The Bristol Roots Projectannounced $52,000 in grant awards to folk and traditional artists and cultural organizations working in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. This is the second round of funding for the greater Bristol region made possible byCentral Appalachia Living Traditions, a program ofMid-Atlantic Arts.
The Tradition Bearer Fellowship supports individuals in their creative practices by providing financial support, professional developmentand public presentation opportunities. Eight $4,000 fellowships have been awarded, representing a $32,000 direct investment in area individuals at different stages of their careers. These fellowships help sustain local traditional arts while raising broad awareness of the quality and value of the region's traditional culture. Fellows participate in various professional development, presentation, and showcase opportunities during the one-year grant period.
2025 Bristol Roots Tradition Bearers Fellows are:
Benjamin Casteel, Seed Saving & Song-Keeping (Washington Co., Va.)
Amanda Lee Slaughter, Basketry (Wythe Co., Va.)
Jen Otey, Pottery (Wythe Co., Va.)
Mark Archibald, Handweaving (Smyth Co., Va.)
Amanda Sprinkle, Basketry (Washington Co., Va.)
Autumn Roe, Mixed Media Storytelling (Sullivan Co., Tenn.)
Miciah Connors, Windsor Chairmaking & Traditional Green Woodworking (Scott Co., Va.)
Eugene Wolf, Storytelling & Music (Washington Co., Va.)
The Cultural Caretakers Grant is designed to support local organizations, venues, and cultural sites. It focuses on small-scale, largely volunteer-run entities that have difficulty accessing typical sources of public and private funding. Four qualifying community organizations or venues with significant capacity-building or general operating needs have been granted awards up to $5,000 each, representing a $20,000 investment in community cultural infrastructure.
Awardees include:
Settlers Museum Foundation (Smyth Co., Va.)
Museum of Middle Appalachians, The Saltville Foundation (Smyth Co., Va.)
Tanasi Arts & Heritage Center (Unicoi Co., Tenn.)
Philippi Missionary Baptist Church/Odd Fellows Cemetery (Carter Co., Tenn.)
The Bristol Roots Project is a collective of three regional cultural organizations:Birthplace of Country Music Museum, serving as the community anchor venue, theVirginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities, andCreate Appalachia. By providing targeted resources and support to area organizations, artists, artisansand collectives, this project seeks to dramatically increase the sustainability and visibility of traditional practice, cultural knowledgeand vitality in the Greater Bristol community. Bristol Roots is made possible through an initiative by Mid Atlantic Arts through the Central Appalachia Living Traditions program.
For more information on this year's and future funding opportunities, visitBirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org/museum/special-projects/bristol-roots-projector reach out directly via email toBristolRootsProject@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.
