Webinar With Master Artists Bergman, Holland and Williams May 19

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The monthly Arkansas Folklife Web Series, launched by Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts in April, will continue this month with a presentation by Pat Bergman, Sage Holland and Allison Williams, who are all master artists participating in the 2021-22 AFTA Apprenticeship Program, and each work with different media. The event is set for 3-4:30 p.m., Thursday, May 19, on Zoom. It is free and open to the public, and registration is required.

"It will be an honor to allow our current master artists to share their knowledge and experiences in this series," said Lauren Adams Willette, folk arts survey coordinator and web series host. "They are each key figures who are keeping traditions and folk art alive in Arkansas for future generations."   

Bergman is a metalsmith with more than 40 years of experience who creates jewelry and barrettes.  

"Not only has metalsmithing been my passion for the past 40 years, but passing my skills on through the apprenticeship program: that is equally gratifying," she said.  

Holland is a glass beadmaker who has more than 30 years of experience in her tradition.  

"I was drawn to the art of glass beadmaking in the mid 1980s," Holland said. "I found the use of molten color therapeutic and meditative. I love developing contemporary adornment through my study of ancient beads. I use ancient glass techniques as stepping stones to contemporary and expressive work." 

Williams has been playing clawhammer banjo and other instruments in pursuit of continuing the tradition of old-time music and Ozark ballads for more than 20 years.  

"One thing that I really loved about old-time music was getting to connect with my elders," she said. "Being able to go out into communities and meet older folks who had been playing this music in these isolated communities for a long time, to really connect with them."  

Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts funds its Apprenticeship Program with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. As a requirement of the program, master artists share their tradition with an apprentice over the course of a year. Applications for the apprenticeship program open each summer. 

• June 16: James and Vera White will share the history, stories and songs from Elaine, Arkansas, with regard to the Elaine Massacre of 1919 in this session. 

• July 21: Maria Christina Moroles and Lauri Umansky will present their upcoming memoir on Moroles' life and her work as founder and maintainer of Santuario Arco Iris. 

• Aug. 18: Astrologer Maureen Richmond will provide an overview of the historical origins of astrological practice. 

• Sept. 15: Beekeeper Justin Lowe will present on the basics of beekeeping and his work at Rural Route Farms. 

• Oct. 20: Folklorist Rachel Reynolds will discuss holiday food traditions in the Ozarks and offer tips for preparing a classic holiday dish. 

Questions about the 2022 Arkansas Folklife Web Series may be directed to Willette at willette@uark.edu. Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts is a statewide program of the University of Arkansas Libraries dedicated to building cross-cultural understanding by documenting, presenting and sustaining Arkansas' living traditional arts and cultural heritage.