FOLKLIFE SPOTLIGHT

Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program

Nurturing heritage arts across Oregon

Alseny (left) and Papa Yansane

Each year, Oregon Folklife Network’s Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (TAAP) assists accomplished mentors in passing on their living traditions to promising apprentices of the same cultural community. TAAP provides culture keepers a $3000 stipend for their teaching efforts plus $500 to support sharing their project with the public. A prestigious statewide honor, TAAP awards are often a precursor for traditional artists to be nominated for National Heritage Fellowship awards through the National Endowment for the Arts.

LaRhonda Steele

Meet the six
2021 TAAP
awardees:

José Antonio Huerta will teach Mexican Charrería (rope work) to his apprentice, Rafael Acevedo Reveles.
Clair Kehrberg will teach buckaroo leather working to her apprentice, Julianna Smucker.
LaRhonda Steele will teach gospel singing to her apprentice, Lauren Steele.
Francisco Bautista will teach Zapotec Weaving to his apprentice Daniel Bautista.
Alseny Yansane will teach Guinean drum making and tuning to his apprentice, Papa Yansane.
Jayanthi Raman will teach Asian Indian dance to her apprentice, Lavanya Mohanraj.