Announcing the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program 2022/23 Cohort
The Vermont Folklife Center is pleased to announce the cohort of mentor and student artists comprising the 31st cycle of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP)!
Twelve mentorships will be supported this coming year. With funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont Arts Council, the Center initiated the program in 1992 to support the continued vitality of Vermont's living cultural heritage. VTAAP provides stipends of up to $2,000 to master and apprentice pairs to cover materials and travel expenses associated with their apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships are face-to-face learning opportunities where instruction addresses both the skills and techniques of an art form, as well as its meaning and use within the communities in which it is practiced. They pair a community-recognized master artist who has achieved a high level of expertise in their art form with a less-experienced apprentice.
The mentor and apprentice jointly plan when, where and what they expect to accomplish during the apprenticeship. Apprenticeship schedules reflect the time constraints of both mentor and apprentice, and range from short-term, intensive sessions to meetings spread over a year.
More than 400 apprenticeships have been supported since 1992. The 12 successful applicants of the 2022 - 2023 program cycle are listed here:
Tibetan Dranyen, Singing, and Dancing - Migmar Tsering / Students of Rolyang Lobling
Piano accompaniment for contra dance - Pete Sutherland / Emmett Stowell
Western Abenaki ash splint and sweetgrass fancy basket making - Sherry Gould / Vera Sheehan
Knotting (Abenaki fiber art) - Vera Sheehan / Sherry Gould
Traditional Nepali Harmonium and Singing - Ram Hari Pudel / Isika Niroula
The “Pete Seeger” style of banjo playing - Rik Palieri / Jason Baker
Traditional White Ash Basketmaking - Jeffery Gale / Emerson Gale
Traditional Hand Weaving - Kate Smith / Anne Fernweh
Scottish Dance and Fiddle - Joanne Garton / Fiona Stowell
Afghan Traditional Clothes - Kamila Mashoof / Fatima Mussavie et al
Windsor Chair Making - George Sawyer / Jude Seo
Abenaki Traditional Singing - Don Stevens / Mike Franklin
In the coming months VFC will share documentation and news related to these extraordinary projects. Stay tuned on our website, podcast, Facebook, and Instagram to follow their progress.