Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Announces Apprenticeships in Traditional Arts

HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) today announced the 2014 folk and traditional arts apprenticeships for Pennsylvania. The grants will support twelve apprentices working with master artists in four counties.

"We are proud to foster the passing down of traditional knowledge by a master artist to an apprentice. This allows traditional arts and skills to thrive," said Phillip Horn, PCA executive director. "Through their commitment to their craft, folk and traditional artists sustain our state's rich cultural heritage."

Grants are offered annually in either performing or craft traditions. They support a partnership between a master traditional artist and an apprentice, enabling them to share and develop advanced techniques or repertoire.

The council supports grants of up to $3,000 to eligible Pennsylvania traditional artists identified through a rigorous review process. The council makes the final selections and approves all awards.

Artists who receive the award are also profiled on the statewide folk art network website.

The council collaborates with its statewide network for the folk and traditional arts to administer the grants. The independent arts organizations work "to promote the creation and documentation of folk art of the highest artistic excellence and to engage the public in understanding the quality, breadth and diversity of folk and traditional arts across the state."

These organizations include: Jump Street in Harrisburg, Bottle Works Ethnic Arts Center in Johnstown, Community Partnerships RC&D in Lewistown, Erie Art Museum in Erie, Northern Tier Cultural Alliance in Towanda, Philadelphia Folklore Project in Philadelphia, and Rivers of Steel, Inc. in Homestead.

The grants are administered through a contract with Jump Street. The council has been awarded infrastructure grants from the National Endowment for the Arts since 1998.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is a state agency under the Governor's Office. Its mission is to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania, and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state. For more information about the PCA, visit www.pacouncilonthearts.org or call 717-787-6883.

For information or questions about the folk arts apprenticeship program, contact Mira Johnson, program consultant, folk and traditional arts programs and services, at 717-238-1887 or by email at [email protected].

Additional information about folk arts in PA and materials for classroom use can be found at www.folkartpa.org. The next deadline for applications is Aug. 1, 2014.

Media contact: Heather Doughty, PCA, 717-787-1517

Editors Note: The 2014 master artists and apprentices are listed below:

Dauphin County

• Master artist: Camille Erice; Apprentice: Svetlana Gomez; Artform: Flamenco Dance; Grant amount: $3,000
• Master artist: Chen-Yu Tsuei; Apprentice: Erica Leyder; Artform: Traditional Chinese Dance; Grant amount: $3,000

Lancaster County

• Master artist: Medoune Yacine Gueye; Apprentice: Sonya Mann-Macfarlane; Artform: West African Drumming/Music; Grant amount: $3,000

Montgomery County

• Master artist: Omomola Iyabunmi; Apprentice: Iraina Saalam; Artform: African Music; Grant amount: $2,931
• Master artist: Kiranavali Vidyasankar; Apprentice: Priyanka Dinakar; Artform: Carnatic Music; Grant amount: $3,000

Philadelphia County

• Master artist: Ira Bond; Apprentice: Ali Wilkie; Artform: African Masquerade/Stilt Dancing; Grant amount: $3,000
• Master artist: Botwinik Alexander; Apprentice: Susan Lankin-Watts; Artform: Yiddish Song; Grant amount: $3,000
• Master artist: Horace Gilchrist; Apprentice: Serena Reed; Artform: Baptist Long-meter Hymns and Worship Traditions; Grant amount: $3,000
• Master artist: May Kay Saw; Apprentice: Gay La Htoo; Artform: Karen Weaving; Grant amount: $3,000
• Master artist: Anssumane Silla; Apprentice: Lela Aisha Jones; Artform: Traditional West African Drumming; Grant amount: $3,000
• Master artist: Migmar Thopten; Apprentice: Tsering Jurme; Artform: Tibetan Opera Dance; Grant amount: $3,000
• Master artist: Roberto Franco Totokani; Apprentice: Brujo de la Mancha; Artform: Aztec/Maxika Dance and Clothing; Grant amount: $3,000

SOURCE Pennsylvania Council on the Arts