June 25, 2016

In conjunction with Idaho State Parks and Recreation, the Folk & Traditional Arts Program sponsored a master and apprentice demonstration at the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park in Challis on Saturday, 25 June 2016 from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.

The Idaho Commission on the Arts offers the annual Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program to master artists who desire to perpetuate and pass their skills, knowledge, and traditions onto new generations of artisans. Apprenticeships are a learning partnership between a recognized master artist and a qualified apprentice to continue artistic traditions in a shared community.

In 2016, the Idaho Commission on the Arts awarded the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program to three teams and three separate traditions: Norwegian rosemaling with Joanne Hultstrand (master) and Cheryl Seath, both of Boise; saddlemaking with Gregg McDonald (master and grandfather) and Curtis Waddington, of Paul and Gooding respectively; and rawhide braiding with Jeff Minor (master) and Jim Miller, both of Salmon.

To culminate their apprenticeships, the three teams demonstrated their art, displayed their artwork, and discussed their traditions and experiences with the program. The public was encouraged to engage the artists in their background with the traditions, the creative process, and other questions related to their craft and occupation. The demonstration was free and open to the public.