AUGUSTA APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS

Augusta’s year-round West Virginia Folk Art Apprenticeship Program supports master artists and deserving apprentices with grants in a wide range of folk and traditional art practices.

Coordinator Milnes assists in the application process, matching master artists with apprentices, if needed, and helping them plan a course of study and goals. He also produces events and recordings that help to fund the Apprenticeship Program.

Milnes visits and documents all applicants to assist the panel in making their determinations. This documentation (including photos, videotape, and sometimes audiotape) becomes part of the Augusta Collection. Many of the master artists and apprentices are presented at the Augusta Festival and the Fiddlers’ Reunion.       

The apprenticeship program is open only to West Virginia residents through an application process whereby master artists and apprentices apply together. Applications are due April 1st and October 1st and panelists meet in May and November. Apprentices should have some experience in their chosen field, but it is not necessary to be advanced.

The Apprenticeship Program has expanded in recent years to include funding and technical assistance to teachers who are organizing traditional music and crafts programs in the West Virginia public schools.

Partial funding for the West Virginia Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program comes from the National Endowment for the Arts and private contributions.  

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