Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee announced today that the Florida Department of State is seeking applications for the 2019-2020 Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Expert practitioners of traditional art forms and persons with a strong commitment to learning and preserving folk arts are encouraged to apply.

“The Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program provides opportunities for master artists to pass down valuable and culturally relevant skills and techniques,” said Secretary Lee. “This process of sharing traditional knowledge is vital to ensuring the preservation of our state’s diverse folk culture.”

Master Greek outi player Leonidas Zafiris with apprentice Nicholas Athanasatos. Photo by Amanda Griffis.

The Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program creates opportunities for apprentices to study traditional arts with recognized master artists. Traditional arts are expressions of shared community identity that reflect the values and aesthetics of the groups that practice them. Since 1984, the program has supported more than 185 apprenticeships in a variety of Florida living traditions including various styles of music, dance, crafts, festival arts and occupations.

The application deadline is May 15, 2019. Interested masters and apprentices must apply as a team by submitting the joint application to the Florida Folklife Program. The Florida Folklife Council will review applications and recommend apprenticeship teams to the Secretary of State. The selected apprenticeship teams will be announced by August 2019. The program provides a stipend and funds for supplies.

Interested applicants should contact State Folklorist Amanda Griffis by calling 850.245.6427 or 800.847.PAST. Program guidelines and applications can be found at flheritage.com/preservation/folklife/apprenticeship. The Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Program.

About the Florida Folklife Program
The Florida Folklife Program, a component of the Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources, documents and presents Florida’s folklife, folklore and folk arts. The program coordinates a wide range of activities and projects designed to increase the awareness of Floridians and visitors alike about Florida’s traditional culture. Established in 1979 by the legislature to document and present Florida folklife, this program is one of the oldest state folk arts programs in the nation. For more information, visit flheritage.com/preservation/folklife.