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Wisconsin Arts Board clarifies stance on reenactment and culture‑bearers in grant applications
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Summary
WAB staff addressed applicant questions about whether reenactment or historical interpretation is eligible for funding and recommended framing work by tradition bearers differently than reenactment to avoid appropriation concerns.
At a Wisconsin Arts Board applicant webinar, staff responded to questions about whether the board funds reenactment projects and how panelists assess potential cultural appropriation.
When asked whether reenactment is eligible, Caitlin, a Wisconsin Arts Board staff member, said, “I don't remember anything that says that we don't fund reenactment,” and pointed applicants to the board’s website for specific language. Staff emphasized that the board distinguishes between reenactment that risks cultural appropriation and performances by culture bearers or tradition carriers.
Why this matters: applicants working with folk, traditional or historical practices must show how their project respects cultural ownership and avoids appropriation. Staff advised applicants to clarify how artists are connected to the traditions they present so panelists can evaluate whether the project is cultural transmission rather than appropriative performance.
Staff guidance
• Context and documentation: Staff told applicants to describe whether performers are culture bearers (living practitioners of a tradition) and to provide context that explains how the work aligns with community practices.
• Panel expectations: Framing and documentation that demonstrate community connection or indigenous/cultural authority reduce panel concerns. One staff member suggested applicants “frame it that way, I think, would be… for the panel to say, okay. We're not concerned.”
• Examples: Staff used storytellers and Sami artists as examples of traditional practitioners who would generally not raise appropriation concerns when presented as culture bearers rather than as reenactors.
Ending
Staff recommended that applicants consult the Wisconsin Arts Board website for language about folk and traditional arts and, when in doubt, explain artists’ cultural relationships in the application or in support materials.
