Announcing the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program 2023/24 Cohort
Vermont Folklife is pleased to announce the cohort of mentor and apprenticeship artists comprising the 32nd cycle of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP)!
With funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Vermont Arts Council, Vermont Folklife 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. We were pleased to receive an unusually high number and quality of applications this year. 18 projects were successfully funded and we look forward to following the artists and their work throughout the upcoming year.
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 mentor 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 18 successful applicants of the 2023 - 2024 program cycle are listed here:
Traditional White Ash Basketmaking - Jeffery Gale / Emerson Gale
Anglo-American Unaccompanied Ballad Singing - Lorraine Hammond / Grant Cook
Scottish Dance and Fiddle - Joanne Garton / Fiona Stowell
Judaic Ritual Weaving - Carol Goldsmith / Adina Daar
Haitian Painting/Drawing Techniques - Julio Desmont / Jacqueline Posley
Granite Carving - Heather Milne Ritchie / Becky Lovely
Nepali Sarangi Instruction - Shyam Nepali / Brian Perkins
Contra Dance Musicianship - Brian Perkins / Liam Taylor McCallum
Burundian Dance and Song - Delice Birasa / Aline Mukiza
Burundian Dance - Yvonne Nigena / Club Amataha
Tibetan Dranyen, Singing, and Dancing - Migmar Tsering / Students of Rolyang Lobling
Traditional Fiddle Playing - Laurel Swift / Emma Taylor McCallum
Nepali Sarangi in Vermont - Brian Perkins / Burlington Sarangi Club students
Traditional Nepali Doko (Basket) Making - Bidur Rai / apprenticeship group
Manglang & Kelang Traditional Limbu Dances (Kirat Nepali) - Hangma Rani Lhoksham / apprenticeship group
Sakela Traditional Rai Dance (Kirat Nepali) - Tak Bahadur Rai / apprenticeship group
Western Abenaki ash splint and sweetgrass fancy basket making - Sherry Gould / Vera Sheehan
Knotting (Abenaki fiber art) - Vera Sheehan / Sherry Gould
In the coming months Vermont Folklife will share documentation and news related to these extraordinary projects. Stay tuned on our website, podcast, Facebook, and Instagram to follow their progress.