Career Development Grant
Career Development Grant
Made in Duluth banjos.
Ken Bloom: Director of Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Janeen Carey: vocalist, retired Hibbing Community College librarian and information media specialist; Kate Fitzgerald: Program Director for North Shore Music Association, writer; David Beard: Assistant Professor of writing studies, University of Minnesota-Duluth; Adam Guggemos: graphic designer, art events promoter; Michelle Ronning: jewelry designer and maker; John Gregor: photographer, art educator, community art advocate; Ann Russ: music performer, community song leader, choir director, workshop leader, past director and founder of North Shore Music Association; Tara Makinen: Executive Director of Itasca Orchestra and Strings, musician; Dana Mattice: Development and Communications Director of The Art Institute Duluth; Moira Villiard: visual artist and student of arts and communication at University of Wisconsin-Superior; Jeanne Doty: Retired Associate Professor of music, University of Minnesota-Duluth, pianist; Candace LaCosse: North House Folk School instructor, leatherwork designer and crafter.
Kate Fitzgerald: Program Director for North Shore Music Association, writer; Dana Mattice: Development and Communications Director of the Duluth Art Institute; Kristina Estell: visual artist specializing in large-scale installations; Crystal Detlefsen: sound engineer, photographer, KUWS radio host; Summer Scharringhausen: program manager at MacRostie Art Center.
ACHF Arts Access ACHF Arts Education ACHF Cultural Heritage
The primary goal of this opportunity is to advance my career as a craftsman by building two open back banjos to be displayed for sale at the Rosewood Music shop in Duluth, Minnesota. This objective will be successfully met when the instruments are complete and on display. Additionally, I have two secondary goals that supplement and result from my primary goal: 1) improve craftsmanship as a builder; 2) develop a reputation as a local banjo maker. An improvement in my craftsmanship will be measured by successfully incorporating inlay and decorative wood techniques that I have not previously attempted that will improve the overall aesthetic and tone of the banjos. The foundations of a local reputation commence as I interact with area banjo players who happen to see and play the instruments created in this project. I will have two completed banjos for sale and on display in Duluth no later than September 30, 2016. I have built previous banjos in one month. With improved access to supplies and more efficient tools, construction of two banjos in three months is reasonable. To ensure timeliness of completion, I have established the following benchmarks corresponding with the building process: 1) Necks and fingerboard completed by August 1. 2) Pots completed by August 15. 3) Finishing and hardware installation completed by September 1. 4) Banjos setup, tuned and delivered by September 15. Quantification of improved craftsmanship will begin with a review of project notes, recordings and photos of my previous banjos. I will be focusing especially on improving my skills in decorative wood and inlay techniques. Peghead and fingerboard inlay work will occur in the first phase to allow time to rebuild or improve inlay and decorative work. Once these two methods are successful and incorporated into the completed banjos, I will consider my skills improved and the goal met. A local reputation takes years of collaboration to develop. To evaluate the progress towards this goal I have established long and short-term measures. A short-term measure will be communication with at least one area banjo player who has seen and played my project instruments within the first month of display I hope to achieve my long-term outcome of collaborating with and building a banjo for at least one local musician within one year.
Completed two banjos incorporating decorative wood and inlay techniques.
Other, local or private