the Gateway Apprenticeship
2021-2022
Pictured: Evelyn - Zachary - Lisa
Preface:
The Gateway Apprenticeship was a reaction to the 2020 civil unrest and race/identity representation conversations. The goal of the apprenticeship was to meet the needs of a small group of Latina/Latino/Latinx identifying individuals who wanted greater participation in woodworking. What sets the apprenticeship apart from other programs is that it aims to mold itself to the participants availability and schedule with next to no financial impact. This was an important aspect because most other programs that seek to encourage “BIPOC” involvement in woodworking fall extremely short of their performative goals. Another major aspect to the program is that it has been developed and is taught by an individual with an empathetic understanding to the possible inhibiting factors of participants. In the end, the program was successful at meeting the needs of the participants with final projects to show and represent the efforts of everyone involved.
skill sharing outside of capitalism
We cannot allow financial gain to be our only motive for sharing skills. Developing friendships through skill sharing is a more meaningful approach.
Narrative:
It was Spring of 2020, covid-19 was running rampant, stay at home orders were in full effect. Things were not seeming hopeful and my morale for just about doing anything was frighteningly low. One thing I was doing at the time was listening to various craft based podcasts and zoom talks that used terms like inclusivity, equity, and BIPOC representation. But one blaring question I always had was, what are you going to do about it to GENUINELY meet the needs of the people you talk about. For instance, most if not all woodworking institutions proclaimed creating scholarships that were devoted to BIPOC identifying people. To which only serve as a band-aid to the systemic problems.
So my answer and challenge to the institutional methods of BIPOC involvement was to create an apprenticeship program that GENUINELY addressed the needs of those involved, but also it did not seek to exploit the participants in any way for financial gain.
The geographic area I wanted to field participants from was the South East Los Angeles region also known at the Gateway Cities, hence the Gateway Apprenticeship. This name also tied perfectly into how I wanted to provide a gateway for those involved to a discipline that had a history of gatekeeping.
Recruitment for the apprenticeship was done through Instagram and the only requirement was that applicants be Spanish speaking/bilingual or Latin/Latino/Latinx identifying with some Spanish. Turn out was 8 applicants, four of whom removed themselves after personal reconsideration for meeting the Spanish speaking requirement. I originally planned to have one participant in the program and would have a series of interviews to decide my final pick. But after the interviews and considering the fact that the program was meant to address needs, NO was not an answer I could give to someone who wanted to learn so I decided to accept all four willing applicants. Their names are Diane, Zach, Lisa, and Evelyn.
The learning component was designed to be a comprehensive shop safety, beginner to intermediate woodworking techniques, with group discussions about craft theory fused with the Latino/Latina/Latinx experience. Meetings would be held on weekends according to best availability among all participants. Depending on the meeting topic we would either meet at my own personal studio or Allied Woodshop, who we could not have succeeded without and owe a debt of gratitude for.
The program began in February of 2021 and Concluded in February of 2022. I originally estimated a time frame of about 9 months. The reason for an extended time frame was that we had to postpone some meetings due to covid-19 safety requirements. But I believe that was the beauty of the program, that we could navigate and adapt the time as needed and it was a crucial component to its success.
We started the program with some historical learning sessions mixed with some craft theory to give students a surface level of understanding of woodworking beyond technical skills. Next was learning about design histories and methods. The Participants learned how to use all standard woodshop equipment along with strict safety methods. We wrapped up the technical skill learning component with veneering, woodturning, joinery, carving, and finishing. The final test for the apprentices was to create an object that utilized a learned skill and spoke to them as an individual.
2020 presented everyone with many challenges and 2021 was no different. But despite covid-19 spikes, rescheduled meetup sessions, and just life in general the apprentices and I were able to conclude the apprenticeship with projects to show for it. We were able to persevere and to say I am proud of the apprentices and their commitment to the program is an understatement. Below are pictures of our time together and the finished projects.
The gateway apprenticeship was successful at accomplishing its mission. My hope after this first run is that I am able to run the program again but with real backing and funding to reach more people.