Apprenticeship
grants fund a master traditional artist to teach a qualified apprentice in
one-to-one sessions over a period of six to ten months. These grants help
communities preserve their cultural heritage through the learning and passing
on of traditional arts and folklife – including crafts, music, dance, and
foodways - so that future generations can continue to benefit from them. With
the onset of the COVID-19 public health crisis and with its continued prevalence,
some Apprenticeship teams were able to work through the pandemic as they
originally intended while others had to modify or adapt their teaching/learning
methods and materials. Regardless of how they were impacted, Apprenticeship
teams showed their dedication, commitment, and the resiliency needed to pass on
and learn their cultural traditions throughout this ongoing period of
uncertainty.
The
following is a selection from some of our FY21 Apprenticeship Teams on how they
were able to work through the pandemic:
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Swathi Jaisankar at The Geeva Arts
Festival, KY in July 2021. Photo provided by Swathi Jaisankar.
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Swathi
Jaisankar, Apprentice to Master Artist Aishwarya Balasubramanian, Bharatanatyam Dance
“Before the
Pandemic, both Aishwarya Akka and I were already used to having some in person
classes and some online virtual classes, so it was not a huge struggle for us
to switch to full time virtual classes. In person classes are always nicer for
both the teacher and student because we get that face to face interaction and
more time to bond. Also, it's a lot easier to be corrected on steps in person,
where there aren't wifi issues or music lags or cameras cutting out
our hands and legs! However, because Aishwarya Akka and I understand each
other and have worked together virtually in the past, this came very naturally
for the both of us and has not caused any challenges in the learning process.
I
definitely am a bit more aware of making sure I have a good internet connection
before I join class, having a clean space to dance in since it will be on
video, and being prepared with my music and what I will be recording the class
with.”
Fred Dolan,
Master Artist to Apprentice Chris Garcia, Decoy
Carving:
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Red Breasted Merganser Hen by Fred Dolan. Photo submitted by Fred Dolan.
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“Dealing with
Covid made the meetings between Chris and I a definite challenge. We were finally able to manage it fairly well
- actually better than I anticipated. We
began our work totally masked, gloved and distanced. Not an easy task within the small space of my
studio and needing to use tools, band saw, etc.
but for a while it seemed OK. We
did finally have to pause our project for a while as the Covid threat
intensified. We maintained regular
contact via phone, texts and e-mails and concentrated during that time on
research into the history of decoy carving, regional styles, noted carvers both
contemporary and the early masters, a lot of questions and answers on technical
skills, etc. After we were both fully
vaccinated we were able to resume our regular routine with common sense precautions.
What a relief! These events impacted the art process at times and was somewhat
anxiety producing. It also required more
time on both of our parts than we had planned on. But in the end we resumed our rhythm and the
actual work of carving and painting the decoy.
Our project was back on track and has been, despite all this, quite
successful. Chris is an emerging carver and consequently many skills,
especially painting, were new to him. We
both were able to keep a positive attitude and that was important. He is proud
of his accomplishments resulting in a lovely decoy. Maybe a few finishing touches and it will be
complete! We both managed to stay healthy and to enjoy our work together.” |
Blue Ghost by Scott Biron. Photo provided by Scott Biron.
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Scott
Biron, Master Artist to Apprentice Chuck Fritz, Fly Tying:
“The
pandemic posed a challenge, we had some trouble getting materials. Many of the
sources used in the past had no supply to sell. Most of the traditional
streamer hooks are manufactured in England and with the pandemic getting them
and was difficult and the prices were much higher than we expected.
Specialty feather companies we ordered from often were out of what we
needed. We got around these challenges by changing many of the patterns
that we had chosen to tie. We accomplished the same traditional
techniques but used materials we had in my personal inventory. With no
contact other than through zoom, I would mail my apprentice the materials he
needed a week or two ahead of when we needed to use them.
Having
been a teacher for over 20 years I always operated under the "adjust we must” philosophy.
What I found was that each class was more about what we could accomplish
and not what challenges the pandemic created. One thing that was very
clear was to maintain a routine of how each class would roll out.
That helped my apprentice know what to expect and how to be prepared.”
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Braided Rug by Laura Price. Photo provided by Laura Price.
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Laura Price, Apprentice to Master Artist Dr. Misty Batchelder, Rug Braiding:
“Misty and
I think alike on the coronavirus issue and weren't troubled with meeting
in person as originally planned. The only thing that affected us was the change
in start time from November to January. It was a wonderful experience and in a
couple weeks we are doing our community demonstration! I'm looking forward to
it!
In
our case it was especially needed to meet in person as our art form isn't one
that can be learned virtually. Hands-on learning time and the ability for
mistakes or issues to be seen in person to be corrected was vital.”
To learn more information about the Traditional Arts
Apprenticeship grants program, please visit: https://www.nh.gov/nharts/grants/artists/tradapprenticeships.htm
