A couple of weeks ago, I received a call from Joanne, to tell me “I won!” I met Joanne in March at Wak: Pow Wow at San Xavier Mission in Tucson. We went to the Pow Wow with friends, Rachel and Bill. At some point during that afternoon, Rachel and I walked around the grounds to look at each of the vendor tents. There was one vendor whose jewelry was beautiful and different than all the others. Joanne and her daughter, Janice, make beaded necklaces based on Navajo rug patterns of Joanne’s mother and grandmother. Both Rachel and I purchased necklaces from Joanne that day and we got in touch with them on a trip to Canyon de Chelly in May. Joanne and Janice invited us to their home, where both Rachel and I bought more Navajo beaded jewelry.
After we left Canyon de Chelly, Rachel remembered a conversation with the Director of Southwest Folklife Alliance, when the Master-Apprentice Award was mentioned. Rachel called me and suggested we nominate Joanne for the award. Rachel was on her way to Chicago for the summer, so I wrote the nomination, with help from Rachel, and submitted it in early June. The Master-Apprentice Award “supports and encourages the preservation and perpetuation of traditional art forms present and thriving in Arizona. It fosters and supports the critical teaching/learning relationship between traditional artists and their apprentices. The award is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Surdna Foundation, and the University of Arizona Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences.”
Joanne won the 2019 Master-Apprentice Award! Joanne has been making beaded jewelry 35-40 years and she has mentored her daughters, with Janice now an accomplished beaded jewelry artist as well. The Award comes with both a monetary prize and recognition by the Southwest Folklife Alliance at various events over the coming year. Joanne was invited to Tucson this weekend for a photo shoot. I invited her family to stay in our home and I invited several friends and neighbors to come meet her and see her unique jewelry. We had a busy weekend with Joanne and Janice and their family. I am so proud of Joanne!
After we left Canyon de Chelly, Rachel remembered a conversation with the Director of Southwest Folklife Alliance, when the Master-Apprentice Award was mentioned. Rachel called me and suggested we nominate Joanne for the award. Rachel was on her way to Chicago for the summer, so I wrote the nomination, with help from Rachel, and submitted it in early June. The Master-Apprentice Award “supports and encourages the preservation and perpetuation of traditional art forms present and thriving in Arizona. It fosters and supports the critical teaching/learning relationship between traditional artists and their apprentices. The award is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Arizona Commission on the Arts, Surdna Foundation, and the University of Arizona Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences.”
Joanne won the 2019 Master-Apprentice Award! Joanne has been making beaded jewelry 35-40 years and she has mentored her daughters, with Janice now an accomplished beaded jewelry artist as well. The Award comes with both a monetary prize and recognition by the Southwest Folklife Alliance at various events over the coming year. Joanne was invited to Tucson this weekend for a photo shoot. I invited her family to stay in our home and I invited several friends and neighbors to come meet her and see her unique jewelry. We had a busy weekend with Joanne and Janice and their family. I am so proud of Joanne!
