Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts is now accepting applications to the Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Applications must be submitted via email or postmarked by Aug. 31 for the project period of November 2022 to May 2023. 

The Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program funds teams of master artists and apprentices who are committed to sustaining their artistic traditions and cultural heritage. Teams are required to develop a work plan for the upcoming project year, meet with each other regularly over the course of the year, and finally, share their experience with their communities at the culmination of the project. By providing funds of up to $3,000, this award honors and supports the master traditional artists who dedicate their time to pass their skills and knowledge on to apprentices over an extended period of time. Complete program information, guidelines and application instructions are available on the Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts website. 

The Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program is supported by funding from the Arkansas Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.  

About Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts: AFTA is a statewide folk arts program of the University of Arkansas Libraries dedicated to building cross-cultural understanding by documenting, presenting, and sustaining Arkansas’ living traditional arts and cultural heritage. AFTA is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and works in partnership with stakeholder organizations and individuals, including the Arkansas Arts Council, Mid-America Arts Alliance, and Arkansas State University. 

About the University Libraries: Located in the heart of campus, the David W. Mullins Library is the university’s main research library. Branch libraries include the Chemistry and Biochemistry Library, the Fine Arts Library, the Physics Library, and the Robert A. and Vivian Young Law Library. The Libraries provide access to more than 3.1 million volumes and more than 180,000 journals and offer research assistance, study spaces, computer labs with printing and scanning, interlibrary loan and delivery services, and cultural exhibits and events. The Libraries’ Special Collections division acquires, preserves, and provides access to materials on Arkansas and the region, its customs and people, and its cultural, physical, and political climate. Visit the Libraries’ website at libraries.uark.edu to learn more about services and collections.