Southern New England Apprenticeship Program

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mentor carves wood while apprentice watchesThe 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
pstemplys-cowdrey@connecticutmuseum.org

Rhode Island

Winifred Lambrecht, PhD
Rhode Island Folklorist
401-454-6266 (office)
401-864-9006 (cell)
wlambrec@risd.edu

Massachusetts

Summer Confuorto
Program Officer, Traditional Arts
Mass Cultural Council
10 St. James Ave.
Boston, MA 02116
617-858-2713
summer.confuorto@mass.gov

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.

HOW TO APPLY

Click a link to download an application:

2024-2025 SNEAP Application (Fillable PDF)

OR

2024-2025 SNEAP Application (For Print)

ESPAÑOL/SPANISH

2024-2025 Solicitud SNEAP (PDF para cumplimentar)

O

2024-2025 Solicitud SNEAP (para imprimir y cumplimentar)

Application assistance and draft review is available through July 26, 2024. To schedule, please contact
SNEAP Manager, Philitha Stemplys-Cowdrey at pstemplys-cowdrey@connecticutmuseum.org or call 860.236.5621 ext. 201.
The postmark deadline for final applications is July 31, 2024.

Applications may be submitted electronically to pstemplys-cowdrey@connecticutmuseum.org or mailed to:

Connecticut Museum of Culture and History
Attn: SNEAP Manager
1 Elizabeth Street
Hartford, CT 0610

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.

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Location

One Elizabeth Street
Hartford CT, 06105

860.236.5621

 

Museum Hours:

Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm, Thursday until 8 pm
Sunday 12 pm - 5 pm

Research Center Hours:

Tuesday-Saturday 12 pm - 5 pm, Thursday until 8 pm
Always by appointment only.