2009 Mentors and Apprentices
Tapestry artist Donna Loraine Contractor is pleased to announce that she and past and present apprentices will be showing the fruits of their teacher/student relationship at a show titled “Mentor and Apprentices.”
For the past 14 years, I’ve had a series of apprentices,” says Contractor from her Albuquerque studio. “Some of them for a month, and some for as long as three years. Many of them came to me with no exposure to weaving, and others with backgrounds in knitting or other fiber arts. What they all had in common was a desire to immerse themselves in the world of a professional fine art weaving studio.”
The three apprentices in the exhibition vary widely in their ages, previous skill level, and direction their weaving has taken them since they came to the apprentice program. The show will showcase both technique and process, and is divided into sections that feature skill level pre, during and for two of the four students, post-apprentice time with Contractor. Apprentices trade three hours of their time for one hour of Contractors teaching.
Vivian Skadron, who will have 4-6 pieces in the show, ended her one-year apprenticeship in December 2009. She learned to weave in Israel over 15 years ago, and came to Contractor desiring to learn the techniques of tapestry weaving. 
Ruth Simpson joined the program in May 2009. She was was intrigued with the idea of an apprentice program, since this kind of learning is not often seen in the United States. 
Chyraelle Braddock, has participated in the apprenticeship since April of 2009. She’ll have between one and three pieces in the show. She is a long-time knitter and beader and painter, who experimented with weaving before entering the program. Contractors inspiring and creative use of color drew her to the program. Contractors program is unique among teacher/student arrangements, because rather than lecture her apprentices, she points students in the direction they are interested, then requires them to explore their own answers to the questions they find. She sees this program as a theoretical one, where progress comes in leaps instead of incrementally. "My students ask themselves why they want to do something on the loom. I point them to resource materials, or show them techniques to achieve their goals. The program is self-directed, ends when they want it to. By the end they’ve learned design, finishing, the business end of running a professional weaving studio and whatever else they themselves think they need to learn. It is a social and interactive way to learn, which is not often seen in this country. And I learn as much from each apprentice as they learn from me” she says.