South Arts is pleased to announce the FY26 Emerging Traditional Artists Program (ETAP), a component of the In These Mountains, Central Appalachian Folk Arts and Culture initiative and, new for FY27, expanded capacity building to emerging traditional artists in Native and Delta Regional Authority communities. This program recognizes and supports a new generation of traditional artists that have demonstrated a high level of skill in, commitment to, and leadership in their traditional art form.

Eligible artists must meet one of the three criteria:

• Reside in an Appalachian Regional Commission-designated County in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee.
• Reside in a Delta Regional Authority-designed County in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Tennessee
• Be a member of a state or federally recognized Native American tribe

The following will be funded:

• 12 artists TOTAL in ITM (Appalachia) Region (3 from Kentucky, 3 from North Carolina, 3 from Tennessee, and 3 from expanded ITM area of South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi)
• 6 artists TOTAL in DRA (Delta Regional Authority Counties: Reside in a Delta Regional Authority-designed County in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Tennessee)
• 6 artists TOTAL from Natives communities (must be a part of federal or state recognized tribe)

Awards provide financial support to ETAP participants to ensure the continuation of traditional knowledge and artistic skills within their cultural communities.

Traditional art forms may include, but are not limited to: foodways, material culture (handcraft), storytelling, music, etc. Examples may include, but are not limited to: Overshot weaving, Cherokee basketry, Memphis jookin dancing, Mardi Gras Indian suiting, Catawba pottery traditions, quilting, traditional Vietnamese medicine, Guatemalan embroidery traditions, and many more.

Selected ETAP artists will receive $5,000 awards (with limited restrictions) to support learning opportunities including training, networking, and promotion. These opportunities should equip traditional artists to expand their own knowledge/practice and to increase the impact of their work within their communities.

In addition to cash awards, selected artists will participate in a series of virtual networking and team-building workshops with other ETAP awardees, at no cost to themselves, and will be paired with a member of a previous ETAP cohort for peer mentorship.

What are folk and traditional arts?
The South is home to an abundance of folk and traditional art forms. Folk and traditional arts share the aesthetics, practices, and values of families, geographic communities, occupational groups, ethnic heritage groups, etc. Folk and traditional arts are learned orally, or by observation and imitation, often through a mentor artist instructing an apprentice. They are usually maintained without formal instruction or academic training. Some traditional arts have a deep-rooted history with little change, while others are constantly evolving and adapting to their changing environment.

South Arts recognizes that traditional arts in the South encompass a rich diversity of practices, cultural communities, and histories. Applicants must reside in the South to be eligible; however, eligible traditions are not limited to those that originated in the region. Artists may represent traditions rooted in communities with origins outside the South, including traditions that have been sustained, adapted, and blended across generations of Southern life.

Important Dates and Deadlines

• Application Open: July 15, 2026
• Application Deadline: September 30, 2026
• Awardees Notified: December 1, 2026
• Award Period Ends: June 30, 2027

Program Goals
For emerging traditional artists who have demonstrated a commitment to their artform and community and exhibit a high skill level, this award will provide resources for learning opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Learning opportunities can take many forms. Here are a few examples:

• Online opportunities for continuing education and collaboration.
• Establishing/growing network by traveling within their respective region/tribe or beyond to meet other leaders/potential mentors in your art form.
• Taking courses and purchasing software/hardware needed to build an effective online presence.

Ultimately, each awardee has the freedom to determine their own learning opportunity—on their own or, if they wish, with assistance from South Arts staff and/or mentors/leaders within their own communities. Funding has limited restrictions, and awardees are not required to submit a final report, produce commissioned work, or engage in any public program.

Through the series of professional development convenings and peer mentorship, ETAP is designed to build long-term relationships between traditional artists across the region, beyond state and local boundaries, through:

• Building a cohort of emerging traditional artists from Central Appalachia, Delta Regional Authority, and Native communities who are committed to the advancement of folk and traditional arts.
• Encouraging and equipping artists to be advocates for their traditional art forms and for the traditional culture of their communities.
• Deepening participants’ understanding of the importance of public arts support in the United States.

Awardees will sign a letter of commitment expressing their intention to participate in ETAP and to attend two virtual workshops and one in-person convening. Over the course of the award period January 1, 2027 - June 30, 2027), recipients will participate in a recorded interview with South Arts staff or other representatives about their art and the learning experience resulting from their ETAP award.

Eligibility Requirements
While preparing your Emerging Traditional Artists Program application, please refer to the following:

Applicant Requirements
To apply for the Emerging Traditional Artist Program, you must:

• Be an individual folk or traditional artist.
• Be in the early stages of your career/practice.
• Be at least 18 years of age by the application deadline of September 30, 2025.
• Be a United States citizen, lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence, or have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work permanently in the U.S.

Meet the following:

• Have been a resident of a county designated by the Appalachian Regional Commission in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee for a period of at least two years immediately before the application deadline and expect to maintain residency in an ARC county during the award period.
• Have been a resident of a Delta Regional Authority-designed County in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, or Tennessee for a period of at least two years immediately before the application deadline and expect to maintain residency in a DRA county during the award period.
• Are a member of a state or federally recognized Native American tribe.

Please note: Past awardees of the Emerging Traditional Artists Program and In These Mountains Folk & Traditional Arts Master Artist Fellowship are not eligible.

There is no maximum age restriction for the Emerging Traditional Artists Program, though applicants must be at least 18 years of age by the application deadline of September 30, 2026, and should be in the early stages of their career/practice. For example, an eligible artist may have completed an apprenticeship with a mentor artist and now wishes to pursue ongoing learning to deepen their knowledge and skills. South Arts will prioritize applicants who have not had access to high-quality professional development opportunities in the past.

To be eligible, you do not need to rely on your traditional art form as your primary source of income, but you should demonstrate a high level of commitment to your art form and an understanding of its history/role within your community. “Community” may mean your family, the geographic area where you live, a religious/worship group, a group of other traditional artists, etc.

Eligible Counties
You must be a current, legal resident of one of the following counties OR a member of a state or federally recognized tribe for a period of at least two years prior to September 30, 2026.