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The Southern New England Apprenticeship Program (SNEAP) helps communities preserve their cultural knowledge by supporting teaching relationships between a mentor and apprentice. The program provides funding to cross-state apprenticeship teams from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, or Connecticut. The teaching and learning of traditional arts, trades, practices, and crafts helps sustain culture that is important to a community.
This program supports the learning of living cultural heritage forms that are important to communities. These traditional forms are expressions of community identity and values and are usually taught informally. These traditional forms can include performing arts, crafts, trade/occupational skills, and religious, seasonal, or ceremonial traditions. (Reenactments, recreations, and historic reproductions are not eligible under this program).
EXAMPLES
Some examples of communities and traditional forms might include:
| Occupation |
blacksmithing; mandolin making; hotrod car building; taxidermy |
| Ethnicity |
iconography; wampum-carving; traditional food-making; cultural wedding practices |
| Community |
lion dance; santos-carving; liturgical song; hip-hop |
The Southern New England Apprenticeship Program has developed a regional network of excellent traditional and occupational artists who actively practice their art forms. For over 26 years, 180 apprenticeships have taken place with more than 500 folk artists participating. A full list of previous apprenticeships can be viewed here.
The Department of Cultural Sustainability at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History manages the program in collaboration with the Folk Arts Program at the Mass Cultural Council, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and independent folklorist Winifred Lambrecht. Primary funding for the program comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD, Connecticut Humanities and other partner organizations.
FOR ASSISTANCE
If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact SNEAP Manager Philitha Stemplys-Cowdrey or your state’s program coordinator. They are:
Connecticut
Philitha Stemplys-Cowdrey
SNEAP Manager
Connecticut Museum of Culture and History
1 Elizabeth St.
Hartford, CT 06105
860-236-5621 x 201
[email protected]
Rhode Island
Winifred Lambrecht, PhD
Rhode Island Folklorist
401-454-6266 (office)
401-864-9006 (cell)
[email protected]
Massachusetts
Summer Confuorto
Program Officer, Traditional Arts
Mass Cultural Council
10 St. James Ave.
Boston, MA 02116
617-858-2713
[email protected]
APPLICATION SCHEDULE*
The application for the Southern New England Apprenticeship Program is now open for the 2024-2025 program cycle.
| Application window opens |
May 6, 2024 |
| Application deadline |
July 31, 2024 |
| Notification date** |
September 2024 |
| Time period covered (including Public Presentation) |
September 2024 – June 30, 2025 |
| Mentor & apprentice final report due** |
June 30, 2025 |
*Please note that dates are subject to change.
**Awards will be distributed in two payments. The first at the signing of contracts, and the second after the submission of the final report to the SNEAP Manager.
This program is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and is supported by the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, the Connecticut Office of the Arts (DECD), and CT Humanities. Our organizational partners are the Mass Cultural Council, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and the Afro Caribbean Cultural Center.
