Iowa Arts Council Traditional Arts Apprenticeship
2025 - 2026 Grant
From July 2025 through June 2026, Indigo Hookery is participating in a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship made possible through a grant from the Iowa Arts Council.
This apprenticeship supports the continuation and evolution of traditional art forms through intensive, hands-on mentorship. For us, it is an opportunity to deepen our rug hooking practice, explore new creative directions, and share the process with our community.
Becky Tamara, and Suzanne
Our Apprenticeship Team
Tamara Pavich, Indigo Hookery
Fiber artist, writer, and teacher specializing in designing and impressionistic color, Tamara is the mentor artist for this grant. Her fiber art, articles, and books emphasize designing with courage, curiosity, and sometimes intentional rule-breaking in traditional forms.
Suzanne Cantrell
Suzanne, a prolific, accomplished,
and published rug hooker, is the apprentice for the Iowa Arts Council grant. She is
focused on strengthening design skills and expanding
her artistic range.
Becky Groff
With permission from the Iowa Arts Council, Becky is participating fully alongside the mentor and apprentice, though grant funds are not used for her participation. Her involvement has greatly enriched the collaborative learning experience for all three artists.
What We Are Learning and Exploring Through Rug Hooking
This apprenticeship does not follow a rigid curriculum. Instead, it is shaped by shared curiosity, conversation, and the natural unfolding of ideas through making.
The grant requires 100 hours of contact, and we manage this with 3-day home stays alternating between my Council Bluffs home and the home of Sharon Townsend (Suzanne's mother, an extremely accomplished rug hooker) in Altoona. We also meet by Zoom and regularly text and email to share works in progress, talk through design decisions and challenges, offer critique and encouragement, and plan upcoming projects together. Our first in-person session took place in September, when we drew and hooked our initial wildlife pieces. Since then, we have each designed our own style of abstract.
Our work has continued to evolve through our face-to-face sessions and ongoing virtual conversations. Current themes include wildlife and nature studies, abstract design work, portrait studies, rugs inspired by poetry and verse, and (rather randomly) moths and butterflies, sometimes explored through stained-glass–like effects. We may also engage with the concept of kintsugi, using visual metaphor to explore repair, resilience, and the beauty found in imperfection.
Each artist approaches these themes in her own way, resulting in work that is distinct, personal, and deeply informed by shared dialogue. This collaborative process has become one of the most valuable aspects of the apprenticeship.
Our Work: September - January 2026
Tamara Pavich
"We were invigorated right away, because we could leave our busy lives for a little while and get immersed in our medium of hooking with wool!"
Suzanne Cantrell
"We are building a lifelong process of communicating about our art in a safe space, which allows us to express ideas
and create."
Becky Groff
"To have time with people who are creative, want to learn, openly share knowledge, encourage you and make you laugh--it's pretty special."
