The Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities has awarded seven Folklife Apprenticeships for 2026–2027, totaling $35,000 in support of mentor artists and their apprentices. Since 2002, Virginia Folklife has funded 156 apprenticeships in cultural traditions, serving 378 individuals to date.
Folklife Apprenticeships contribute to cultural sustainability through honoring the expertise of the mentor artist, funding deep learning for the apprentice, and introducing cultural heritage to fellow Virginians. In addition to financial support — each team receives $5,000 for 12 months of self-designed learning — this opportunity connects these cultural ambassadors with new audiences. Virginia Folklife collaborates with apprenticeship teams to share their story on Virginia Humanities platforms and teams are also featured in public programs presented by Virginia Humanities.
The seven apprenticeships this year include two teams working in textiles (spinning, dyeing and weaving; and Akan cloth making), three teams working in music-making and instrument repair (clawhammer banjo, traditional Greek music, and accordion repair), a team of dancers (old-time and flatfoot dancing), and a team working with foodways (African heritage farming).
Mentor artists are spread throughout communities across the commonwealth including:
- Beaverdam
- Bristol
- Charlottesville
- Falls Church
- Hampton
- Radford
- Rural Retreat
“The apprenticeship program allowed me to continue researching a specific interest of mine, with a mentor I greatly admire, all surrounding this lovely and rich place I call home. I will forever cherish the experiences I’ve been afforded because of this program.”
Ozzy Freidline, apprentice artist (Virginia Salt Glaze Pottery, 2025)
The 2026 cohort is made possible with support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Anne and Gene Worrell Foundation, and the TowneBank Foundation.
The next round of Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program applications will open in November 2026 and close in April 2027.
Meet the 2026–2027 Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Teams
Clawhammer Banjo
Jim Lloyd & Charlotte Elena Simons (Rural Retreat, VA)
Mentor artist Jim Lloyd and apprentice Charlotte Elena Simons will focus on Clawhammer banjo, including its history, repair, playing style, regional variations, and cultural traditions rooted in the Appalachian music heritage of Southwest Virginia, as well as, banjo construction and repair.
Pat Jarrett/Virginia Humanities
Old Time Dance Fiddling and Flatfoot Dance
Gina Dilg & Ipi Hello (Radford, VA)
Mentor artist Gina Dilg and apprentice Ipi Hello will focus on Appalachian flatfoot dance and old-time fiddle. Flatfoot dance is a percussive dance style with a strong connection to Southwest Virginia and Appalachia.
Spinning, Dyeing and Weaving
Deborah L. Prescott & Toni Doman-Vandyke (Bristol, VA)
Mentor artist Deborah Prescott and apprentice Toni Doman-Vandyke will focus on traditional skills used in cloth making, including spinning, natural dyeing and weaving. Spinning, dyeing, and weaving are interconnected crafts that work together as parts of the traditional textile-making process, each step building on the previous to transform raw fibers into woven cloth. Their time together will focus on various approaches to spinning yarn; dyeing using a variety of natural materials gathered from the woods and fields; and weaving their hand-dyed, homespun yarns into cloth fabric.
Hand-woven table runner created on a loom by apprentice Toni Doman Vandyke Deborah Prescott using one of her spinning wheels at her home in Bristol, VA.
Akan Cloth Making and Folk Song
Xorlali Plange & Anita Ana-Grace Abram (Hampton, VA)
Mentor artist Xorlali Plange and apprentice Anita Ana-Grace Abram will focus on Akan cloth-making and folk traditions of the Gold Coast, with a focus on sustainable garment practices, hand construction, adornment, and the communal use of folk song during the making process.
Accordion Repair
Matty Metcalfe & Maria Leckey (Charlottesville)
Mentor artist Matty Metcalfe and apprentice Maria Leckey will focus on repair and restoration of the accordion, concertina and other bellowed instruments.
African Heritage Farming
Dr. Patience Fielding & Tanya Michelle Kambou (Beaverdam, VA)
Mentor artist Dr. Patience Fielding and apprentice Tanya Michelle Kambou will focus on cultivation of African heritage crops—specifically bitterleaf (Vernonia amygdalina), njama njama (African nightshade), and African garden egg (a type of eggplant). These crops are deeply rooted in the culinary and cultural traditions of many African communities and hold both nutritional and spiritual value. They are often grown in household farms, used in traditional dishes, and play a central role in gatherings, family life, and ancestral practices.
Traditional Greek Music
Dr. Spyridon (Spyros) Koliavasilis & Patricia Rader (Falls Church, VA)
Mentor artist Dr. Spyridon Koliavasilis and apprentice Patricia Rader will focus on the traditional performance and transmission of the oud within Traditional Greek Music, with a particular emphasis on the Asia Minor (Smyrneika) repertoire.
