Apprentice programs are often conceived of as a core initiative of state folklife or traditional arts programs. Virginia state folklorist Jon Lohman initiated the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship program in 2001 through a National Endowment for the Arts grant. The attractive coffee-table book In Good Keeping provides an overview of the master artists and apprentices whom the Virginia Folklife Program supported during the first five years of the initiative. The book includes an introductory essay, generous black and white photographs, and brief written profiles of the apprenticeship pairs with lengthy quotes from the artists.
The introductory essay provides an overview of the artists and the program by chronicling the names considered, rejected, and chosen for the book. The result is an approachable and thoughtful framing of folklife in the communicative practices of master artists in communities. The author’s thoughtful and informed position comes to view in the book’s focus on the cultural expressions valued within small groups or communities rather than on notions of the survival of old forms and methods. The body of the book contains forty profiles of apprenticeship pairs and includes cultural expressions that range from ham-curing and fiddle-making to automobile-pinstriping and African American shout-band music. Each apprenticeship pair is introduced with a brief profile that summarizes the tradition, the master artist, and the apprenticeship.
The book includes attractive black and white portraits of the master artists and nice action photographs that capture the performative aspects of craft, music, and dance. The collection also includes images that demonstrate the artistic interactions between the apprentices and the master artists. While many of the images are well-crafted, my feeling was that the editor should have culled a few more from the work. There are a handful of images that are not as strong as the rest and weaken the overall visual affect. Also, there are very few images of the handmade objects as art. While it is obvious that the emphasis is on artistic performance, I wanted to see the results of the artistic communication between master and apprentice. An example is the apprenticeship profile of Mildred Moore and Bonnie Sears, who craft Powhatan Blackware Pottery; while there are many insightful images of the creative process, the reader is left with little idea of what the finished product looks like or the aesthetic values invested in the object.
Nevertheless, I feel that this work surpasses the brochures and pamphlets that traditionally accompany apprenticeship programs, and elevates the traditions presented. It is clear that the book was not an add-on to the apprenticeship program but rather an integral part of the initiative. I recommend this book for anyone interested in Virginia folklife or public folklore work.
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[Review length: 444 words • Review posted on August 19, 2008]