese ceremonial kimekomi dolls and taiko music; African American gospel music, folk songs, and social dance; Mehndi (decorate the hands and feet of Indian brides); tabla drumming; Pinelands region basketmaking; Jewish Romaniote chanting; West African drumming and dance; Jamaican pottery; Bengali folk song and ritual painting; Irish set dancing; Chinese Opera music; St. Joseph’s table, and many others.
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