(BALTIMORE, MD) -- Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation (MAAF) has announced the the launch of the Folk and Traditional Arts Touring Network (FTAN) - a presenter based membership network designed to bolster the presentation of folk and traditional arts in the region through public performances and multi-day community residencies. FTAN strengthens MAAF's mission of advancing arts access and participation while providing artists and practitioners with new opportunities. The program is made possible through the generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
MAAF Executive Director Theresa Colvin commented, "The mid-Atlantic region is home to many vibrant forms of cultural expression. It is our hope that through this new network, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation will further raise the visibility and appreciation for these living traditions, the communities in which they live, and the practitioners that pass them on to future generations."
For the pilot program, applications for membership were accepted by invitation only, and include:
Pilot program member Lynn Creamer, of Carnegie Hall in West Virginia, said "Carnegie Hall looks forward to new programming opportunities and partnerships we anticipate creating through our membership in Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's Folk and Traditional Arts Touring Network. Through our involvement with the FTAN we will be able provide in-depth explorations of various cultures to our rural Appalachian audience."
Starting in the fall of 2018, new members will be selected on an annual basis through an open, competitive selection process. Mid-Atlantic region (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, USVI, VA, and WV) non-profit presenters are eligible to participate in the program. FTAN prioritizes participation by presenters that work in and with communities underserved by the arts. Once selected, membership in the program is ongoing contingent upon meeting annual participation requirements.
FTAN members will select from tour options developed by a programming committee that have been customized to meet members' interests and community engagement goals. Touring artists and practitioners will represent a range of genres, career experience, and cultural backgrounds. Supported tours will include public performances and/or presentations and a multi-day residency project. A cultural specialist will travel with each tour to facilitate audience, community, and presenter engagement and to provide cultural context for performance and other activities. Folk and traditional artists and practitioners participating in the program will receive career relevant professional development and industry standard marketing materials.
MAAF has partnered with the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) to facilitate collaborative planning between FTAN members and touring artists and tradition bearers. NCTA will provide both artists and members with administrative tour support.
FTAN joins a long list of MAAF programs celebrating regional and national folk and traditional arts and practitioners, including: the Folk Arts Outreach Projects, the Delmarva Folklife Project and the award-winning audio tour From Bridge to Boardwalk, An Audio Journey Across Maryland's Eastern Shore, Appalachian Views Traveling Exhibit, the Monthly Folk Arts Forum, and MAAF's touring programs which regularly include folk and traditional artists among their offerings and supported engagements.
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation develops partnerships and programs that reinforce artists' capacity to create and present work and advance access to and participation in the arts. The Foundation was created in 1979 and is a private non-profit organization that is closely allied with the region's state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. It combines funding from state and federal resources with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to address needs in the arts from a regional, national, and international perspective.
PHOTO: Nat Reese performing at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, VA through Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation’s Folk Arts Outreach Program in 2011. Photo by Josh Kohn.
