Wyoming Arts Council Announces 2026 Folk & Traditional Arts Mentoring Project Grant Recipients

The Wyoming Arts Council is pleased to announce seven projects have been approved for funding through the 2026 Folk & Traditional Arts Mentoring Project Grant program.

Grant recipients include:

• Adrianna Hinds will teach Anabelle Hinds, both of Cheyenne, the art of basketry.
• Chris Amos will teach Jolene Velarde (Acoma Pueblo/Eastern Shoshone), both of Riverton, the art of bladesmithing.
• DaleRae Green (Eastern Shoshone) will teach Dionne Ferris (Eastern Shoshone), both of Fort Washakie, the art of regalia beadwork.
• Jane Nordgren Hollon will teach Amy Hollon, both of Laramie, the art of Swedish nålbinding.
• Melissa L. Bautz will teach Elisabetha Olsson and Juliet Whitmore, all of Lander, the art of Scottish Highland bagpipes.
• Salem Ynostrosa (Northern Arapaho) of Arapahoe will teach Juwan Willow (Northern Arapaho) of Ethete the art of rawhide drum making.
• Vicki Giles (Eastern Shoshone) of Fort Washakie will teach Darcia Pingree (Eastern Shoshone) of Casper the art of beadwork.

The Folk & Traditional Arts Mentoring Project Grant supports the continuation of Wyoming’s folk and traditional arts through in-person, hands-on instruction between a mentor artist and apprentice. A mentor artist works with a dedicated apprentice from their community to mentor over the course of the project in order to advance the skills of the apprentice in their traditional art form. Funded projects will take place between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027.

“Folk and traditional arts are important points of community connection in Wyoming and are often learned and passed down between family members, neighbors, and community members,” said Josh Chrysler of the Wyoming Arts Council. “We are excited to support the individuals who are maintaining these important traditions by teaching and learning them through the Folk & Traditional Arts Mentoring Project Grant.”

Applications are submitted jointly by mentor artists and apprentices, reviewed by a panel of experts, with recommendations approved by the Wyoming Arts Council Board.

The 2026 review panel included Alvonia McElroy, deputy director of the Northern Arapaho Tribal Historic Preservation Office in Riverton; Amy Erickson, bit and spur maker and previous grant recipient from Evanston; Brad McMullen, folklife specialist with the Nevada Arts Council in Las Vegas, Nevada; and Brie Blasi, public historian with the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

For more information, contact Josh Chrysler, folklorist and health and wellness specialist with the Wyoming Arts Council, at (307) 256-2010 or Joshua.Chrysler@wyo.gov. Additional information about the Folk & Traditional Arts Mentoring Project Grant program is available at wyomingartscouncil.org.