Illinois Arts Council announces Master-Apprentice Program grants

[DEC. 8, 2006]  CHICAGO -- The Illinois Arts Council has announced the recipients of the fiscal 2007 Ethnic and Folk Arts Master-Apprentice Program awards. Fifteen master-apprentice pairs received awards totaling $45,000.

The program recognizes the need for structured opportunities to pass on traditional arts as part of the preservation of the Illinois' cultural heritage. The program fosters this traditional teaching and learning relationship by providing a $2,000 honorarium to the master artist and a $1,000 stipend to the apprentice.

Traditional ethnic and folk arts eligible for support include artistic practices that have a community or family base; express that community's aesthetic, heritage and tradition; and have endured through several generations. These art forms are expressions of the particular culture of the regional, national, ethnic, tribal or language group from which they originate.

Awards are based on the recommendation of three out-of-state jurors who are cultural specialists: Craig Miller of Salt Lake City, Utah; Guha Shankar of Baltimore, Md.; and Amy Skillman of Harrisburg, Pa.; and one in-state, nonvoting juror, Jacqueline McGrath, Ph.D., of Glen Ellyn.

See the list below for the 2007 award recipients.

For additional information about the recipients and the program, contact Tamara Kubacki, director of ethnic and folk arts, at [e-mail] or by calling 312-814-6740; 800-237-6994, toll-free within Illinois; or 888-261-7957 TTY, for individuals who are deaf or have hearing or voice impairments.

Fiscal 2007 Ethnic and Folk Arts Master-Apprentice Program award recipients:

• Master artist Tatsu Aoki of Oak Park has been awarded a grant to teach the Japanese shamisen to Amy Homma of Chicago.

• Master artist Sushmita Arunkumar of Bolingbrook has been awarded a grant to teach Bharatanatyam to Sanjana Ravi of Naperville.

• Tapan Bhattacharyya of Homewood has been awarded a grant to teach Hindustani vocal music to Saagar Ravi of Naperville.

• Master artist San Bun of Chicago has been awarded a grant to teach Cambodian music to Paul Arun Chhorm of Chicago.

• Master artist Sean Cleland of Chicago has been awarded a grant to teach Irish fiddling to Kathleen Turek of Forest Park.

• Master artist Anil Datar of Hoffman Estates has been awarded a grant to teach tabla to Dhwani Shah of Hoffman Estates.

• Master artist Jimmy Ellis of Chicago has been awarded a grant to teach jazz to Jeff Chan of Chicago.

• Master artist Nicolae Feraru of Chicago has been awarded a grant to teach Romanian folk music to Steven Gibons of Chicago.

• Master artist Idris Goodwin of Chicago has been awarded a grant to teach hip-hop to Sharrieff "Il Subliminal" Muhammad of Chicago.

• Master artist Micheline Jaminski of Homer Glen has been awarded a grant to teach Polish folk dancing to Katarzyna Rogala of Lemont.

• Master artist Gustavo Lopez of Chicago has been awarded a grant to teach bolero romantico to Rogelio Linares of Summit.

• Master artist Carlos Mejia of Chicago has been awarded a grant to teach Guatemalan marimba to Alejandra Fabián of Chicago.

• Master artist Victor Pichardo of Oak Park has been awarded a grant to teach Mexican folk rhythm guitar styles to Zacbe Pichardo of Oak Park.

• Master artist Bill Robinson of Saint Charles has been awarded a grant to teach the hammered dulcimer to Alison Coyer of Earlville.

• Master artist Qiuyue Wong Jin of Bolingbrook has been awarded a grant to teach Chinese dance to Melody Lee of Barrington.

[Illinois Arts Council news release]