Company of Folk

07/02/2025

Ready to turn your ideas into action? 🌟 Join us for a welcoming, hands-on Grant Application Workshop—get expert tips, connect with your creative community, and take the next step toward funding your dreams! See you there !
📅 July 3: Jacoby Arts Center, Alton | 12:30–1:30 PM
📅 July 5: Jacksonville Public Library | 10–11 AM
📅 July 5: Champaign Public Library | 3–4 PM

03/06/2025

Join us for "Forgottonia, An Intimate Portrait of Rural Illinois" by Chris Vallillo
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Forgottonia features music Chris wrote over the last 35 years about Western Illinois based on his experiences as a folklorist and songwriter in rural Illinois. Vallillo has spent the past 35 years documenting and preserving the heritage of Western Illinois: the land lovingly called Forgottonia.

The show combines music, storytelling, and historically accurate narratives. Along with the performance, Vallillo will speak to the history and backstories of songs that document, reflect, and validate rural lives, reinforcing these communities’ sense of commitment and worth.
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��Interested? Make sure to visit TinyURL.com/FORGOTTONIA to get FREE tickets! See you there! :🎉⁠
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Hosted by Company of Folk⁠
Made possible by support from the Illinois Humanities⁠
Held at The World Music Foundation Listening Room
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March 23, 2025⁠
3:00pm⁠
1066 W Granville Ave, Chicago, IL 60660⁠⁠⁠⁠
Chris Vallillo (music) Illinois Humanities

12/23/2024

Are you a community builder?
Are you interested in learning the powerful skill of storytelling 🗣️ ⁠
Join us for “Our Words, Our Truths”, a workshop with Dr. Ada Cheng. ⁠
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In this interactive circle, she will be sharing her story as an Asian American immigrant and demonstrating how we can use personal stories to critically reflect urgent social issues of our time, such as racism, xenophobia, gender-based violence, etc. ⁠
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��Interested? Make sure to visit TinyURL.com/1-12-25 to get FREE tickets! See you there! :🎉⁠
⁠
Hosted by Company of Folk⁠
Made possible by Illinois Humanities⁠
Held at The World Music Foundation Listening Room
⁠
January 12, 2025⁠
3:00pm⁠
1066 W Granville Ave, Chicago, IL 60660⁠⁠⁠⁠

11/10/2024

10/25/2023

We love meeting passionate artists dedicated to sharing their art!

I had the honor to visit with some special folks over the weekend, the founder of The World Music Foundation in Chicago. John and his wife Christi not only promote musical diversity across the world, but also the arts.
Very interesting folks with an interesting mission!

10/21/2023

ILLINOIS ARTS COUNCIL AGENCY ANNOUNCES 2024 MASTER/APPRENTICE PROGRAM

APPLICATION/GUIDELINES NOW AVAILABLE
The Illinois Arts Council Agency (IACA) is pleased to announce the opening of the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) Master/Apprentice Program. The application is open in the Illinois Arts Council’s online Salesforce system and has a deadline of December 1, 2023, at 11:59 PM central time and the awards will be announced in the spring of 2024.

The Ethnic and Folk Arts Master/Apprentice Program (MAP) acknowledges and supports the mentoring relationship that develops between a master artist and their apprentice over time by supporting these individuals as they seek to preserve traditional practices important to their community, heritage, and identity. Ethnic, folk, and traditional arts and practices are the bedrock of artistic and cultural communities. They provide meaningful ways for individuals to connect with their past and build bridges to others and their surroundings in the present.

The MAP award is a fixed amount of $3,000 that is awarded to the master artist. The MAP Program is supported with an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Application Assistance
An online webinar will be held on Friday, October 6, 2023, at 1:00 PM central time. Pre-registration is required: Registration Link. The webinar will be recorded and available for viewing.

Also, IACA staff are available via two scheduled drop-in video meetings to answer any questions on the MAP program or the online grant system. You do not need to pre-register, simply click the link at the time of the meeting to join the call via WebEx:
Drop-in session #1: Friday, October 27, 2023, 3:00 PM central time.
Drop-in session #2: Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 3:00 PM central time.
CHECK THE MAP GUIDELINES FOR THE DROP-IN LINKS!

Additionally, IACA Master/Apprentice Program consultant John Gardner will host an in-person MAP application workshop on Friday, October 20, 2023, 1:00 PM central time at Artisans Off Main, 310 E. Main Street, Belleville, Illinois. Contact John Gardner, [email protected] for more info.

For more information and assistance visit: https://arts.illinois.gov/MAP

06/27/2023

FREE Grant Workshop For Illinois Artists 🪕🧵🎨

Join us on July 1st at Artisans off Main in Belleville, IL, for an Artist Grant Workshop hosted by John Gardner, Director of Company of Folk. This workshop aims to provide valuable insights and guidance on writing successful grant applications for the Ethnic and Folk Arts Master Apprentice Program (MAP).

The MAP grant offers $3000 support for one-on-one instruction from a master artist to an apprentice, focusing on preserving and perpetuating the rich heritage of folk and traditional arts across Illinois.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn more about the grant and enhance your chances of securing funding for your artistic journey. For further details, contact John Gardner at [email protected].

06/27/2023

Is this for you? Next Saturday, we will be hosting this informational seminar about grants available to Artists. We hope to see you there.

10/18/2022

FREE Grant Workshop For Artists in GALENA, IL🪕🧵🎨
John Gardner, Director of Company of Folk, is hosting an Artist Grant Workshop at the newly renovated Galena Center of the Arts on October 26, 2022, at 4 pm. This event will help inform artists of the skills necessary to write a successful grant through the Ethnic and Folk Arts Master Apprentice Program (MAP). The grant specifically supports one-on-one instruction from a master artist to an apprentice of their choosing, with the goal of preserving and perpetuating the many important folks and traditional arts practiced throughout Illinois. For more information, contact John Gardener at [email protected]

10/18/2022

FREE Grant Workshop For Artists in Springfield, IL🎨🧵🪕
John Gardner, Director of Company of Folk, is hosting an Artist Grant Workshop at the Springfield Art Association on October 27, 2022, at 6 pm. This event will help inform artists of the skills necessary to write a successful grant through the Ethnic and Folk Arts Master Apprentice Program (MAP). The grant specifically supports one-on-one instruction from a master artist to an apprentice of their choosing, with the goal of preserving and perpetuating the many important folks and traditional arts practiced throughout Illinois. For more information, contact John Gardener at [email protected]

02/10/2022

The 62nd Annual University of Chicago Folk Festival is coming up and folk icon Ella Jenkins will be celebrated with a free virtual workshop on February 12, 2022 at 12 p.m. CST. The workshop will be hosted by Tim Ferrin and Maria McCullough and they will be discussing their work on Ella Jenkins: We'll Sing a Song Together. Stories, film clips, and songs celebrating her will also be presented, so visit the link for more information on how to sign up.
http://www.uofcfolk.org/workshops.shtml?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-uofcfolklore&utm_content=later-24239799&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio