Mentoring Project Grants – Deadline: September 1
Mentoring Project Grants are designed to support the transmission of Wyoming’s finest Traditional and Folk skills through the natural process of in-person, hands-on instruction. A master artist selects a worthy apprentice to mentor over time in order to advance the skills of the apprentice from proficient to excellent. All art forms (music, dance, craft, etc.) are encouraged.
Jack Mease discusses the finer points of rawhide braiding with a student.
The Wyoming Arts Council introduced the Folk & Traditional Arts Mentoring Program in 2005 as part of its on-going effort to increase support and recognition of Wyoming’s rich cultural arts and traditions. Funds originally came from a National Endowment for the Arts Infrastructure grant provided to the Wyoming Arts Council’s Arts Access Grant Program. Current funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts to the Folk Arts Partnership grant.
Mentoring Project Grant Description
Master and Apprentice apply together and include information about the art form, their skill level, a project outline and work samples. The mentorship must take place January through October, and projects must be no shorter than six (6) months.
Up to four (4) projects will be selected for funding at $3,000 each ($2,300 for the master artist’s honorarium and $700 for supplies and travel). All project costs over $3,000 must be paid by the award recipients.
Application and Deadline – September 1
Applications are completed online through Google Forms. To prepare in advance, review a copy of the 2019 Mentoring Project Grant Application – Google Forms. Contact Annie Hatch (307-777-7721) for more information. Accommodations can be made for applicants with limited access to a computer or internet. Support materials are due September 10.
Requirements
- Applicants must share a common cultural group and the art form must reflect the aesthetics of the shared group. In-family mentorships are allowed.
- Master and apprentice must apply together.
- Artists may participate in only one Mentoring Project each year.
- Apprentices must be Wyoming residents for at least two years prior to application.
- Apprentices should not be younger than 18 years of age.
- Apprentices must be at a proficient level of skill at the time of the application.
- Apprentices must demonstrate a serious long-term commitment to continuing the art form.
Not eligible
- The work of contemporary studio artists or re-creations of historic repertoires or antiques.
- Academic research or formal study toward an academic or professional degree.
- Projects less than six (6) months.
- Workshops or conferences.
Application Evaluation and Selection
Applications are reviewed and evaluated by a panel of cultural specialists, folklorists, artists and WAC board members using the following criteria:
- Quality of the work as demonstrated by the support materials of both the master and the apprentice.
- How the art form and artists fit within the definition of folk and traditional art.
Priority may be given to projects that involve endangered traditions and/or art forms. - Commitment of the apprentice to continuing the traditional skills learned.
- Feasibility of the proposed work plan.
The full WAC board reviews the panel recommendations and makes the final selection of funded projects. Applicants are notified in December of the WAC Board’s decisions.
Previous Projects
| Folk Art Skill | Master | Apprentice |
| 2016 | ||
| Northern Arapaho Sweat Lodge Songs | Darrell Lone Bear | Tyson Lone Bear |
| Bighorn Sheep Ram Bow | Tom Lucas | Travis Lucas |
| California-style Bit and Spurs | Ernie Marsh | James Guillion |
| Braided Rawhide Horse Gear | Jessie Smith | Jeremy Madole |
| 2015 | ||
| Cowboy Leatherwork | Niki DeLancy | McKenzi Digby |
| Teepee bags/panniers | Marcus Dewey | Charles Dewey |
| Western Leatherwork | Von Ringler | Alex Whistler |
| 2014 | ||
| Old-style Intertribal songs | Patrick Iron Cloud, Sr. | Norman and Samual Iron Cloud |
| Arapaho hand drum making | Darrell Lone Bear, Sr. | Tyson Lone Bear |
| Rawhide braiding | Jack Mease | Sally Hovendick |
| Rug braiding | Norma M. Sturges | Ellen Sue Blakey |
| 2013 | ||
| Saddle building | Keith Duncan | Kurt Olson |
| Rug braiding | Norma M. Sturges | Ellen Sue Blakey |
| Rawhide making and braiding | Nate Wald | Caleb French |
| Old-time Fiddling | Kelly Wells | Kayla Palmer |
| 2012 | ||
| Warrior shirt | Elizabeth Jane Brown | Danielle Brown |
| Beaded leggings | Marcus Dewey | Veronica Miller |
| Rams horn bow | Tom Lucas | Richard Singer |
| N. Arapaho beaded buckskin dress | Annie Sage | Janelle Denny |
| E Shoshone Woman’s traditional saddle | Joanne Seesequasis | Larry McAdams |
| 2011 | ||
| Eastern Shoshone woman’s saddle | Charlotte Alley | Amanda Alley |
| Jewish and Israeli dance | Bea Montross | Mary Weinstein |
| Horsehair hitching | Richard Gould | Leane Linnell |
| Arapaho and Lakota women’s singing | Sandra Iron Cloud | Rebecca Iron Cloud |
| Rawhide and leather braiding. | Jack Mease | Mila Ready |
| 2010 | ||
| Folk Art Skill | Master | Apprentice |
| Eastern Shoshone cradleboards | Charlotte Alley | Lynelle Shakespeare |
| Drum making and playing | Wayland Bonatsie | Quinlin Hernandez |
| Western saddle tree making | G. K. Fraker | Steve Dabbs |
| Plains Indian parfleche | Gloria Goggles | Jennifer Runs Close to Lodge |
| Rawhide braiding | Jack Mease | Brenda Hovendick |
| 2009 | ||
| Saddle building | Don Butler | Tom Stevie |
| Native American willow back rest | William Chippewa | Patrick Thayer |
| Tatting | Mary Maynard | Molly Moyer |
| Sheep to shawl | Avis Richardson | Group apprentices |
| N. Arapaho beaded buckskin dress | Annin Soldier Wolf | Cathi Soldier Wolf |
| 2008 | ||
| Round dance songs | Sandra Iron Cloud | Norman and Samuel Iron Cloud |
| Tatting | Mary Maynard | Molly Moyer |
| Rawhide braiding | Jack Mease | Michael Stewart |
| N. Arapaho women’s traditional regalia | Annie Sage | Veronica Miller |
| N. Arapaho crafts | Annin Soldier Wolf | Hista and Echo Soldier Wolf |
| Old-time fiddling | Kelly Wells | Tally Wells |
| 2007 | ||
| War shields | William Chippewa | Patrick Thayer |
| Men’s beaded vests | Cleo Goggles | Linda Goggles |
| Tatting & crochet | Mary Maynard | Isobel Nichols |
| Rawhide braiding | Jack Mease | Mike Alley |
| Basket weaving & furniture caning | Sally O’Connor | Maria Foster |
| Shoshone saddle trappings | Reba Jo Teran | Georgietta Teran-Acebo |
| 2006 | ||
| Loom weaving | Gerald Curcio | Judith Harvey |
| Performance knives | Ed Fowler | Tena Osborne |
| Cowboy music | Kevin McNiven | Terrell and TeAnna McNiven |
| Old-time fiddling | Kelly Wells | Coletta Maier |
| 2005 | ||
| Shoshone saddles | William Chippewa | Reba Teran |
| Shoshone dolls | Manfred Guina | Reba Teran |
| Shoshone cradle boards | Beatrice Haukaas | Georgietta Teran |
Grant Information
Deadline: September 1st. Late applications will not be accepted.
Timeline: Projects can run January - October annually and are no less than six months.
Amount: $3,000 ($2,300 for master honorarium and $700 for materials and/or travel)
Match Requirements: none - all project costs over $3,000 must be paid by the grant recipient.
Contact:
Apply Here
