Traditional Arts Touring Grants aim to increase the public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the traditional arts in the South by bringing artists together in Southern communities. Traditional Arts Touring Grants are available for requests from $1,000 up to $5,000. This program requires a 1:2 match.
What are Traditional Arts?
The South is home to an abundance of traditional art forms whether they are indigenous to the region or reflect the traditions of recent immigrant communities. Traditional arts are shared aesthetics, practices and values of families, geographic communities, occupational groups, ethnic heritage groups, etc. Traditional arts are learned orally, or by observation and imitation, often through a master artist instructing an apprentice. They are usually maintained without formal instruction or academic training. Some traditional arts have a deep-rooted history with little change, while others are constantly evolving and adapting to their changing environment.
Examples of traditional art forms (performing and visual arts) being practiced in the South include Afro-Cuban batá drum, Catawba pottery, Zydeco music, Indian Bharatha Natyam dance, Anglo American quilting, Peruvian retablos, African American gospel music, Chinese Zheng, Cherokee storytelling, and Minorcan netmaking, among others.
Program Goals
The Traditional Arts Touring Grant Program works to increase public awareness, understanding and appreciation of the traditional arts in the South, through funding projects that bring a traditional artist/ensemble for a two-day residency in Southern communities.
This funding program is open to a wide variety of organizations, including community cultural organizations, schools/colleges/universities, libraries, museums, performing arts presenters, etc. The program serves both communities and traditional artists.
South Arts is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We have prioritized this commitment to ensure that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) led and LGBTQIA+ led organizations are represented as both applicants and grantees. In addition, we encourage applications for projects that engage BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists. We acknowledge the current realities and impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on cultural arts programming. For the 2021-2022 grant cycle, we will accept applications for live, in-person performances and education activities; or live, virtual presentations and education activities. Traditional artists who reside in an organization’s state are eligible for inclusion in the project application.
South Arts staff can direct you to potential resources and networks to identify traditional artists. Applicants are strongly advised to contact Teresa Hollingsworth (Director, Film and Traditional Arts), at thollingsworth@southarts.org or 404.874.7244 x14, to discuss your project before you submit your application.
Important Dates & Deadlines
- Application Deadline: November 1, 2021
- Applicants will be notified within two weeks of the deadline.
- Projects must take place between January 1 – June 30, 2022.
