Individual Artists

How to Apply to the Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing
Deadline: April 7, 2008

Coordinator: Lynn Martin Graton
Lynn.J.Graton@dcr.nh.gov
(603) 271-8418

These FY09 Guidelines are valid for July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009

The Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing is a directory of traditional artists, community scholars, and folklorists who are available for performances, demonstrations, workshops, and other community-based presentations in New Hampshire. The Traditional Arts Program provides this service as a resource for arts organizations, museums, community groups, schools, and other groups that want to include traditional arts and artists in their programs. The Listing provides contact information, areas of specialty, and types of presentations preferred.

Not-for-profit organizations sometimes apply for Mini-Grants and Traditional Arts Project Grants to present traditional arts in a variety of projects. If including artists, community scholars and folklorists from the Listing, these organizations do not need to submit work samples with their grant application.

What are Traditional and Folk Arts?
Traditional arts are artistic activities that are passed on from one generation to the next within families and communities. These activities can include music, dance, storytelling, crafts, working skills, and even local architectural forms. Communities can be defined in many ways, such as groups that share the same ethnic heritage, language, geographic area, religion, occupation, or way of life.

The techniques and forms of traditional arts tend to change very slowly. For a traditional artist being true to the past is usually more important than change or innovation. Though each generation adds their special gift to the tradition, the sense of what is beautiful and well done is defined more by the community than by an individual artist's personal creative vision. Because of this, traditional arts often become symbols of identity and pride for a community.

Traditional arts encompass folk arts. These are local "grass roots" artistic activities that are usually taught informally. A fiddle player may learn by playing along with older musicians at local community dances, a quilter may learn by helping her mother, a woodcarver may learn by working with a neighbor, and a storyteller usually draws upon real life experiences growing up in a particular region or neighborhood. Folklife embraces a much wider range of activities including food traditions, occupational work, ways of speaking, and celebrating.

The NH State Arts Council’s Traditional Arts Program seeks to be responsive to how communities define their own traditions. Because of limited resources, we place emphasis on supporting tradition bearers that have a direct connection to the community or group from which a tradition has emerged.

Here are just a few of the traditional art forms that can be found in New Hampshire:
Franco-American fiddling and song, contra dance music and dance, Scottish Highland piping, Irish ceili dancing, Jewish Klezmer music, African-American gospel music, African drumming and dance, brown ash basket making, quilting, rug braiding, rug hooking, spinning, lace-making, dried wreath making, decorative painting, Scandinavian knitting, Chinese knot tying, Russian orthodox icon painting, musical instrument making, furniture making, sign carving, fly tying, paper cutting, wood carving, cooperage (barrel making), canoe building, boat building, dog sled making, snowshoe making, bow and arrow making, harness making, stone masonry, timber framing, ox yoke making, and harness making.

For more information on traditional arts and folklife in New Hampshire, visit:
New Hampshire Folklife. This online educational resource includes an interactive Learning Center and a searchable database of traditional music recordings.

Who can apply to be on the Traditional Arts & Folklife Listing?
Tradition bearers representing any cultural or ethnic tradition may apply to be on the Listing. The Listing is primarily made up of New Hampshire residents.

Cultural specialists and folklorists who want to work with community-based organizations in the development and implementation of programs focused on folklife and traditional arts are encouraged to apply.

Master traditional artists who receive a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant are automatically invited to join the Listing.

When is the Application Deadline?
Applications must be postmarked or hand delivered to the NH State Council on the Arts office at 2 ½ Beacon St, second floor, Concord, by 4:15 p.m. on the deadline date noted above. Office hours are Monday - Friday, 8:15 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. The office is closed all state and most federal holidays. Late applications will not be accepted. The Council cannot accept applications transmitted by facsimile (FAX) or be responsible for applications lost in transit. Errors and omissions may affect a panel's evaluation of your application, so please prepare your application carefully and follow instructions.

How do I apply?

• Complete the Application Form: MSWord / PDF
• Complete the Disclosure Form: MSWord / PDF
• Please send the original to us and keep one copy for yourself.
• Include supporting materials. See Preparation of Work Samples for instructions on preparing work samples/support materials.
• Mail or drop off your application by the deadline to the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, 2 ½ Beacon Street, Concord, NH 03301

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Notification
Applicants will be notified of their status approximately four months following the application deadline.

What are the criteria for selection?

For traditional artists:

• high level of artistic excellence
• recognition within the community as a tradition bearer representing a community-based tradition
• excellent communication skills in presenting traditional culture in a variety of community settings

For community scholars & folklorists:

• for community scholars - at least one year of experience with fieldwork research and/or public program development and implementation in a particular area of cultural heritage and/or some academic background in an aspect of cultural studies
• for folklorists - an academic background as a folklorist and some personal experience with fieldwork research and public program development, and implementation
• for all - excellent public communication skills in presenting traditional culture in a variety of community settings

Last updated: October 19, 2007