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Program Description
Contract Amount and Period of Support
Definitions
Review Criteria
Ineligible Projects
Timetable
How to apply
Applications
Funders
Program Description
ACTA's Apprenticeship Program encourages the continuation of the state’s traditional arts and cultures by providing contracts to Master Artists to train qualified Apprentices working in a one-on-one relationship. Each contract will support a period of intensive learning for individuals who have shown a commitment to, and a talent for, a specific artistic tradition.
In some artistic traditions, a one-on-one Master-Apprentice partnership may not fit the framework of the tradition. In specific cases, such as ensemble traditions (for example, Laotian folk theatre) other models may be more effective. Please contact us to discuss proposals involving such alternatives before applying.
For information on past recipients, see the links in the left column.
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Contract Amount and Period of Support
Contracts of $2,500 will be made to Master-Apprentice pairs throughout California. Contracts can support the Master Artist’s fees, supplies, and travel. The intensive learning cycle must be completed within one year. The learning cycle may last between six months and one year, depending on the needs of the particular project. A modest public presentation is required, such as a performance, exhibit, or demonstration, where the results of the apprenticeship project can be shared with the public.
Definitions
Folk and traditional arts are those art forms that are learned as part of the cultural life of a group of people whose members share a common ethnic heritage, language, religion, occupation, or region. These expressions are deeply rooted in and reflective of a community’s shared standards of beauty, values, or life experiences. Folk and traditional arts are, ultimately, passed on from one generation to the next and express a collective wisdom, rather than a unique personal aesthetic.
Some folk and traditional arts have been brought to California from other countries or regions and have taken root here to become interwoven with the state’s cultural landscape and identity, while others have prospered on the more than 130 tribal reservations and rancherias in this state. Cowboy poetry; Hmong reverse appliqué embroidery; Mexican corridos (ballads) and mariachi music; African American quilts; Japanese bonsai; Native American basketry, ceremonial regalia construction and ritual music/dance; South Indian bharatanatyam dance; Western saddlemaking; Chinese qin instrumental music; Portuguese fado singing; Native Hawaiian kahikohula chant and dance; and Pilipino rondalla music ensembles are but a few of the many hundreds of distinctive types found in this tremendously diverse and culturally rich state.
A Master Artist is someone who is recognized as an exemplary practitioner of a traditional art form by his or her community and peers. An Apprentice is someone who learns from a Master Artist. Prospective apprentices should have a demonstrated interest and skill in the art form they wish to continue learning.
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Review Criteria
Applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts on California’s folk and traditional arts according to the following criteria:
- Traditionality of the art form
- Artistic quality of the Master Artist’s work
- Shared membership of the Master Artist and Apprentice in a cultural community (family, ethnic, occupational, tribal, religious, etc.)
- Demonstrated commitment and skill of the Apprentice
- Feasibility of the proposed work plan and timetable
- Urgency (for endangered art forms)
Ineligible Projects
- Contemporary studio crafts or the reproduction of antiques
- Recreations of historic or village folk traditions that attempt to reenact lifestyles from the distant past
- Individuals who have participated in the last two rounds (Round 4 for 2002-03 & Round 5 for 2004-05) of ACTA’s apprenticeship program are ineligible. Past recipients may wish to contact ACTA staff to determine their eligibility.
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Timetable
Request for Proposals expected to be available March 2006. Program updates will be announced in The New Moon, ACTA's monthly e-newsletter. Click here to subscribe to the New Moon.
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Applications
The Application period for round six of ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program has closed. For more information about the next round of apprenticeships, please continue to visit our website in the future or click here to subscribe to the New Moon E-newsletter.
For more information contact:
Suzanne Toler
Program Assistant
(559) 237-9812 or stoler@actaonline.org
We strongly suggest that you call to discuss your proposal before applying.
Funders
The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) Apprenticeship Program is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the James Irvine Foundation, and the San Francisco Foundation. ACTA is the statewide partner to the California Arts Council in serving the folk and traditional arts field.
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