The Apprentice, Island-style
Historically, being an apprentice was a long and often pitiless business. Apprenticing Island style, however, bears no resemblance to the forced servitude of the Middle Ages or the egomaniacal exercises of the popular television series. In fact, the term "apprentice" does not fully describe what real-world learning brings to those who apprentice on Martha's Vineyard.
Blacksmith and silversmith Jaime Rogers has studied with Tisbury artist Barney Zeitz and at the Penland School in North Carolina. Photo by M.C. Wallo
Today's apprentices benefit from a supportive environment. They get where they're going much faster than their forebears did, and use a variety of resources that often meld several crafts. Three Island craftsmen got their start at the Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School.
"I'm not really what you're defining as an apprentice," said blacksmith Jaime Rogers, 29, as she shaped red-hot metal rods into curtain rods at her Oak Bluffs shop.
"I spent some time with Barney Zeitz [a Tisbury metal and glass sculptor] and I learned a lot from him, particularly about tools and using them safely - valuable stuff - but my journey was different. I wanted silver-smithing, so I went to the Penland School in North Carolina for a couple of months for extended training in 2004, on the advice of Nan Bacon, an Island glass artist," she said.
At Penland, students with multiple interests learned to trade time to learn other disciplines, Ms. Rogers recalled. "A woman there was blacksmithing. I was immediately drawn to it, so we traded, teaching each other our specialties," she said, explaining her commitment to blacksmithing.
College student Rubin Cronig, who began sketching and designing watches at the Charter School, now runs his own company, which crafts high-end watches. Photo courtesy of Rubin Cronig
Limited by the town to blacksmithing between October and May, Ms. Rogers switches to silver-smithing during summer, creating jewelry for sale at the Artisan's Festival in West Tisbury.
Carpenter's apprentice Zoe Benjamin, 18, and custom watchmaker Rubin D. Cronig, 21, are two other graduates of the Charter School who credit its mentorship program for boosting them along their career paths.
Mr. Cronig explains: "No, it's not the classic apprentice concept of working for someone for four years, learning their skills. Apprenticing can last for several hours or weeks. It's more about contributing their skill to help you learn your own particular interest - which may not be theirs." Mr. Cronig is the proprietor of Rubin Douglas (rubindouglas.com), a watch-making company that features handmade customized watches that retail for $7,000 to $10,000.
Mr. Cronig spoke to The Martha's Vineyard Times on Sunday evening after finishing a term paper at Wheaton College in Norton, where he is bracing for his senior year. But he has no career anxiety. He has had a successful career for several years, selling his unique custom timepieces through The Swiss Watchmaker shop in Cambridge, and through the network of watch collectors worldwide.
"We use mostly Island or Northeast-made components and buy Swiss watch movements," Mr. Cronig said. Island artisans Tom Barrett, Rick Hamilton, and Paul D'Olympia are former and continuing mentors who contribute designs and components to his watches. He appreciates that people who gave unsparingly "to make my pipedream a reality" are contributing to the product.
Zoe Benjamin believes the Charter School mentorship program, combined with life experience, cultivated her passion for construction. Photo courtesy of Zoe Benjamin
Mr. Cronig credits poet and artist Dan Waters as a patient and pivotal mentor. "We'd spend hours working my hand drawn sketches into computer models," he said. "He'd ask down-to-earth questions like, 'Where are you going to get components and what are the specifications?'"
Like fellow alums Ms. Benjamin and Mr. Cronig, Ms. Rogers gives back to the Charter School, mentoring one day a week to students. She is particularly excited to watch the career of Coco Sanfillippo, a recent grad. "I heard from her recently. She's moved to California and is in process of setting up her own silver-smithing shop," she said. Mr. Cronig is on the board at the school.
Marie Larsen, coordinator of the Charter School's mentorship program, is moved more by the results of the program than its label. "We call it mentorship, you're calling it apprenticeship, and others see it as internship. Over the past 10 years we've learned how to help students focus on their dream and to match them with the right mentors for them," she said.
Ms. Benjamin believes her Charter School experience, combined with life experience, taught her to see her passion for construction. "I spent two years in Washington State," she said. "We worked outdoors and spent time 'peeling' trees, a process that reshapes trees to create paths. I loved how we could use wood in its natural form, to create." The transition to working with wood in construction was an easy step. "I know that this is what I want to do," she said.
Ms. Benjamin has buckled on a tool belt for South Mountain Company as a paid apprentice. She will be assigned to a work crew for the summer, "It's amazing," she said. "I look at houses all the time now, seeing things I never noticed before, trying to figure out how the design and construction works. I'm way better at math now, and I've learned to eat healthy."
Ms. Benjamin' adds, "There is no instant gratification. You have to wait to see results. Working on a crew means you don't want to disappoint your colleagues. I come home exhausted after work. It feels so good."
John Abrams, president of South Mountain, said the company does not have a formal program but it does have a plan. "If the Charter School asks, we bend over backwards to accommodate their program," he said. "We have a long-range plan to provide the next generation of owners for this company. We are employee-owned, so character and commitment are more important than the skill-set an employee brings. We can teach that."
The black metal sign outside Ms. Rogers's studio reads, "Forging Ahead," which applies to all three of these young, hard-working Islanders who've learned their art from experts in their fields, and are happy, appreciative, and successful.
Jack Shea is a regular contributor to The Martha's Vineyard Times.
