Through the generous support of the Maine Community Foundation and the Belvedere Fund, a functional craft fellowship for artists living in either Hancock or Washington Counties will be offered in 2012 and 2013. This will allow craft artists Downeast, where the Fund has interests, to compete for a fellowship upon the special merits of their own art form without trying to fit their work into the definition of visual arts or traditional craft. It is hoped that starting in 2014 the Functional Craft Fellowship will be offered statewide.
Traditional craft is rooted in a longstanding sense of place, cultural identity and group membership. This membership can be based on kinship, residence, ethnicity, tribal affiliation, religion or occupation. Because these crafts reflect a particular group’s cultural expression, practicing traditional craft artists, such as Wabanaki basket makers are valued by their respective communities for their artistic skills as well as their specific cultural knowledge. Such expertise is grounded in a group aesthetic rather than an individual vision; it is usually acquired over time within a community context through observation and imitation as compared to academic or formal instruction.
In contrast, contemporary studio or functional craft artists, such as jewelers or ceramicists, often transform ideas about form, function and community into something more personal and unique. Inspired to try new approaches and materials, many contemporary studio craft artists reach across the local and look at other cultures and places for inspiration, working in a range of materials from clay, fiber, glass, leather, metal, paper, stone or wood.
It is the contemporary studio or functional craft artists that this fellowship is designed to serve. All other Individual Artist Fellowship eligibility and application process requirements apply.
For questions about the best match between other genre and various fellowship categories please contact Donna McNeil, arts policy and program director, at 207/287-2726 or via e-mail at donna.mcneil@maine.gov.