Budget
$16,600.00
Description
The Master Artist/Apprentice Program is a mentoring program offered in concert with the Tennessee Arts Commission in which three artists study and create under the guidance of three highly-acclaimed professional artists (or Masters) for six months to learn new skills and knowledge to refine their art in order to achieve a higher level of artistic and professional development. Each Master/Apprentice pair works from and reports on planned goals that are documented as a contract and reviewed by the Tennessee Arts Commission and Tennessee Craft. The program culminates in an exhibition of new work from the Master/Apprentice pairs at the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery every fall.

Apprentice applicants not funded are extended a complimentary one year Tennessee Craft membership, benefiting from application by access to other Tennessee Craft member and their regional chapter opportunities, including artist peer networking.
Program Successes
100% of apprentices accomplish the goals in their plan created at the onset of their apprenticeship. 65 artists have participated directly in the apprenticeship. 100% of master and apprentice pairs exhibit art made during the apprenticeship at the Tennessee Arts Commission. Testimonials include:
• Post 2018 MAAP program, the wood artist apprentice was invited to place one of his art pieces in the permanent collection of the Tennessee State Museum.
• "The MAAP program has broadened my horizons. All of this is informing the evolution of my work creatively, but also which aspects of my business I will choose to grow."
• "The MAAP apprenticeship program was a wonderful experience and pivotal moment in my growth as an artist. The guidance and mentorship I received will always be a building block in my journey as an artist."
• "MAAP has been a window into the inner-workings of a master's studio and my craft has benefited immensely from this time."

Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Visual Arts Instruction 
Beneficiaries
Adults
Long-term Success
The success of the Master Artist Apprentice Program (MAAP), a partnership of Tennessee Craft and the Tennessee Arts Commission, is an immersive, apprenticeship model of learning between three sets of craft artist masters and apprentices. Since program inception 11 years ago, 66 total artists have participated and benefited. Demographic figures documented and tracked include under-served, rural and underrepresented for the participating artists and the project's audience. Advancement opportunities for participating artists within the arts community and in the craftsmanship of their work post program are significantly increased, evidenced by participation in exhibitions such as the Best of Tennessee biennial exhibition, invitations as exhibiting artists in juried craft fairs such as the Tennessee Craft Fairs, increase in artist commissions and gallery exposure.


Short-term Success
The program offers a six-month 80-180 hours immersive apprenticeship. The program contracts with master artists by offering a period of concentrated learning for apprentices, who make application to the program, are interviewed and are encouraged to show their current art to a panel that includes the masters and representatives from the Tennessee Arts Commission and Tennessee Craft. Each master and apprentice pair construct and document up to three goals for their apprenticeship and provide reports at three benchmark periods during the apprenticeship which include goal and project progress. Each pair at the end of the apprenticeship submits a final report. Success is visible and shared with the community at the culminating exhibition of work by masters and apprentices executed during the apprenticeship in the Tennessee Art Commission gallery.
Apprentices experience success via newfound acquisition of industry-specific knowledge and training.

Program Success Monitored By
Program success is monitored by:
• All artists in the program are asked to choose challenging goals that elevate their skills and knowledge as craft artists. MAAP was created to help artists reach the next level of their professional development during an intensive six-month one-on-one mentorship, not typically available in most learning environments.
• Apprentices submit progress reports on each goal with photos of art and apprenticeship photos at three benchmark periods during the apprenticeship.
• Exhibition showcasing art created during the apprenticeship of each apprenticeship pair at the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery each fall.
• Studio visits are conducted when MAAP masters and apprentices are in session by Tennessee Craft program staff.

Program Areas Served
Statewide

Budget
$35,000.00
Description
Six regional chapters across the state serve as vehicles by which craft artists initiate activities in their home communities. Chapters bring the business and process of creating fine craft to life with neighbors, other business owners, and interested community organizations. Members plan and execute local projects such as artist studio tours, auctions, exhibits, show-and-tell meetings, and other learning content that expands understanding of individual media and its use in fine craft. Informal mentorships, one of the most popular Tennessee Craft-sponsored activities, are also developed at the chapter level. Regional chapters' active involvement in membership recruitment and retention are also fruitful ways that members learn, as well as organizing their own participation in our Emerging Makers Tent at each of the two craft fairs (see Background). Here, members incubate their businesses and gain valuable experience with access to professional guidance.
Long-term Success
The Chapter program allows Tennessee Craft to invest in underserved rural populations by providing regional support and opportunities for sales, networking and mentorship that are closer to home. With rural Tennesseans a target population for expanded engagement by Tennessee Craft, the Chapter program makes the organization's programs more accessible statewide. Chapters help artists learn about prominent programs like the Best of Tennessee Craft biennial and Fall and Spring Tennessee Craft Fairs, including participation in the Emerging Makers Tent. The Midstate Chapter provides more localized and broader opportunities for artists around Middle Tennessee at all stages of their careers to connect with the public, including the annual Art of Craft exhibition at the Centennial Art Center and an annual exhibition at the Brentwood Public Library.
Program Success Monitored By
Chapter participation and satisfaction is evaluated each year in the annual membership survey. Feedback is shared with the different Chapter leadership boards to hone and enhance their local programs.
Program Areas Served
Statewide

Budget
$50,000.00
Description
Tennessee Craft offers adults and children experiences that inspire our next generation of craft artists and appreciators. This happens in the form of educational demonstrations, hands-on activities and through other partnerships at our fairs, in schools and elsewhere in the community. Tennessee Craft presents Tennessee Craft Week the first week of October, now in its eighth year. Our efforts have been in community organizing, encouraging unique and interactive events that draw publicity to craft and craft artists (see accomplishments), and in telling the stories so the public can connect to these special opportunities to visit with craft artists. In the DEMO TENT at each Craft Fair, Tennessee Craft partners with artist groups to illustrate a broad range of fine craft techniques from organizations that can offer next steps to those interested. In the KIDS' TENT, Tennessee Craft collaborates with dozens of area arts organizations to develop and present diverse family craft activities.
Program Successes
In 2021/22, 2,312 children and 2,109 adults participated in the Kids' Tent. Participants said, "Our kids loved these craft," "Thank you to all who were so patients and engaged with the children," and "Thanks for having kids' activities." With at least four different family activities offered each day of the fair, the only negative feedback generally received was a request for even more activities!
Short-term Success
The Kids' Tent at each Tennessee Craft Fair is a beloved offering, with over 1,000 children each year experiencing guided craft-making, along with their families, presented by diverse instructors. Educational partners return year after year to this successful free event and feedback from participants is consistently in the highly satisfied range, with almost all indicating that they learned something new in the Kids' Tent. Demonstrations offered at each Tennessee Craft Fair illuminate the deep and vast skills of craft artists, educating the public and increasing appreciation for professional craft art and craft art traditions. Engaging with demonstrators has been shown to impact participants long into the future and even inspire craft careers. New engagements like the Juneteenth Black on Buchanan Art & Craft Show and Then & Now: A Black Craft Symposium at the Tennessee State Museum have led to increased participation by Black artists, in line with Tennessee Craft's strategic goals.
Program Success Monitored By
A Kids' Tent evaluation is offered at each fair, with a chance to win a Family Craft Art Prize Pack for participation. Results are recorded, summarized and trended over time and used to hone the program. Tennessee Craft's Community Engagement Committee oversees other public outreach activities, assesses success of initiatives in planning future engagements.
Program Areas Served
Statewide

Budget
$20,000.00
Description
Artists acquire and refine skills for their craft and business through our workshops, mentorships, and paid opportunities such as demonstrations, awards and scholarships, plus resume-building exhibit opportunities. Participating in these activities connects artists with a professional and social network that supports, educates, challenges and encourages. Mentorship serves as a cornerstone of the work we do. Informally, artists work with members in their region to gain skills and knowledge about their craft and business. Individuals connect in-person at local chapter meetings, statewide committee meetings and online, via digital resources we provide to members. Formally, artist pairs participate in the Master Artist Apprentice Program, a funded one-on-one mentoring program supported by the Tennessee Arts Commission. Through fundraising events, partnerships and special funding we continue to allocate dollars to scholarships for students with need, financial and otherwise.
Program Successes
An experienced weaver, who used a scholarship to take an online course, wrote to us, "Many of the techniques I learned from the class were new to me, and I had an opportunity to improve those that I had previously used in my work. For the most part, the class taught me to look at imagery more closely and be more discriminating with the yarns I choose for my projects. The weaving techniques of course will stay with me and I will incorporate them into my next weaving journey which will be to create a series of tapestries reflecting images of abstract masks and faces." An artist who received a scholarship for a silk painting workshop wrote, "My eyes were opened to the many ways that silk artists work and the shapes and formats silk painting can take. Being connected to a worldwide community of silk artists was both thrilling and encouraging. I came home with new ideas, skills, excitement for my art, and inspiration."
Long-term Success
Tennessee Craft has offered scholarships to artists for many years. Scholarships fund workshops that help artists expand their artistic practices. Many artists can point to these experiences as transitional moments in their careers. For several years, Tennessee Craft has partnered with local, leading craft schools to fund week-long workshops during the summer. These opportunities increase the accessibility of professional craft training to artists who may not otherwise be able to afford it. In 2022, Tennessee Craft launched the Underrepresented Populations Scholarship, and the long-term goal of this new scholarship is not only to provide financial opportunities but to diversify the craft field by opening doors for artists from populations that are underrepresented in the fine craft community. First year recipients included several Black artists and an immigrant from Ukraine.
Short-term Success
Tennessee Craft has hosted an annual Professional Development Workshop for over a decade. In 2021 and 2022, the workshop was virtual to respond to pandemic protocols, but participants still said the connections and inspiration they received were invaluable. Tennessee Craft also introduced a new Lunch & Learn series in February 2022--a series of four weekly virtual sessions with experts in their fields covering topics like taxes/accounting, photographing your art and client engagement. With sponsor underwriting, the series was free to members; those who attended said it was one of the best benefits they'd received from Tennessee Craft, offering applicable tips and pointers to improve their businesses. In 2022/23, Tennessee Craft will expand the Lunch & Learn series with sessions in both November and February.
Program Success Monitored By
Workshop and Lunch & Learn participants complete surveys, which are reviewed by the Workshop committee and staff to enhance the workshop program. Scholarship recipients are required to submit a report detailing their experiences using scholarship funds and also report to their local chapters, sharing the information that they received more broadly within their network.
Program Areas Served
Statewide

Budget
$20,000.00
Description
The first Tennessee Craft Biennial Exhibition entitled The Best of Tennessee Craft occurred in 1966 and has been ongoing since, with 2 or 3 exceptions. Tennessee Craft celebrates this opportunity to spotlight a unique part of Tennessee culture and recognize, encourage and build professional experience plus reward excellence with cash awards and purchases. This event raises the profile of craft and allows artists to have their work in front of many esteemed eyes, shaping an artist's career and building a collector base. Museum purchases often result, preserving fine work for future generations to appreciate and understand. Tennessee Craft hires an out-of-state juror to select work for this prestigious gallery or museum exhibition, a juror who can connect those selected with broad-based opportunities known by the juror. Because of connections made and the confidence instilled, acceptance into Tennessee Craft's museum exhibit can serve to launch a Tennessee artist into national circles.
Program Successes
The art piece selected for the Best of Tennessee Craft 2021 top prize was added to the permanent collection of a Tennessee Craft patron as a result of the exhibition. The awarded artist received a public platform at the State Museum to give an artist talk and increased her opportunities outside the exhibition. The First Place winner leveraged her successes at the Best of Tennessee Craft to apply to the Nashville Art's & Business Council's Periscope program, and her career is skyrocketing. Public programs coordinated with the Tennessee State Museum won awards, media coverage and accolades, including 'Craft Day at the Museum' and 'Then & Now: A Black Craft Symposium.' These programs introduced contemporary craft to new audiences and elevated craft artists and their accomplished artwork.
Long-term Success
Artwork exhibited in the Best of Tennessee Craft has found permanent homes in private collections and in public venues like the Tennessee State Museum. Artists reapply every other year, indicating the value of this opportunity. Hosting partners like the Tennessee State Museum, Customs House Museum and Reece Museum reflect the worthiness of the program to high-caliber exhibition venues.
Program Success Monitored By
Attendance by the public is monitored by the hosting venue and reported to Tennessee Craft.
Program Areas Served
Statewide

Budget
$200,000.00
Description
Tennessee Craft is best known for its twice-yearly juried craft shows in Nashville's Centennial Park, where 45-50,000 visitors flock to this premier buyers' market. Our spring fair showcases the largest selection of 21st century Tennessee craft exhibited at one time in the country, jurying in 200+ fine craft artists. The fairs are FREE to the public and held in accessible settings. For artists, the competition and awards signify achievement and recognition and build resumes. Fairgoers watch as craft artists demonstrate a variety of crafts, allowing the public to meet the maker and learn about the processes of making. For children, a kids' tent provides the opportunity to experience creative activities, nurturing our next generation of craft artists and collectors. A combination of public and private sponsors and a dedicated contingent of volunteers make the craft fairs possible.
Long-term Success
Tennessee Craft Fairs have a fifty-year history in Nashville, and are a part of the cultural fabric of the region. As such, generations have grown up attending the free and accessible fairs in Centennial Park and have developed an understanding and appreciation of craft art traditions. Long-term success would continue this trend, with all Nashville-area residents having met a contemporary craft artist and explored the diversity of craft produced in our state.
Short-term Success
At least 150 professional craft artists will have the opportunity to share their art and meet new audiences at each Spring and Fall Tennessee Craft Fair. At least 50 volunteers will assist artists and the public to create a welcoming, supportive, free and accessible valued-added event.
Program Success Monitored By
Artists and the public complete surveys after the fair. Responses are tallied, evaluated and trended by the Fair Committee and staff to enhance the craft fair experience for all audiences.
Program Areas Served
Middle Tennessee and Nationwide