October 8 – December 3, 2020

The Master Artist Apprentice Program (MAAP) is a cooperative partnership between the Tennessee Arts Commission and Tennessee Craft. The mission of this collaboration is to encourage and invest in the continuation, advancement, and creation of craft in Tennessee by recognizing the role of the master craft artist and apprentice relationship to preserve the state’s cultural heritage. This partnership provides craft artists with relevant and alternative educational experiences, promotes and facilitates fine craft as a viable career path for Tennessee artists, fosters deliberate mentoring, facilitates the professional development of emerging craft artists, increases the pool of craft artists, and provides craft artists in Tennessee alternative means of professional funding.

This year, Tennessee craft masters shared their significant skills and creative aptitude by providing one-on-one mentoring instruction with apprentice artists to encourage, strengthen, and grow their artistic foundation. In its eleventh year, the MAAP partnership continues to cultivate the traditional master/apprentice relationship by awarding selected artists with a grant to ensure craft art is nurtured in Tennessee. More.

The following partners worked together to sustain craft for the next generation:

• Clay: Carrie Anne Parks, Master (Chattanooga) and Pam Bullard, Apprentice (Signal Mountain)
• Wood: Rick Cannon, Master (Memphis) and William Bleau, Apprentice (Arlington)
• Textile: Rena Wood, Master (Cookeville) and Mirrah Johnson, Apprentice (Silver Point)