New Fellowships & Grants for Local Cultural Traditions
New Fellowships & Grants for Local Cultural Traditions
Greater Bristol Folk Arts & Culture Team
The Birthplace of Country Music is pleased to be a part of the Greater Bristol Folk Arts & Culture Team, a community committee formed in response to an invitation by Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions (CALT) Anchor Community Initiative in 2022.
Made up of representatives from regional cultural organizations and independent artists, our team works to promote and support folk arts and culture in the greater Bristol community. We have designed two new targeted funding opportunities for Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee: a tradition bearers fellowship and a cultural caretakers grant. Through these opportunities and our other activities, we seek to dramatically impact local sustainability and awareness of traditional practice and cultural knowledge, while also contributing to economic development and regional vitality.
Southwest Virginia & Northeast Tennessee Regional Tradition Bearers Fellowship (for individuals) – DEADLINE EXTENDED TO APRIL 24, 2023
Summary: This fellowship provides financial support, professional development, and public presentation opportunities for people working in traditional or folk arts and culture. Tradition bearer fellows will receive $4,000 and the opportunity to choose from a variety of professional development opportunities. The team will award eight (8) fellowships in 2023. All grant funds must be spent within the award period.
Who May Apply: Tradition bearer fellowships are open to individuals who are working to sustain and innovate folk arts and culture within their communities in the categories of traditional music, dance, arts and crafts, foodways, and other community-based cultural traditions. We define folk arts and culture as “art and creative practices that are based in and reflective of the knowledge, practices, and creativity of cultural communities.” Traditional artists and practitioners from emerging to experienced are encouraged to apply. We invite diversity not only in social, cultural, or economic background, but also in creative practice itself.
Awardees may include, but are not limited to:
● Traditional Music and Dance – Traditional musicians, singers, and dancers who have made significant and long-term contributions to sustaining and supporting the musical heritage of their respective communities
● Folk and Traditional Arts and Crafts – Traditional arts and crafts practitioners whose work is connected to a community- and/or place-based tradition rather than a fine art practice; examples include luthiers, textile producers, quilters, folk artists, woodcarvers, potters, basket makers, traditional artisans, jewelry makers, etc. who have made significant and long-term contributions to sustaining and supporting the folk arts and culture of their respective communities
● Foodways – Traditional home cooks and bakers, seed savers, farmers, community elders, keepers of recipes and traditional foodways knowledge, hunters, and foragers who have made significant and long-term contributions to sustaining and supporting the foodways of their respective communities
● Community Traditions – Including but not limited to traditional storytellers, herbalists, birth workers, and those whose practice is related to community- and/or place-based tradition
Eligibility: Applicants must reside or be located in one of twenty-two Appalachian counties or cities (as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission) surrounding Bristol in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. These include:
* Southwest Virginia Cities & Counties – Bland, Bristol, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Galax, Grayson, Lee, Norton, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, Wythe
* Northeast Tennessee Counties – Sullivan, Washington, Carter, Johnson, Hawkins, Unicoi
The majority of fellows will be from Virginia.
Deadline EXTENDED: April 24, 2023, 11:59pm
How to Apply: Complete this simple application form. Before applying, please review the complete Southwest Virginia & Northeast Tennessee Regional Tradition Bearers Fellowship description. If you have questions, please email BristolAnchorCommunity@gmail.com.
Southwest Virginia & Northeast Tennessee Cultural Caretakers Grant (for organizations)
Summary: This grant opportunity is designed for small-scale, limited capacity, and largely volunteer-run organizations that have difficulty accessing typical sources of public and private funding. The team will award 3-5 organizations with one-time $5,000 grants in 2023. Funds must be used for projects that help sustain the organization (including general operations costs) or positively impact its ability to serve artists and audiences. All grant funds must be spent within the award period. For more information, see the Southwest Virgina & Northeast Tennessee Cultural Caretakers Grant description.
Who May Apply: Application to this grant is by invitation only. The Greater Bristol Folk Arts & Culture Team has identified a short list of largely volunteer-run community organizations that support living traditions and serve diverse audiences. If you would like to nominate an organization for future consideration, please email BristolAnchorCommunity@gmail.com.
Eligibility: Organizations must be located in one of twenty-two Appalachian counties or cities (as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission) surrounding Bristol in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. These include:
* Southwest Virginia Cities & Counties – Bland, Bristol, Buchanan, Carroll, Dickenson, Galax, Grayson, Lee, Norton, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, Wythe
* Northeast Tennessee Counties – Sullivan, Washington, Carter, Johnson, Hawkins, Unicoi
The majority of grantees will be from Virginia.
Greater Bristol Folk Arts & Culture Team Members
Grants are made possible through Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions (CALT) Anchor Community Initiative and are managed by the Greater Bristol Folk Arts & Culture Team which includes:
* Erika Barker, Arts Alliance Mountain Empire
* Carrie Beck, Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail
* Katy Clune, Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities
* Sylvia Crum, Appalachian Sustainable Development
* geonovah davis, independent musician
* Toni Doman, Birthplace of Country Music
* Katie Hoffman, Create Appalachia
* Tyler Hughes, independent musician and educator
* Pat Jarrett, Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities
* Jon Lohman, Center for Cultural Vibrancy
* René Rodgers, Birthplace of Country Music
* Catherine Schrenker, Wayne C. Henderson School of Appalachian Arts
* Betsy White, William King Museum of Art
The team works with Emily Hilliard, Mid Atlantic Arts Program Director, Folk and Traditional Arts, as an advisor.
About Central Appalachia Living Traditions
Central Appalachia Living Traditions (CALT), a project of Mid Atlantic Arts, is a multi-year program designed to promote the understanding and recognition of folk arts and culture in Central Appalachia through a three-part program that invests in folk arts communities while seeding new folk and traditional arts experiences and honoring underrecognized practitioners of Central Appalachian traditions across the region. The CALT Anchor Community Initiative provides targeted resources and support to select community anchors of folk arts and culture in the region with the goal of dramatically impacting the sustainability of traditional practice and cultural knowledge.
Questions?
Please email BristolAnchorCommunity@gmail.com.
Featured image: Apprentice K. T. VanDyke works with master luthier Walter “Skip” Herman on instrument inlay work. Virginia Humanities/Virginia Folklife Program; photographer: Pat Jarrett
