Area artists have received grants through the North Dakota Council on the Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program for fiscal year 2006, ending June 30.

Mentors and their apprentices include:

– Deborah Gourneau, Belcourt, and Cameron Allery, Dunseith, Ojibwe storytelling, dance and regalia, $4,074.

– Cheryl Poitra, Dunseith, and Maria Cree, Minot, Ojibwe/Cree basket weaving, $3,818.

– Shawn Kamer, Towner, and Zachary Bonine, Newburg, saddle construction, $4,500.

– Melissa Kramer, Towner, and Kristina Bonine and Lillianne Bonine, Newburg, cinch weaving, $4,164.

– Melissa Kramer, Towner, and Rebecca Tschida, Fort Rice, cinch weaving, $2,000.

– Dean Hagen, Maddock, and Justin Roe, Burlington, blacksmithing,$3,550.

– Gerald Schlag, Minot, and Titus Bulow, Minot, accordion music, $3,000.

– Marina Carrillo Prieto, Williston, and Xitlalli Eiza Alejo, Diana Laura Arias Rivas, Wyatt Reis and Yuri Garcia Gallardo of Alexander, Williston and New Town, Mexican folklorico dance, $4,000.

– Jack Scholl, Belle Fourche, South Dakota, and Brianna Kramer, Makoti, cowboy hat making, $4,500.

The Council on the Arts awarded $119,500 in total to support 68 artists in 36 communities, including 18 towns with fewer than 1,500 residents.

The Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program is designed to honor and encourage the preservation of North Dakota’s diverse living traditions. By providing funds of up to $4,500, the program allows master traditional artists to pass their skills and knowledge to apprentices on a one-to-one basis over an extended period. While masters may live outside North Dakota, all apprentices are North Dakota residents, ensuring these traditions continue to grow within the state, according to the Council of the Arts.

This year’s apprenticeships showcase a range of cultural heritage, including Sioux dentalium cape making, Norwegian rosemaling, baroque acanthus woodcarving, Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi dance, traditional Bhutanese drumming, Togolese drumming, Finnish weaving, fiddle restoration, needle felting and mosaic Damascus bladesmithing.

Grant awards may be used for a master artist’s instruction fee, supplies and travel costs for the apprentice. Apprenticeships generally last between four and 10 months, depending on the project plan.

The council reports the apprenticeship program has grown significantly in both scope and participation over the past three decades, becoming one of the most robust of its kind in the nation.