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Grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee nonprofits, educational organizations, and government agencies to host artists and scholars specializing in traditional art forms. Funding is intended to support projects that include a public performance or exhibition and an educational or outreach component.

Traditional arts are shared aesthetics, practices and values of families, geographic communities, occupational groups, ethnic heritage groups, etc.. The South is home to an abundance of traditional art forms whether they are indigenous to the region, or reflect the traditions of recent immigrant communities. Traditional arts are learned orally, or by observation and imitation, often through a master 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. Examples of traditional art forms (performing and visual arts) practiced in the South include Afro-Cuban batá drum, Catawba pottery, Zydeco music, Indian Bharatha Natyam dance, Anglo American quilting, Peruvian retablos, African American gospel music, Chinese zheng, Cherokee storytelling, and Minorcan netmaking.

The Traditional Arts Touring Grant Program works to increase the public awareness, understanding and appreciation of the traditional arts in the South, through funding projects that bring a traditional artist/ensemble and a scholar/folklorist for multi-day residencies in Southern communities. The program serves both communities and traditional artists. Priority consideration is given to underserved communities.

Projects may include performing (music, dance and storytelling) and/or visual arts/crafts. The project must include both a public performance/demonstration/exhibition involving both the artist(s) and the folklorist/scholar, and an educational/outreach component. In addition, eligible projects must include the following:

(1) Engagement of a traditional artist or ensemble (meeting the description above of a traditional art form) that resides in South Arts’ region, but not within the applicant’s state for, at minimum, one public presentation and one educational activity
(2) A residency of two days or more
(3) The public presentation must include contextual/scholarly content by a folklorist or scholar
(4) Projects must take place in the applicant’s state

For additional project requirements, guidelines, and policies, see https://www.southarts.org/wp-content/uploads/FY20-Traditional-Arts-Grants-Guidelines.pdf#page=3.