The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History is pleased to announce the 28th cohort of the Southern New England Apprenticeship Program for traditional arts (SNEAP). Since 1998, the program has provided funding to mentor artisans, tradition bearers, and culture keepers to support their living heritage practices and pass on their knowledge and skills to dedicated apprentices over 10 months of intensive study.    

This program recognizes the many cultures and communities that are shared across the tri-state area of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The program encourages cross-state connections by supporting artisans and culture keepers to travel, teach, and learn across state lines, and also allows for in-state Connecticut teams. The apprenticeships help participants sustain important cultural heritage arts that contribute to the wellbeing of the ethnic or occupational communities.   

Over 200 skilled traditional arts apprenticeship teams have participated in SNEAP. The Connecticut Museum is pleased to maintain relationships with many  Southern New England communities and has seen former apprentices step up into the mentor role both in their community and in the program. Adding to a rich roster of mentors and apprentices, the Museum is pleased to welcome twelve teams to this year’s cohort:   

• Jun Lin (Ridgefield, CT) and Christine Yuan (Fairfield, CT): Chinese calligraphy   

• Paul Williams (Cranston, RI) and Michael “Huggie” Hudson (North Attleboro, MA): Blues Guitar   

• Song Heng (Cranston, RI) and Sophy Theam (Chelmsford, MA): Roneat (Khmer Xylophone)  

• Eric Dennis (Greenfield, MA) with Ian McCarthy (Danbury, CT) and Alan Curboy (Sturbridge, MA): Chemistry and art of iron bloomery smelting   

• Khalida Marefat (West Hartford, CT) and Emran Marefat (West Hartford, CT): Islamic illumination  

• Ranendra Das (Hamden, CT) and Pavan Kapoor (Orange, CT): Classical Indian Tabla   

• Rick Liegl (South Windsor, CT) and Anne Marie Elder (Granby, CT): 17th Century New England Wood Carving and Joinery   

• Sarada Nori (Glastonbury, CT) and Samiksha Maheswaran (South Windsor, CT): Kuchipudi   

• Yohanna Escamilla (Shelton, CT) and Barbara Arango (Norwalk, CT): Flamenco dance   

• Kaili Chen (Stamford, CT) with Leilani Gao (New Canaan, CT) and Fiona Huang (Stamford, CT): Classical Chinese dance   

• Brendaliz Cepeda (Springfield, MA) and Cinthia Cabrera (Waterbury, CT): the art of Puerto Rican Bomba   

• Kasturi SenBhunia (Manchester, CT) and Pranathi Santosh (Cheshire, CT): Hindustani vocals   

The Southern New England Apprenticeship Program is managed in collaboration with the Mass Cultural Council, the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and independent folklorist Winifred Lambrecht from Rhode Island. The Southern New England Apprenticeship Program is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, and the Connecticut Office of the Arts (DECD). We are especially grateful for additional funding received to support in-state teams during the 2025-2026 cohort. Learn more at www.connecticutmuseum.org/apprenticeship.   

MEDIA CONTACT
Samantha Skeels
Marketing and Communications Manager
sskeels@connecticutmuseum.org
860-969-6089 x105