Carry it on… Traditional Artists Recognized
Michigan State University’s Museum Michigan Traditional Arts Program has awarded several Carry it on… participants in the Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. The program supports the continuation of traditional folk arts practiced in Michigan that are learned informally from one another in small groups and families — ranging from decoy duck carving and birch bark canoe making to storytelling, mehendi (henna) art application, and regional and ethnic foodways. A master artist works with an apprentice artist in the same community, passing on the skills and knowledge about a particular traditional art.
This year, Carry it on… fiddler Bruce Bauman was named a Master Traditional Artist mentoring apprentice Peggy Mohr and dancers Red Ron LeClear and Marcia Leclear were named Master Traditional Artists mentoring apprentice Jennifer Smith Hamp! Way to go Quackgrass/Rhythm Billie/Palooka Bro and Costabellas! And last year, Carry it on… dancer and Sheila GrazianoMaster Traditional Artist mentored apprentice and Carry it on… dancer Meredith Brown.
The Michigan State University Museum’s Michigan Traditional Arts Program (MTAP), develops and implements programs “to advance cross-cultural understanding in a diverse society through the identification, documentation, preservation, and presentation of the traditional arts and cultural heritage of the state of Michigan.” The activities of the Folk Arts Division to promote awareness, appreciation, and support for Michigan’s traditional cultural resources through research, education, and public service are now coordinated under MTAP.
For more information, or to explore applying next year see http://museum.msu.edu/s-program/mtap/AboutMTAP/