| WACultures, in partnership with Humanities Washington and ArtsWA, is excited to announce the 2026-2027 cohort of Heritage Arts Apprenticeship project The 10 projects include traditions such as Palestinian embroidery, Persian and Filipino folk dance, Native weaving traditions, and—in a first for the program—a traditional game. These projects were selected from over 50 applications representing the diversity of community-based art across the state. During their year-long project, each Master Artist will work with their Apprentice for 100 hours to share artistic and cultural knowledge, language, techniques, repertoire, and history. Now in its ninth year, the program has grown in both scope and depth. “It’s always exciting to meet these artists from across the state as introductions to different communities,” says WACultures director Thomas Grant Richardson. “I’m particularly excited to have teams from rural towns like Forks and Ocean Shores to urban hubs like Spokane. These teams truly cover the state.” “Many of these traditions are new to the program, which is amazing,” added Richardson. “But we’re also seeing real depth, like with the Ravenstail weavers. There are estimated to be only one hundred Ravenstail weavers in the world. We’ve worked with eight of them over the course of this program, which translates to eight percent of all practitioners worldwide.” Each team participates in a public event, either in their own community or as part of the annual Northwest Folklife Festival. This cohort continues a partnership with ArtsWA’s Wellness, Arts, and the Military program, which has sponsored a military or veteran team for the past three years. It is also the first year WACultures has collaborated with ArtsWA’s Tribal Cultural Affairs to sponsor and ensure teams of American Indian or Alaska Native traditions are included. THE TRADITIONS Traditional Hoh beargrass weaving Mary Kay Leitka (Master-Tacoma) Rosetta Leitka (Apprentice-Forks) Mary Leitka is the last of the traditional beargrass weavers. She learned from her mother in 1953 and will teach her daughter, Rosetta, who still lives near the Hoh reservation. Mary will teach Rosetta how to use a traditional splitter and weave with beargrass and raffia to create baskets and lids. Mary says, “I lived at the Hoh Indian Reservation, and I started weaving at 6 years old in 1953. I learned from my mother Leila Fisher. Grandma Pansy Hudson used to weave with my mother on the porch. It was a gathering place for the young girls that wanted to learn. I chose Rosetta because she is the only one still weaving and wants to learn to weave with beargrass.” This project is generously sponsored by ArtsWA’s Tribal Cultural Affairs program. Filipino Folk Dance Gatieh Nacario (Master – Spokane) Ana Caldwell (Apprentice -Spokane) Gatieh Nacario served as an officer of the Filipino National Folk Dance Society for ten years. He learned not only the choreography and music but also the history, meaning, and cultural context of each dance. He will teach choreography and cultural interpretation to Ana, a dedicated member of the Kultura de Filipino Dance Company in Spokane. Gatieh says that teaching is important because it “preserves the stories, music, and meaning of each dance, allowing communities—both in the Philippines and the diaspora—to stay connected to their roots and continue sharing their culture with pride.” Ravenstail Weaving Davina Barril (Master – Lakewood) Sheila Morton (Apprentice -Olympia) Davina and Sheila will be working together to weave a full-sized Ravenstail robe. It will be created with intention of being a teaching-robe. When it is completed, it will be brought to gatherings, such as a cultural festival called “Celebration” in Juneau, Alaska, and to ceremonies where they will “dance the robes to life,” in the Ravenstail tradition. Davina says. “For almost 200 years, Ravenstail weaving ‘went to sleep.’ Today, numbers of weavers from Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and Nis’gaa communities are re-creating the 15 robes from museums around the world to bring them back to our communities.” Ravenstail weaving has gone from a relatively unknown tradition within WACultures to a major force, with three consecutive Ravenstail weaving teams in the HAAP program. This project is generously sponsored by ArtsWA’s Tribal Cultural Affairs program. Uarhukua Chanakua: Purépecha stickball game Marco Antonio Flores-Quin (Master – Auburn) Antonio Flores Bucio (Apprentice – Auburn) This project supports the transmission of the Purépecha stickball game, an ancestral practice of Mexico that brings together worldview, community, and well-being. This game reconnects players to their roots, strengthens cultural identity, and passes ancestral knowledge to new generations. “In our community, this game has served as a meaningful way to resolve conflicts and promote physical and mental readiness instead of violence,” the team states. “It is often practiced during the Fuego Nuevo ceremony, a sacred time of renewal and connection with our ancestors. Today, we practice this game to reconnect with our roots, strengthen cultural identity, and pass ancestral knowledge to new generations. Here in Washington, we continue this tradition to support youth well-being and keep our culture alive.” Traditional Chinese Calligraphy and Oracle Bone Script Calligraphy Xinghua Xiao (Master – Bellevue) Yun Wei (Apprentice – Bothell) Oracle Bone Script is the earliest known forms of Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty and holds particular significance for cultural transmission. Learning Oracle Bone Script calligraphy helps preserve the earliest stage of written Chinese, allowing modern generations to better understand how the language, culture, and worldview of ancient China developed and evolved over time. Apprentice Wei is already a respected calligrapher, and this project will help her refine their skills to teach others. Xiao explains, “Wei is a Bilingual Montessori school teacher who also gives volunteer calligraphy classes in Woodinville, Bothell, and Kenmore. She has a solid foundation in calligraphy and is dedicated to practicing regularly. I chose her because she already has teaching experience and a strong commitment to community education, which allows her to effectively pass on both the technical skills and cultural meaning of calligraphy to young learners and the public.” Traditional Kosraean (Micronesia) Canoe Building Larry Alik (Master – Federal Way) Rimus Marston Nena (Apprentice – Ocean Shores) This apprenticeship will document and transmit knowledge and skills for carving, lashing, and navigation of a traditional Kosraean (Micronesian) canoe to apprentice Rimus Nena, culminating in community canoe races for Utwe Ancestors Memorial Day (July 20) and Kosrae Liberation Day (September 8). Master Larry Alik learned from his father and has practiced for 49 years. He is the last remaining master builder in Washington State. Says Rimus, “Our diaspora community has no canoes here, and the knowledge is at risk of disappearing. This tradition connects us to our ancestors, the ocean, and each other. Through this apprenticeship, we will bring canoe building back to our community. The canoes are not just vessels – they are living symbols of Kosraean resilience and pride.” Guitar for Flamenco dancers Marisela Fleites-Lear (Master – Tacoma) Sebastian Quintero (Apprentice – University Place) Marisela is the founder, director, choreographer, and dance teacher of Sabor Flamenco, where she’s been teaching Flamenco since 2002. Sebastian is an up-and-coming Venezuelan American guitarist that is already making a mark in the Flamenco community. Working closely together for years, Sebastian explains, “Learning Flamenco is a life-long undertaking. Despite my almost 13 years of study, I still consider myself very much a student of the art form. Flamenco is an aural tradition that is completely reliant on the passing of knowledge from master to student. It does not exist in books, or in academia, but rather in the living, breathing artists that hold the tradition. I wish to use this apprenticeship with Marisela as an opportunity to spend dedicated time with a true master of Flamenco dance, and to immerse myself in the world of subtle communication and signaling that makes Flamenco so beautiful and complex.” Palestinian Tatreez embroidery Hala Saleh Abdelkhaleq (Master -Bellevue) Alaa Druz (Apprentice – Seattle)Wafa Tafesh (Apprentice- Sammamish) Palestinian Tatreez is a centuries-old tradition of hand embroidery that includes cross-stitch as well as other embroidery techniques. Tatreez is practiced around the world by Palestinians not only as a cultural heritage practice, but also as a way to resist the erasure of culture, history, and stories. The three women intend to work together to learn more about the process and explore how to teach it to others while building community solidarity. Hala speaks of the deep meaning in teaching Tatreez in person, saying, “it provides a safe space for community members to explore their identities, as well as to bond with others and build community amongst each other. The results of teaching this tradition have been beautiful and deeply meaningful. When taught directly to students of Palestinian or Levantian background, it has validated their sense of belonging and connection to their roots. When taught to members of community that are allies, it teaches them how to engage with this tradition respectfully and without appropriation, while also learning and gaining an appreciation for the cultural, historical, and political significance of Tatreez.” Persian Dance Apprenticeship Naghme Morlock (Master – Spokane) Renee Raidt (Apprentice – Colbert) The master (Naghme) and apprentice (Renee) will explore the history, culture and tradition of Persian dance. They have worked together before as instructor/student in a group setting. They endeavor to create a deeper understanding of Persian movements and embody the spirit of timeless dance. In Naghme’s words, “dance creates a sense of belonging and continuity, helping younger generations connect with their heritage while also creating space for joy, healing, and self-expression. For many Persians, dance is a living cultural language that carries memory, identity, and heart from one generation to the next.” This project is generously sponsored by ArtsWA’s Wellness, Arts, and the Military program. Luthiery Josh Ben Humphrey (Master – Ellensburg) Noel Walsh (Apprentice – Ellensburg) Dominic Perron (Apprentice- Ellensburg) Noel and Dominic are apprentices at JBH Guitars, where Josh Humphries has been building guitars for 12 years. They will work at bringing Noel and Dominic’s skills for all around instrument building and repair to a level that benefits JBH guitars, and thus serves the larger central Washington musicians community better. Master luthier Josh explains, “musicians know how their instrument should feel, sound and play. But the skills required to build and maintain guitars, fiddles, and basses take equally as long to develop as the skill of playing them. Luthiers need to master skills of woodworking, engineering, metal shaping, machining to the 1,000th of an inch, and in addition they frequently deal with applied geometry and physics. Luthiers form a bridge, devoting their craft to creating beautiful and functional musical tools.” |
Media ContactsThomas Grant Richardson, Director, WACultures | thomas@humanities.org Michael Wallenfels, Communications Manager, ArtsWA 360-252-9831 | michael.wallenfels@arts.wa.gov |