Tuolumne, CA — Dec. 16 2010 — Jennifer Bates, a long time resident of Tuolumne County, and resident of the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Rancheria, has been selected as a recipient of one of 21 2011 grants provided to mentor an apprentice in a traditional California art. Jennifer is one of the founders and past-presidents of the California Indian Basket Weaver’s Association, and is also the Personnel Development Manager at Black Oak Casino the economic development venture of the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians.
The 2011 Apprenticeship Program for the Alliance for California Traditional Artists, that announced their 2011 grant recipients, consists of 43 artists that reflect California’s breadth of cultural diversity and intergenerational learning. Participants in the grant program range from septuagenarian master artists to 11-year old apprentices, spanning from Plumas to San Diego Counties. Thriving traditions supported through these apprenticeships reflect indigenous California cultural practices including Miwok and Maidu basketry among many diverse cultural art forms.
Master artist Jennifer Bates (Tuolumne) will conduct an apprenticeship with Jeri Scambler (Fair Oaks) in Miwok basketry. Jennifer, who has been weaving traditional Miwok baskets for over four decades, learned from many family members and tribal elders, including Julia Parker, Mable McKay, Dorothy Stanley, and Craig Bates. Jeri began weaving eight years ago, when she taught herself to weave pine needle baskets. During their apprenticeship, Jennifer will teach Jeri how to make a traditional het-ta-lu tray used to sift pounded acorn into flour. The lessons will cover the entire weaving process from beginning to end, including gathering and processing native materials (sedge root, red bud, and deer grass).
ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program is supported by the Fresno Arts Council; the Walter & Elise Haas Fund; The James Irvine Foundation; and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by the California Arts Council, the California Community Foundation, and The San Francisco Foundation.
