TALLAHASSEE — Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced the selection of five folk artists to serve as master artists in the 2016-2017 Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program. The chosen artists are Tomás Granado (Webster), Norteño accordion musician; Liliane Nérette Louis (Miami), Haitian storyteller, culinary artist, and herbalist; Bob Pitt (Bradenton), traditional boat builder; Jamal Jones (Jacksonville), freestyle hip hop artist; and Aida Rodriguez (Winter Garden), Puerto Rican bobbin lace maker.

“Florida is home to a diverse body of traditional arts and these five artists are representative of the state’s unique cultural heritage,” said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “The Apprenticeship Program recognizes master artists and apprentices devoted to learning and sharing folk and traditional arts, and ensures the preservation of those art forms for future generations.”

From Left to Right: Tomás Granado, Liliane Nérette Louis, Bob Pitt, Jamal Jones, and Aida Rodriguez

The Department of State’s Folklife Apprenticeship Program fosters the continuation of Florida folk arts by supporting masters who teach selected apprentices. Under the program, each master artist works intensively with one or more apprentices during a period of up to eight months. Program support consists of honoraria to the masters and apprentices to cover expenses for lessons and supplies.

To apply for the Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program, master artists should be known in their community as expert practitioners of a living traditional art form that is considered a valued aspect of that community’s folklife. The Florida Folklife Program defines folklife as the living traditions that are currently practiced and passed down by word of mouth, imitation, or observation over time and space within groups or communities. Each apprentice must have demonstrated an aptitude for, and a commitment to, the art form he or she wishes to study and an involvement with the cultural community that sustains the tradition. The next deadline for applications to the Folklife Apprenticeship Program is May 15, 2017.

The Florida Folklife Program is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Program. For further information about the Department’s Folklife Apprenticeship Program, visit their website, or contact the Florida Folklife Program at (8500 245-6427.