By Bradley Hanson, Director of Folklife – Over the past few weeks, we have completed site visits with some of the nine teams currently in the FY2018 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. It’s been inspiring and rewarding to see these teams work together and watch the apprentices embark on their learning process. Here is a look at the […]

This story was originally published on NBC Latino. By Rebekah Sager, NBC Latino – In a world of high tech phones and cars that drive themselves, quietly in Nashville, Tennessee another generation of a Latino family is continuing an impressive tradition. Only this time, it’s a girl who is learning to become a luthier, or one who makes string […]

Nashville — The Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program announces its 2018 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program awardees. In its second year, the Apprenticeship Program is designed to encourage the sustainability, continued development and proliferation of our state’s diverse folklife traditions. “The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program was created in part to help preserve folklife practices that are […]

By Dr. Bradley Hanson, Director of Folklife– I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Langston Collin Wilkins as the Tennessee Arts Commission’s new Traditional Arts Specialist. Langston steps into the former Folklife Program Assistant position. He joins me in our ongoing work with nonprofit organizations, traditional artists, culture workers, and community scholars across […]

By Maria (Dill) Benson, Deputy Director of Communications, Office of Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett – The Tennessee State Library and Archives will host a free event about folklife on Saturday, October 14. The event will demonstrate the multifaceted traditions that include oral stories, songs, art and other cultural aspects. The Library and Archives’ abundant resources assert […]

NEA National Heritage Fellows Will Be Honored at Awards Ceremony and Free Concert in Washington, DC, on September 14–15, 2017 By Liz Auclair, Press/Public Affairs, NEA – Across the United States there are traditional art forms that shape our culture and make our communities distinct, whether it’s conjunto music in Texas, old-time buckdancing in Tennessee, or Chilkat weaving […]