Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), has awarded $40,000 to traditional artists in the state. The funding supports the sharing of folklife skills from a master to an artist-in-training during a one-year teaching period. Ten grants of $4,000 each have been awarded for the 2019-2020 granting period to the “apprenticeship” teams listed below, with master artists named first.
- Nuri Auger & Stacy Stube (Baltimore City): Indonesian kebaya (garment) making
- Rosie Bowen & Adriana Bowen Herrera (Baltimore County): Lumbee chicken and pastry making
- Trisha Gupta (Montgomery County) & Bonnie Gardner (Prince George’s County): Rajasthani woodblock design and fabric printing
- Lauren Kingsland & Cathy Fink (Montgomery County): Story quilt making
- Donna Long & Mikela Murphy (Baltimore City): Irish traditional fiddling
- Lisa Null (Montgomery County) & Peter Brice (Anne Arundel County): British and Irish traditional singing
- Andrei Pidkivka & John Andrew Campion (Montgomery County): Ukrainian sopilka(flute) playing
- John B. Sotomayor (Prince George’s County) & Crystal Rivera (Frederick County): Puerto Rican bomba and plena percussion
- Sylvia G. Stephens & Aya F. Majeed (Prince George’s County): Pieced quilt making
- John VanAlstine & Carleigh Maness (Anne Arundel County): Bill net and pound net making
Maryland Traditions has offered these type of skill and artistic development awards annually since 2004, in keeping with a time-honored practice in which an experienced individual shares her or his expertise with a learner, usually younger, in an effort to keep traditional arts and practices vital and current. Applications are accepted in winter, with awards disbursed the following summer. As part of their work, each artist-trainee team participates in a photo shoot and recorded interview to document their activities. This year’s awardees will also perform or demonstrate their traditions as part of the 2020 National Folk Festival in Salisbury.
