Apprenticeship Program Guidelines
Apprenticeship Program Application form (this file is a WORD document)
Traditional Arts Indiana's Apprenticeship Program provides honoraria to traditional artists to teach qualified apprentices.
Purpose
Benefit traditional artists and their communities in Indiana.
Promote passing of traditions from one generation to the next.
Increase public knowledge of diverse groups and individuals.
Deadline
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants will be notified within 3 months of application.
Eligibility
Artist (Teacher) must be a resident of Indiana.
Criteria for awarding grants
ARTIST (Teacher):
Traditionality of the artist (see below) - 15 points
Mastery of their art - 15 points
APPRENTICE:
Level of commitment to the art form - 15 points
Qualification and promise of apprentice(s) - 15 points
COMMUNITY:
Significance of the art form to the teacher
and apprentice's community or group - 15 points
FEASIBILITY of proposed schedule and work plan - 25 points
BONUS POINTS:
Apprentice studying his/her own cultural tradition - 10 points
PROCESS
1. Internal Review
Staff reviews application for eligibility according to guidelines before sending it on to a panel for review.
2. Panel Review
Four panelists unanimously either recommend the application for funding or dismiss it, considering the criteria above. No points are assigned at this stage. One or more panelist can recommend the application to move to the next and final stage.
3. Conference Call and Ranking
Same four panelists meet via conference call and then rank each application according to the point system set out above. An application must be given a total panel score of 240 points or higher before it will be funded.
GRANT AMOUNT
Grant awards are $2,500, dependent upon grant funding.
Traditionality defined:
The artist's art grows organically out of a community to which they belong. Community is defined as a group of people that share something in common such as ethnicity, region, religion, or occupation.
Their art is usually learned informally from someone within their community.
Traditional artists create contemporary, living creative expressions, whether a song, a dance, or homemade object.
The aesthetic sensibilities are defined by the community and not by some outside set of standards.
While traditional art is rooted in the past, it is also innovative and constantly changing - affected by technology and subtly transformed as communities cross borders through migration or mass media.
The following artistic practices will not be considered: living history reenactments, revived pioneer crafts, and art and music learned solely through formal instruction or printed sources.
Requirements for all Awardees:
1. Keep a log or journal of meetings and activities.
2. Allow TAI staff to document your work and perform an interview mid-way through the apprenticeship.
3. Do a public presentation or demonstration at the end of the apprenticeship. (To be arranged by TAI staff.)
4. Complete an evaluation form at the end of the apprenticeship.
