Arts Agency Offers Information Sessions on Applying for Folk and Traditional Arts Grants

Published on Thursday, July 20, 2023

With grant applications for folk and traditional artists opening on Aug. 1, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) announced a series of information sessions throughout the state on tips and advice on how to apply for these grants. The grants open on Aug. 1, and the deadline is Sept. 15.

Folk and traditional arts are defined as artistic practices that are community- or family-based and express aesthetic heritage and tradition. The Arts Agency offers two grant opportunities for folk and traditional artists. They are:

  • Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeships Grants, which foster the sharing of traditional/folk artistic skills between a mentor and an apprentice who is already familiar with the genre and share a common cultural heritage.
  • Folk and Traditional Arts Fellowships Grants, which provide support to individual traditional/folk artists who demonstrate the highest level of skill and accomplishments in their craft.

RISCA’s Arts and Cultural Sustainability Program Director, Elena Calderón Patiño, will be onsite to provide assistance, information and answer any questions related to folk and traditional apprenticeships or fellowships grants.

The information sessions are scheduled for the following dates:

  • Wed., July 26, noon – 3 p.m.:  Refugee Dream Center, 747 Broad St., Providence.
  • Thurs., Aug. 10, 1-2 p.m., Sankofa Community Connection, 2 Broadway, Newport.
  • Fri., Aug. 11, noon-2 p.m., Rhode Island Indian Council, 807 Broad St., Providence.
  • Wed., Aug. 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Warwick Center for the Arts, 3259 Post Rd., Warwick.
  • Fri., Aug. 18, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Tomaquag Museum, 390A Summit Rd, Exeter.
  • Wed., Aug. 23, 1-3 p.m., South County Art Association, 2587 Kingstown Rd., Kingston.
  • Thurs., Aug. 24, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad St., Cumberland.
  • Wed., Aug. 30, noon-2 p.m., Refugee Dream, 747 Broad St., Providence.

Additionally, on Aug. 1, RISCA will also start accepting applications for arts organizations, educators and individual artists.