Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Grant FY21

Julie on 30 June 2020

Ermagherd we get to do it again!

The North Dakota Council on the Arts has a Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program that “is designed to honor and encourage the preservation of North Dakota’s diverse living traditions by providing grants that allow master traditional artists to pass their skills and knowledge to apprentices on a one-to-one basis over an extended period of time.” We were encouraged to apply for this program to help us continue to study under the master blacksmith Doug Swenson of Goose Prairie Forge and were lucky enough to be funded from July 2020-April 2021.

Last year our projects represented a wide sample of items and techniques. This year we are going to get more focused on hardware for doors, cabinets, and chests. This type of work requires greater precision and is going to push our skills.

Work Schedule

The schedule is based on 15 flexible sessions of 3-6 hours in length taking place 2-4 times per month for a total of 50+ hours. The apprenticeship will begin July 1, 2020 and conclude by April 30, 2021.

  1. Nails & nail header
  2. Måstermyr strap hinge
  3. Simple latch
  4. Ring door pull
  5. Spade hinge
  6. Spade hinge with arms
  7. Pipe lock (Bolt lock)
  8. Pipe lock (Bolt lock)
  9. Pipe lock (Bolt lock)
  10. Cam latch
  11. Cam latch
  12. Cam latch
  13. Plate lock (Måstermyr?)
  14. Plate lock (Måstermyr?)
  15. Plate lock (Måstermyr?)

Project List

These projects are going to be very challenging, but once again the challenge will be squeezing it into everyone’s busy scheduled. And the impact that COVID-19 has on our program is yet to be determined.