2026-2027 Central Appalachian Living Traditions Folk and Traditional Arts Experiences Grantees Announced
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Image: A fiddle and guitar workshop in Nelsonville, Ohio. Credit: Scotty Hall Photography.
Baltimore – June 25, 2026 – Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachian Living Traditions (CALT) program congratulates the recipients of the 2026-2027 CALT Experiences grants. This program, made possible by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, supports projects and events in the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)-designated counties in Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. Funded projects will encourage broad public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of living traditions and/or grow and disseminate artistic skill and cultural knowledge within the community.
The 2026-2027 grantees are:
Ohio
- Athens City-County Health Department, Athens, OH
Creative Aging Through Folk Arts (CATFA) - Daniel Huang, Athens, OH
Roots & Reckonings: Appalachian Oral Storytelling Workshops and Performance - My Sister’s House, Athens, OH
Piecing Together: Quilt Classes for Survivors of Domestic Violence in Southeast OH - Trillium Project, Portsmouth, OH
The Long Way Home
Virginia
- Appalachian Sustainable Development, Duffield, VA
Wildcrafting Workshops (Duffield, VA) - Blue Ridge Music Center, Galax, VA
Blue Ridge Music Center Backstories: The Stories Behind the Music - Floyd Center for the Arts, Floyd, VA
Fourth Annual Floyd Living Traditions Festival
West Virginia
- Annick Odom, Morgantown, WV
Bringing Ballads from Local Archives to Life: Songs, Crankies, Traveling Traditions, and Community Storytelling at the Morgantown Crankie Festival - Arthurdale Heritage, Arthurdale, WV
Arthurdale Heritage’s Music & Dance 2026-2027 - Cacapon Music and Dance Foundation, Capon Bridge, WV
Capon Bridge Square Dance – Building Up the Music - Innovative Community Solutions, Martinsburg, WV
Appalachian Roots: Porch Songs for Weaver–Gillison - Marshall County Historical Society, Moundsville, WV
Mending the Broken Thread: An Intergenerational Appalachian Fiber Arts Series - Morgan Arts Council, Berkeley Springs, WV
Traditions Alive in our Community - Renewall Inc., Huntington, WV
Storytelling & Song: The Legend of Hawkshaw - RiffRaff Arts Collective, Princeton, WV
Culturefest in Our Communities Year Three: Tracing Roots from West African Rhythm to the Blues - The River House, Capon Bridge, WV
Folk Arts and Music Traditions of the Appalachians - Ruby Daniels-Holland, Beckley, WV
The Afrolachian Herbal Ways Retreat - Sara Loftus, Gauley Bridge, WV
Wool from Fleece to Fabric: A Year in the Fiber Mill - Shepherd University, Huntington, WV
Shepherd University’s 30th Annual Appalachian Heritage Festival - Sistermoon Farm, Shenandoah Junction, WV
Tomato Jam 2026 - Step by Step, Inc., Charleston, WV
West Virginia Dreamers Appalachian Arts and Music Camps
The grant review process was overseen by a panel of folk and traditional artists and arts professionals who have lived and worked in Appalachia. The 2026-2027 panelists were:
- Sheila Arnold – Storyteller, historical consultant (Hampton, VA)
- Teresa Hollingsworth – Folklorist, Grants Manager at Oxford College of Emory University (Oxford, GA)
- Dee Parker – Social impact designer, Founder of Mentorship Matters LLC (Hazard, KY)
- Blaise Reader III – Musician, educator (Pike County, OH)
Learn more about the Central Appalachian Living Traditions Folk and Traditional Arts Experiences program here.
About Mid Atlantic Arts
Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. We combine state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond. To learn more about Mid Atlantic Arts visit www.midatlanticarts.org.
Contact:
Mackenzie Kwok
Communications and Social Media Manager
Mid Atlantic Arts
mkwok@midatlanticarts.org
410.539.6656 x123