Past Apprenticeship Projects:
Indigenous Storytelling
Artisanal Fishing Lures
Cartoneria
Texan Swing Guitar
Indian Classical Dance
Flamenco
Qawwali
Conjunto Accordion
Hindustani Sitar
Boot Making
Trail Riding
Texas Folklife’s Apprenticeship in the Folk & Traditional Arts Program proudly supports art forms and traditions that might otherwise might be lost, preserving and celebrating the diversity of cultural communities across Texas. Whether it is an art form that is uniquely Texan or is something that is practiced in an international culture in diaspora, we support the artistic production of any culture, as long as it is practiced in Texas.
The annual program provide awards up to $4,500 to approximately eight artist mentors, ensuring the opportunity for them to equitably offer one-on-one training in art, cultural, or heritage practices to dedicated apprentices for six to eight months.
By refining artist mentors’ approaches to their crafts, broadening apprentices’ skills, and encouraging the transmission of knowledge within and between cultural communities, the Apprenticeship Program fosters the continuity of Texas’s folk and traditional arts.
Since 1987 Launch
• Supported 403 artist mentors and apprentices
• Represented 98 cities and towns
• Championed over 70 traditional art forms
• Involved 3 NEA National Heritage Fellows and 1 Grammy Award winner
Since 2015 Re-launch
• Awarded over $135,000 directly to artists
• Reached over 40,000 members of the public
Our interactive map shows participants since 2015, with successive growth, extending from the cities of Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Amarillo to more rural regions throughout the state.
Residency Requirements:
- Apprentice: Must be a Texas resident, ensuring the program directly benefits individuals within the state.
- Mentor: Can be a resident of Texas or a surrounding state, allowing for a wider range of experienced professionals to participate.
Skill Level Expectations:
- Apprentice: Should possess a moderate level of skill and knowledge in the relevant field. Ideal candidates are those who are beyond the beginner stage but not yet experts, seeking to further refine their abilities.
Program Goals:
- The program focuses on skill enhancement, aiming to elevate the proficiency of apprentices who already have a foundational understanding of their field.
Financial Information and Requirements:
- Accepted participants must provide a W-9 tax form and bank account details for direct deposit purposes. This ensures efficient financial transactions and distribution of any program-related benefits.
The program will NOT fund:
Recreations of historic artifacts or staged productions of village folk traditions that attempt to reenact lifestyles from the distant past
Contemporary and individual studio art projects
Ongoing classes where an artist mentor instructs in a classroom situation
International apprenticeships
Payment Process
Awards will be distributed over three payments: the first at the signing of contracts, the second when the Program Coordinator meets with the artist team and documents the apprenticeship, and the third at the completion of the public presentation and submission of the final report to Texas Folklife.
2024 Apprenticeship Program Cohort
Learn about eight artist teams fostering the continuity of the folk and traditional arts across the state in Texas Folklife’s 2023-2024 Awardee Announcement.
For more information, please contact:
Jeannelle Ramirez at JRamirez@texasfolklife.org
or Texas Folklife at (512) 441-9255
This program is made possible in part by the board and members of Texas Folklife and from a State Partnership award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art, in partnership with the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Mail Applications:
Texas Folklife
10650 Culebra Rd, #104-203
San Antonio, TX 78251-4806