Emerging Traditional Artists Program

Detailed Program Description

South Arts is pleased to announce the FY26 Emerging Traditional Artists Program (ETAP), a component of the In These Mountains, Central Appalachian Folk Arts and Culture initiative. This program recognizes and supports a new generation of traditional artists that have demonstrated a high level of skill in, commitment to, and leadership in their traditional art form. Artists must reside in an Appalachian Regional Commission-designated County in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee. Awards provide financial support to ETAP participants to ensure the continuation of traditional knowledge and artistic skills within their cultural communities. 

Selected ETAP artists will receive $5,000 awards (with limited restrictions) to support learning opportunities including training, networking, and promotion. These opportunities should equip traditional artists to expand their own knowledge/practice and to increase the impact of their work within their communities.

In addition to cash awards, selected artists will participate in a series of networking and team-building workshops (both online and in-person) with other ETAP awardees, at no cost to themselves, and will be paired with a member of the 2024 ETAP cohort for peer mentorship. 

What are folk and traditional arts?

The South is home to an abundance of folk and traditional art forms. Folk and traditional arts share the aesthetics, practices, and values of families, geographic communities, occupational groups, ethnic heritage groups, etc. Folk and traditional arts are learned orally, or by observation and imitation, often through a mentor 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.  

For the purposes of this application, the folk and traditional arts of Central Appalachia include music, handcrafts/material culture, and foodways. Some examples of traditional arts practiced in Central Appalachia are Cherokee stamped pottery, African American buck dancing/clogging, Anglo American ballads, Latin American foodways traditions, Bharatanatyam Indian dance, Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, and many more. 

Important Dates and Deadlines

• Application Open: July 16, 2025
• Application Deadline: Extended to September 30, 2025
• Awardees Notified: November 2025
• In-Person Professional Development Convening: March 2026
• Award Period Ends: June 15, 2026 

Program Goals

The Emerging Traditional Artists Program advances the purpose of the In These Mountains initiative to “provide intergenerational opportunities to share, teach, learn, preserve, document, and carry forward the folk and traditional arts and culture of Central Appalachia.” For emerging traditional artists who have demonstrated a commitment to their artform and community and exhibit a high skill level, this award will provide resources for learning opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible. 

A learning opportunity can take many forms. Here are a few examples:

• Online opportunities for continuing education and collaboration.
• Establishing/growing network by traveling within the Appalachian region or beyond to meet other leaders/potential mentors in your art form.
• Taking courses and purchasing software/hardware needed to build an effective online presence.

Ultimately, each awardee has the freedom to determine their own learning opportunity—on their own or, if they wish, with assistance from South Arts staff and/or mentors/leaders within their own communities. Funding has limited restrictions, and awardees are not required to submit a final report, produce a commissioned work, or engage in any public program.  

Through the series of professional development convenings (one in-person, three virtual) and peer mentorship, ETAP is designed to build long-term relationships between traditional artists across the region, beyond state and local boundaries, through:

• Building a cohort of emerging traditional artists in Central Appalachia who are committed to the advancement of folk and traditional arts.
• Encouraging and equipping artists to be advocates for their traditional art forms and for the traditional culture of their communities.  
• Deepening participants’ understanding of the importance of public arts support in the United States.   

Awardees will sign a letter of commitment expressing their intention to participate in ETAP and to attend two virtual workshops and one in-person convening. Over the course of the award period (December 1, 2025 - June 15, 2026), recipients will participate in a recorded interview with South Arts staff or other representative about their art and the learning experience resulting from their ETAP award.  

Guidelines

While preparing your Emerging Traditional Artists Program application, please refer to the following: 

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants for the Emerging Traditional Artist Program must:

• Be an individual folk or traditional artist.
• Be in the early stages of your career/practice.
• Be at least 18 years of age by the application deadline of September 30, 2025.
• Be a United States citizen, lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence, or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the U.S.
• Have been a resident of a county designated by the Appalachian Regional Commission in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee for a period of at least two years immediately before the application deadline.
• Expect to maintain residency in an ARC county during the award period.
• For artists in ARC counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee:  
  • Practice music, handcrafts/material culture, and/or foodways.  
  • Interdisciplinary traditional artists are welcome to apply.
• For artists in ARC counties in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina:
  • Practice handcrafts/material culture.  

Please note: Past awardees of the Emerging Traditional Artists Program and In These Mountains Folk & Traditional Arts Master Artist Fellowship are not eligible. 

There is no maximum age restriction for the Emerging Traditional Artists Program, though applicants must be at least 18 years of age by the application deadline of September 30, 2025, and should be in the early stages of their career/practice. For example, an eligible artist may have completed an apprenticeship with a mentor artist and now wishes to pursue ongoing learning to deepen their knowledge and skills. South Arts will prioritize applicants who have not had access to high-quality professional development opportunities in the past.  

To be eligible, you do not need to rely on your traditional art form as your primary source of income, but you should demonstrate a high level of commitment to your art form and an understanding of its history/role within your community. “Community” may mean your family, the geographic area where you live, a religious/worship group, a group of other traditional artists, etc.  

Eligible Counties

You must be a current, legal resident of one of the following counties for a period of at least two years prior to September 30, 2025.

• Alabama: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, De Kalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston
• Georgia: Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Dawson, Douglas, Elbert, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Hart, Heard, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield
• Kentucky: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe
• Mississippi:  Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Itawamba, Kemper, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Winston, and Yalobusha
• North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey
• South Carolina:  Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union
• Tennessee: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, and White

Please note: Artists in ARC counties in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee may practice music, handcrafts/material culture, and/or foodways. Interdisciplinary traditional artists are welcome to apply. Artists in ARC counties in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina must practice handcrafts/material culture.  

Application Guidelines

You must submit your ETAP application online using South Arts’ Salesforce Grants Management System.  

The application deadline is September 30, 2026. You must submit your application by 5:00pm ET.

We recommend that you visit Salesforce early to register and become familiar with the system. Be sure to register  as an individual  to access the Emerging Traditional Artists Program application. Complete your application in Salesforce, including the required materials as detailed below.  NOTE: Please print a copy of your completed application for your records.  

Personal Information: As part of the application form, you will be asked, but not required, to include personal information such as birthplace, gender identity and pronouns, and race/ethnicity.

Applicants may be asked to submit a copy of their official state I.D./driver’s license as proof of residency later in the process, to confirm eligibility. 

Life Story Questions: You must complete the Life Story Questions and upload them in one of two formats:  

1. Written - To submit written responses, please upload a document to Salesforce and answer the following questions:  
   o    Tell us about the traditional art form you practice. Please explain the process, materials used, and/or instruments and tools involved.  
   o    Describe how you learned your art form. When did you start? From whom did you learn? By what methods did you learn? 
   o    What role does your art form play in your community? Is it practiced by others in your family, your geographic area, or other groups to which you belong? If so, where, when, and by whom? If not, explain why it is not commonly practiced. 
   o    What experiences do you have teaching others, supporting folk arts and traditional practices in your community, and/or advocating for their continuation? What plans do you have for carrying on this tradition in the future by teaching and/or inspiring others?  
   o    Why is it important to preserve this art form in particular? 
   o    Tell us about a learning opportunity or opportunities you wish to pursue and why. How will this benefit you as a tradition bearer and support the continuation of your art in the future? 
    

2. Video - You may also choose to submit oral responses to the six Life Story questions in video format. You may record using any available technology, such as a cell phone or web cam. Your video should not exceed 15 minutes in length. Advanced video editing skills are not expected or required, and video applications will be judged on their content alone. 

   Once recorded, make your video responses available online on YouTube, Vimeo, or a similar platform, and upload the URL in the appropriate section of the application in Salesforce. 
   
   For help with preparing and submitting video responses, please contact Taylor Burden (Director, Traditional Arts): tburden@southarts.org or call or text (404) 201-7924.  

Please choose only one application format. Reviewers will not consider one application format to be more competitive than the other.  

Work Samples: Reviewers will use your work samples to evaluate your skill in and dedication to your art form.

• Photographs: Submit up to ten clearly labeled high resolution images of your work. Acceptable file formats include .jpeg and .pdf.  
• Audio Recordings: If applicable, submit up to three examples of your work. While .mp3 is recommended, all standard file formats are acceptable. Publicly accessible URL links to YouTube, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Spotify, or other similar platforms are also acceptable.
• Video Recordings: If applicable, submit up to three examples of your work. Publicly accessible URL links to YouTube, Vimeo, or other similar platforms are acceptable.

Support Materials (Optional): Support materials are optional, but strongly encouraged. These materials may be letters of support, newspaper articles, blog posts, podcasts, flyers, or other supplemental materials that speak to your proficiency in your art form, your dedication to the traditional culture of your community, the history and context of your art form within your community, etc. Please submit no more than five support materials.  

Policies

• Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.  
• South Arts does not fund historical reenactments, benefits, or fundraisers.  
• Grants are NOT transferable to other projects or programs.  
• All awards will be in the amount of $5,000, to be delivered in one installment at the beginning of the award period.
• There are no reporting requirements for this program. 

Review Process

An anonymous panel of folklorists, artists, arts professionals, and other individuals with relevant experience will review all applications according to the review criteria. Panelists may or may not be familiar with your art form and community, so please be clear and specific in your application. 

Appeals Process

You can request a review of the method for South Arts’ decisions concerning grant applications through the Appeals Process. If you did not receive funding or if your award was rescinded or reduced, you may submit an appeal based on the criteria listed below. Incomplete applications are not eligible for the appeals process. Dissatisfaction with the denial or amount of an award is not sufficient reason for an appeal.  

An applicant not funded may appeal South Arts’ decision if the applicant can demonstrate that the application was rejected for any of the following reasons:

• Application was reviewed using criteria other than those provided.
• The Funding decision was influenced by panel/staff/committee members who failed to disclose a conflict of interest.
• Application materials (submitted by the deadline) were not provided to reviewers.

If an applicant’s funds were rescinded or reduced, the applicant may appeal South Arts’ decision if they can demonstrate that (a) the project activities outlined in the application were performed, and (b) the contract terms and conditions were followed and fulfilled.  

To appeal a funding decision, first contact Taylor Burden to discuss. If you believe that you have grounds for an appeal, you must submit your appeal in writing to South Arts’ Executive Director no later than 15 calendar days following the receipt of the electronic notice from South Arts. The submission should contain evidence to support one or more of the allowable grounds for appeal. The decision on an appeal will be made by the Executive Director, who will render a decision within 30 days of the appeal.  

Mail your appeal to:

South Arts 
ATTN: President & CEO 
1800 Peachtree Street, NW 
Suite 808 
Atlanta, GA 30309 

Questions

Contact

We strongly encourage you to contact us before submitting your application. Please contact Taylor Burden (Director, Traditional Arts): tburden@southarts.org.  We welcome the opportunity to discuss your application with you!  

South Arts encourages applicants to contact us with questions more than 48 hours before the application deadline; due to the volume of requests, South Arts team members may not be able to respond to inquiries submitted after that time. 

Application Best Practices 

Note: Exiting the page, does not save the information in the section in which you exited. You must click “next” to save. 

Please submit all fields for the following sections:

• Applicant Information:
  • Application Contact
  • Mailing Address
  • Physical Address
  • Artist Bio
• Grant Proposal
  • Project Overview (how would you use your funds)
    • All projects will begin 1/1/2026 and end 6/30/2026
    • All recipients will be awarded $5,000 for their project. Amount requested and total project cost should be $5,000.
  • Project Narrative
    • ETAP applicants must upload a project narrative or their application will not be considered.
• Support Materials
  • All supports materials must be uploaded to an external site and then a link provided in the appropriate field.
  • Support materials may include photos, videos, audio, or other work samples, dependent on the artist’s particular art form/ tradition. 

ETAP applicants should not submit a budget (Budget Section, Section 3), project partners (Project Partners Section, Section 4), venues (Venues Section, Section 5). These fields are not required to proceed with application and response should be left blank.