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Folk and traditional arts are the bedrock of artistic and cultural communities, and Humanities Washington and ArtsWA are pleased to co-sponsor the Center for Washington Cultural Traditions and its Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program, with significant support from the Washington State Legislature. 

Washington State is home to a rich collection of cultural traditions carried on by members of its many communities—from the Indigenous peoples in whose homelands this program takes place, to its most recent immigrants. Practitioners of these traditions enliven and enrich the cultural heritage of both their specific communities and Washington State in general.

Folk and traditional arts and practices provide meaningful ways for individuals to connect with their past, and to build bridges to others and their surroundings, in the present. Yet, because these practices are often learned informally in a one-on-one setting, many traditions are at risk of being lost. 

The Heritage Arts Apprenticeships Program (HAAP) supports individuals seeking to preserve traditional practices important to their community, heritage, and identity. These may include music, dance, visual arts, language practices, verbal arts, traditional skills, foodways, occupational arts, storytelling and much more, and are learned within communities that share family, ethnic, tribal, regional, occupational, or religious identity. The program provides a supportive mentoring environment, networking opportunities, as well as important professional and leadership skills. To date, over 100 Master/Apprentice pairs have participated in the program (explore past apprenticeship teams here). 

Full Program description and guidelines can be found here.

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For more information, contact

Thomas Grant Richardson (he/him) 
CWCT Director 
thomas@humanities.org  
206-682-1770 x107  

Violeta Martin (she/her/ella) – Hablo español 
Program Manager  
violeta@humanites.org  
206-682-1770 x 111 

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The Washington State Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program is funded through the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and funding from the Washington State Legislature through ArtsWA/the Washington State Arts Commission.

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(Photo: Learning to tie nautical knots. Photo by Dale Chumbley via Flickr)