Press Releases 2005
Apprentice Wizardry
CONTACT: Janet Peterson, Marketing and Public RelationsDirector
TEL: (856) 825-6800, Ext. 108
FAX: (856) 825-2410
E-MAIL: jpeterson@wheatonvillage.org
There are 98 items on display that show not only extraordinary talent in a variety of art forms and media, but also illustrate the richness of the cultural diversity in New Jersey. There are 32 artists who represent 19 different ethnic and regional communities.
The exhibition was created in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program that began in 1994 under the auspices of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts with the initial help of the National Endowment for the Arts. Since then, the folk arts apprenticeship program has awarded over a quarter of a million dollars in grants to more than 100 folk artists who are tradition bearers for over 90 cultures that exist in the state.
Folk arts and crafts are those that are traditionally learned as part of the lifestyle of a community whose members share an identity based upon ethnic origin, religion, occupation or geographical region. Highly varied, these traditions are shaped by the aesthetics and values of the community and are passed from generation to generation.The master-apprentice relationship epitomizes those traditions. Among the Folklife Center exhibits are African-American Dolls made by Bernice Gasaway of Piscataway and her apprentice, Shirley Elliott- Banks, herself a grandmother who began making the dolls in 1988. The similarities between the two women's works: the simplicity of cloth and design common to Gasaway's Floral Dress Quilted Coat figure and Elliott-Bank's Old Southern Mammy; and the more sophisticated appearance of the two ethereal dance figures created by both teacher and pupil.
Veteran decoy carver Fred Reitmeyer Jr., a Pomona resident, is a master teacher in the New Jersey Council On the Arts Apprenticeship program. Displayed with some of his prize-winning exhibits are those of his apprentice Nancee Jo Luciani of Toms River. A similar master-apprenticeship bond exists between the Native American master drum maker Herbert C. Pierce and apprentice William Mosley, both members of New Jersey’s Lenni-Lenape Nanticoke tribe.
Many displays are devoted to ethnic traditions that originated in other countries. Apprentice Sirje Geddis, who emigrated from Estonia as a teenager, returned to her roots to learn the art of Finnish Ryja rugs that use a variety of materials to create shaggy colorful patterns. Her master was Elise Uiga who was born in Estonia in 1915 and made rugs there before immigrating to the United States after World War II.
Sometimes it is hard to tell who is the apprentice and who is the master. Take the three examples of the Puerto Rican guitar-like instrument called the cuatro. One model, made of cedar in a traditional guitar shape with a fairly simple circular inlay around its sound box, was made by Diomedez Matos, known as Yomi. The other two, narrower and much more elaborately inlaid, are made by his apprentice Richard J. "Richie" Martinez of Nutley.
Some of the folk artists connect traditions in their works and create forms that speak of talent and sensitivity. There are several examples of Guatemalan weavings created by the master artist Armando Sosa and some of them were inspired by Florentine designs. He entitled one of his pieces, “Mayan/Italian Harmony,” to tell us about this connection and to show us possible modern interpretations of the traditional patterns, symbolism and designs.
Among other displays are those of the Chinese Knotting designs created by Mann-Lih Huang, Jean Liu and her apprentice Rose Ng, Andrea Dalessandro’s Rug Hooking, Bengalese Ritual Decorative Painting by Dhriti Bagci, Jamaican Pottery by Merline Rhoden, Pinelands Region Basketry represented by the works of Mary May and Debra Simpson, and Japanese doll making by Fusaye Kazaoka. On display are master works in Palestinian embroidery by Hanan Karaman Munayyer and in Kutchi embroidery by Alpa Thakkar. The works of the master Ameurfina Nazario and her apprentice Altavis Erz explain the Baybayin: Writing in Pre-Hispanic Philippines as well as the art of Mandala and Batik painting represented by Ritu Pandya.
Some of the folk artists have established connections with their countries of origin. Eudokia Sorochaniuk and Vera Nakonechny have worked together for a long time in Ukrainian Weaving and Nyzynka embroidery (Hutsul region), but Vera also does studies in these art forms in Ukraine.
Nakonechny says, “Several times I traveled to Ukraine to research traditional Ukrainian embroidery designs. Visiting the museums, I found that many people there had no knowledge of their regional embroidery techniques, patterns and styles, as they were lost or corrupted under the USSR. It was then that I realized that the Ukrainians living in the United States would have to return to teach traditional Ukrainian embroidery to those living in Ukraine.”
The Down Jersey Folklife Center is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m. It is open Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wheaton Village strives to ensure the accessibility of its exhibitions, events and programs to all persons with disabilities. Call two weeks in advance for special accommodations.
The Down Jersey Folklife Center programs are supported in part, by grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment of the Arts and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the National Park Service. The Center is further supported by residents and groups with an interest in the traditional art and culture of southern New Jersey. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
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