ABSTRACT
Many senior carvers today are concerned about slippage between artistic styles, and they advocate for an identifiable Sakha ‘school’ of carving. These concerns were made vocal as an arts project allied to the model's return, undertaken by two young arts students who used it as the basis of their Diploma work, took shape over the spring of 2015. Their engagement with the model is the starting point for addressing the artistic narratives it generated. Drawing primarily on their work, responses it received, as well as on interviews with artists we explore the importance of the material manifestation of cultural revitalisation. By returning to the model, we examine how artists themselves viewed it as a conduit between generations. We explain how students learned from the old master craftsman in the process of creation of their own model and the role apprenticeship plays in ensuring a future for ivory carving in Sakha (Yakutia).
