The Native Arts and Cultures Foundation’s Mentor Artist Fellowship recognizes established American Indian and Alaska Native artists of ten years or more who wish to engage in a one-year mentorship of an American Indian or Alaska Native emerging artist apprentice geared towards strengthening the artistic skill and evolution of creativity among Native artists.
The new group of 2018 Mentor Artist Fellows and their chosen apprentices recently participated in a two-day training and program kick-off organized by the NACF in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May 2018, and began their twelve-month mentorship on July 1. The mentorship will culminate in a joint mentor/apprentice art project to demonstrate the power of mentoring to promote Native arts and cultural revitalization and perpetuation. The 2018 Mentor Artist Fellow/Apprentice pairs are as follows:
CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTS
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- Jason Garcia (Santa Clara Pueblo Tewa) will mentor David Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo) in various printmaking techniques with a focus on serigraphy-silkscreen printing. He will also teach Naranjo fine-art framing skills and exhibition preparation, as well as engage him in local art communities.
- Kathleen Carlo Kendall (Koyukon Athabascan) will teach apprentice Chris Ehler (Diné) carving methods to help him develop his own wood sculptures. In addition, the pair will work on Karlo-Kendall’s upcoming exhibition projects, through which Ehler will learn about exhibition preparation, curation, and documentation, among other things.
- Will Wilson (Citizen of the Navajo Nation) will collaborate with apprentice Samantha Tracy (Diné) to develop two series of his existing work. He will focus on sharing his artistic and professional processes with Tracy, from conceptual development to the manifestation of an exhibition.
TRADITIONAL ARTS
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- Aurolyn Renee Stwyer (Celilo-Warm Springs/Wasco) will teach apprentice Joie Simtustus (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs) the intricacies of beading a complete set of traditional horse regalia.
- Bryan Akipa (Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux Tribe) will pass on to apprentice Aaron Erdrich (Sisseton Wahpeton, Turtle Mountain) the knowledge, stories, and wisdom of traditional red cedar bark flute making and traditional flute playing.
- Lily Hope (Tlingit) will pass on every aspect of Chilkat weaving to apprentice Anastasia Hobson-George (Tlingit), from the spiritual and emotional beliefs that surround it, to the gathering and preparation of traditional materials, to the completion of a Chilkat weaving.
- Lisa Telford (Haida) will teach apprentice Cathy MacGregor (Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe) the entire process of cedar bark weaving, from pulling the bark, to basket weaving, to the creation of cedar bark clothing. In addition, she will teach MacGregor art business skills, such as research and the marketing and selling of artwork.
- Patrick William Kruse (Red Cliff Band of Superior Chippewa Indians, descendent of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) will collaborate with apprentice Terri Ann Hom (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians) to create birch bark baskets with the incorporation of traditional bead and quillwork.