Arts Council funds folk artist apprenticeship program

Ten master folk artists from around the state will pass on their specialized knowledge and skills to students during the next year with funding from the Folk Arts Apprenticeship program at the Nevada Arts Council.

The teachers are masters in such diverse arts as saddlemaking, willow basketry, Japanese taiko drumming and Shoshone sagebrush clothing.

Apprenticeships are designed to encourage the teaching and preservation of traditional art forms, such as crafts, music and dance, within ethnic, occupational and cultural groups.

A master is an acknowledged expert in his or her art and the students have already shown interest and skill in the art form before being selected. Since 1988 the council has funded 71 apprenticeships through the program.

"Nevada has a tremendous variety of traditional arts that have been passed down and share in communities for hundreds of years, whether the artists are indigenous to the state or new arrivals," said Andrea Graham, who coordinates the Folk Arts Program for the Arts Council. "We're pleased to be able to help support and encourage those arts so they can continue to thrive."

This year's 10 apprenticeships were selected from 24 applications. The apprenticeships are:

-- Amy Barber of Markleeville, Calif., to teach Washoe willow basketry to Dawat'la'ume' Fillmore and Laura Fillmore of Gardnerville.

-- Elizabeth Brady to teach Shoshone braided rug making to Dietta Espinoza; both are from Elko.

-- Fred Buckmaster to teach saddlemaking to Ralph James Shoshone; both are from Fallon.

--Michelle Gibbons of Henderson to teach flamenco dance to Ramona Esparza of North Las Vegas.

-- Virgene Hardy of Ft. Hall, Idaho, to teach Shoshone round dance songs to Grayson Huitt of McDermitt.

-- Joseph Lavadour of Reno to teach Plateu Indian basketry to Kathleen Thomson of Sun Valley.

-- Mitchell Maes to teach Shoshone buckskin tanning to Virginia Sanchez; both live in Duckwater.

-- Doug Muraoka to teach Japanese taiko drumming to Karen Tanaka; both are from Las Vegas.

-- Laura Saunders of Yomba to teach the making of Shoshone sagebrush clothing to Brenda Hooper and Jeanette Losh of Fallon.

-- Rudolfo Soriano of San Francisco to teach Filipino dance to Virginia Anthony and Vicenta Lincicome of Carson City.

A total of $23,200 will fund fees for the 10 masters, as well as tools, materials and travel costs. The teams will work together from July through February of 2001.

The Nevada Folk Arts Apprenticeship program is funded by the State of Nevada and the National Endowment for the Arts. Apprenticeships are awarded annually; for information contact Andrea Graham, (775) 687-6680 or by e-mail at amgraham@clan.lib.nv.us.