South Arts Announces Folk & Traditional Arts Cross-Border Mentor-Apprentice teams
From South Arts –
Two apprentices from Tennessee have been selected to participate in the South Arts 2020 Folk & Traditional Arts Cross-Border Mentor-Apprentice Program.
To further cultivate shared cultural heritage in Central Appalachia, the Folk & Traditional Arts Cross-Border Mentor-Apprentice program supports mentor artist and apprentice relationships that cross state borders. These collaborations preserve and pass on the traditions of their local communities and shared culture of Central Appalachia through hands-on experience and teamwork. The Folk & Traditional Arts Cross-Border Mentor-Apprentice program is part of the In These Mountains: Central Appalachian Folk Arts & Culture initiative.
- Traditional Appalachian Ballads, with mentor artist Sheila Kay Adams (Madison County, NC) and apprentice Ian Kirkpatrick (Claiborne County, TN)
- Handmade Stone Marbles, with mentor artist Timothy Walden (Monroe County, KY) and apprentice Shawn Hughes (Overton County, TN)
- Appalachian Music/Fiddling, with mentor artist Bobby Taylor (Kanawha County, WV) and apprentice L Scott Miller (Boyd County, KY)
Ian Kirkpatrick (Claiborne County, TN) is an accomplished clogger turned ballad singer. He grew up learning ballads as “secular songs” from his gospel-singing family and is excited to deepen his repertoire and strengthen his voice as he studies with Ms. Adams. Shawn Hughes (Overton County, TN) has worked as a park ranger and the director of the National Rolley Hole Championship and Festival at Standing Stone State Park in Hilham, Tennessee for 19 years.
