Secretary Detzner Announces the Selection of Three Master Folk Artists

Secretary of State Ken Detzner today announced the selection of three Florida folk artists to serve as masters in the 2014–15 Florida Folklife Apprenticeship Program. The chosen artists are Afro-Cuban drummer Kenneth Burney (Miami), who has been teaching internationally for over 40 years and worked with Miles Davis and Quincy Jones; Haitian drummer Louinès Louinis (Pembroke Pines), recipient of the Special Achievement Award from the American Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Greek bouzouki player Leonidas Zafiris (Holiday), well known internationally for his work with the top vocalists in Greece for over 25 years.

 “These three master folk artists help ensure the survival of important aspects of Florida’s heritage by teaching their crafts to apprentices,” said Secretary Detzner.  “Folk arts, such as crafts, music, dance, storytelling, and occupational arts, are a reflection of our cultural traditions and diversity.”

 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 valued, traditional art form. 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 community that sustains the tradition. The next deadline for applications to the Folklife Apprenticeship Program is May 15, 2015.

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 flheritage.com/preservation/folklife/apprenticeship, or write to the Florida Folklife Program, Division of Historical Resources,

500 S. Bronough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250, or call 850.245.6427 or 1.800.847.PAST.

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About the Florida Department of State’s Florida Folklife Program

The Florida Folklife Program, a component of the Florida Department of State's Division of Historical Resources, documents and presents Florida’s folklife, folklore and folk arts. The program coordinates a wide range of activities and projects designed to increase the awareness of Floridians and visitors alike about Florida’s traditional culture. Established in 1979 by the legislature to document and present Florida folklife, the program is one of the oldest state folk arts programs in the nation. For more information visit flheritage.com/preservation/folklife/.