Eight Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Projects Selected Across the State

From Dr. Bradley Hanson, Director of Folklife, and Evangeline Mee, Traditional Arts Specialist –

The Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program has awarded funding to eight projects as part of the 2026 Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Celebrating its tenth year, the program sustains and showcases Tennessee’s diverse folklife practices by investing in the work of master artists and apprentices.

“The Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program is a strategy for preserving distinctive Tennessee traditions. Although our state has a rich cultural heritage, many traditional art forms today are fragile. This program helps ensure these traditions last for generations to come,” said Jenny Boyd, Tennessee Arts Commission Board Chair.

Each of the eight teams selected is committed to preserving a traditional folklife art form that is deeply rooted in their cultural community. The artists will embark on one-on-one or small group training for a twelve-month period.

“Traditional arts are at the heart of the Tennessee story,” said Anne B. Pope, Executive Director of the Tennessee Arts Commission. “For many traditional artists, this program provides a significant investment in the sustainability of their family business or a way of life. Folklife practices enhance livability and the pride of place in all Tennessee communities, especially in our rural areas.”

The master artists awarded this recognition from the Tennessee Arts Commission are of exceptional skill as recognized by fellow artists, community members, and folk arts leaders. Four of this year’s master artist and apprentice teams from the Appalachian region are funded through a special partnership with the South Arts’ initiative In These Mountains: Central Appalachian Folk Art & Culture.

The awarded apprentices are chosen by the master artist. Each apprentice demonstrated outstanding aptitude and potential in the chosen traditional art form. Folklife practices include traditional music, crafts, dance, folk games, festival rituals, and occupational skills. Traditional art forms are learned and passed down informally by imitation, word of mouth, observation, or performance in cultural communities that share family, ethnic, tribal, regional, occupational, or religious identity.

“Tennessee is abundant with folklife traditions, some that have been here for decades or centuries, and others that are newer,” said Dr. Bradley Hanson, Tennessee Arts Commission Director of Folklife. “Since 2016, the Commission has funded over one hundred folklife apprenticeship projects. Taken as a whole, these artists represent the extraordinary breadth of Tennessee culture.”

Master artists and apprentices will also share their work together in public performances and demonstrations. All projects are documented by the Tennessee Arts Commission Folklife Program to further archive and preserve the state’s current folklife practices.

A panel of traditional arts and folklife specialists reviewed a deep and highly competitive applicant pool and recommended the following awardees:

2026 Master Artists and Apprentices 

Lamont Chapman, master artist, and Elijah Roberson, apprentice. Locking. Chattanooga, TN. *

Andrew Frazier, master artist, and Jellique Frazier, apprentice. Coppersmithing. Cleveland, TN.*

Abdulkadir Gür, master artist, and Aram Ezra Zengin, apprentice. Saz/bağlama playing. Nashville and Murfreesboro, TN.

Thomas Maupin and Jacob Fennell, master artists, and Colette Rainwater, apprentice. Buck Dancing. Murfreesboro and Dickson, TN.

Monica Sanchez, master artist, and Soraya Xanat Flores, apprentice. Altar Making. Memphis and Nashville, TN.

Jeremy Shipp, master artist, and James Shipp and Verity Shipp, apprentices. Old Harp Singing. Knoxville, TN. *

Renee Stewart, master artist, and Christi Fleenor, apprentice. Woodcarving. Sneedville, TN. *

Jonathan Williams, master artist, and Ehren Bell, apprentice. Kabucha (Choctaw stickball). Henning, TN.

 *Projects are funded through a special partnership with the South Arts’ initiative In These Mountains: Central Appalachian Folk Art & Culture.