Press Release

Contact: Sheryl Hayes
Sheryl@virginia.edu
www.virginiafoundation.org
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
145 Ednam Drive Charlottesville, VA
22903-4629
PH: 434-924-3296
FAX: 434-296-4714
For Immediate Release

Date: 9/27/06   (Photos Available upon Request)

Virginia Folklife Program at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Announces new Folklife Apprenticeship teams

The Virginia Foundation for Humanities (VFH) has named the recipients of the 2006-2007 Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship awards. Eight groups of Master-Apprenticeship teams will help preserve a folkway unique to Virginia which has shaped and will continue to shape Virginia in the future. The nine month period of exchange will culminate in a showcase next September, in which each group will share the creative and inspiring results of the apprenticeship with the public.

2006-2007 Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Teams:

• Master Flatpick Guitarist Scott Fore and Apprentice Cheryl Lunsford of Radford
• Tobacco Auctioneer Master Bob Cage and Apprentice Jim Crawford of Halifax County
• Traditional Fiber Arts Master Sandra Bennett and Apprentice Linda Wright of Tazewell County
• Bluegrass Singing Master Linda Lay and Apprentice Lea Strickland of Winchester
• Hewn Log House Construction and Pioneer Crafts Master Charles McRaven and Apprentices Willy Lehmann and Daniel Malcolm of Albemarle County
• Automobile Pinstriping Master Tom VanNortwick and Apprentice Andrew Elder of Henry County
• Mandolin Master Herschel Sizemore and Apprentice Spencer Blankenship of Roanoke
• Old Regular Baptist Hymn Singing Master Reverend Frank Newsome of Buchanan County

Selected from around the state, the Program pairs an experienced master artist with an eager apprentice for a one-on-one, nine-month learning experience, in order to help ensure that a particular art form is passed on in ways that are conscious of history and faithful to tradition. 
These master artists were selected from an open competition for applicants in all forms of Virginia’s traditional, expressive culture. The master artist is one who has achieved a high level of skill in the particular traditional art form, who is regarded as a master of the craft by his/her peers, and who has learned and developed his/her skill within its traditional context. The apprentice is one who has demonstrated an interest and proficiency in the art form prior to the apprenticeship, and who shows a sincere commitment to learning the nuances of the tradition, and carrying the tradition on into the future.

Therefore the apprenticeships accomplish more than the teaching and learning of a particular craft or skill.  During the apprenticeship period, the master artist and apprentice enter into a mutually enriching relationship, cultural and personal, connecting both to lessons and memories from the past and shared visions for the future. 

The Folklife Apprenticeship Program is an important initiative of the Virginia Folklife Program (VFP).  The Virginia Folklife Program documents, presents, and supports Virginia’s living cultures, traditions, and folkways.  The VFP is a program of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, a statewide organization created in 1974 to develop the civic, cultural, and intellectual life of the Commonwealth by creating learning opportunities for all Virginians.

The purpose of the VFH is to bring the humanities fully into Virginia's public life, assisting individuals and communities in their efforts to understand the past, confront important issues in the present, and shape a promising future. The Foundation brings together people from across the Commonwealth with differing backgrounds and viewpoints--interested citizens, scholars, community leaders, and experts from many fields--creating an environment in which new ideas are encouraged and new ways of thinking are possible. For more on the Foundation visit www.virginiafoundation.org.

For more information, please call the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities at 434-924-3296 or visit www.virginiafolklife.org.

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