The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) makes awards ranging up to £15,000 to craftsmen and women of all ages to help them further their careers.
Since 1991 the Trust has awarded £1.35 million to 208 craftspeople aged between 17 and 50 plus for study, training and work experience.
QEST was established in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Warrant Holders Association and the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
To fund further study, training and practical experience for craftsmen and women who want to improve their craft and trade skills. Scholarships are not awarded for buying or leasing equipment or premises nor for setting up a business.
Between £1,000 and £15,000. The size of each award depends on how much funding is needed for a project. Scholarship winners also receive an emblazoned certificate.
A huge range of modern and traditional crafts. Scholarship winners have included: an antiques restorer, calligraphers, book conservators, potters, silversmiths, upholsterers and many more.
There is no age limit. But you need to demonstrate you already have a high level of skill and are firmly committed to your craft or trade. You must live and work permanently in the UK to be eligible for a Scholarship. You do not have to be connected with firms or individuals holding Royal Warrants.
Well thought out proposals which will contribute to the excellence of modern and traditional British crafts. On the application form you need to explain clearly why the proposed training will improve your skills and what you expect to achieve as a result. You also need to give a careful estimate of the full cost of the training you would like to undertake.
Scholarships are awarded twice a year. Completed forms for Summer 2010 Scholarships must be received no later than 28 May 2010.
You can download an application form now:
Microsoft Word 97/8 format 310k (Mac or PC)
Ceramicist
Age: 26
Sam makes limited edition and one-off slip cast work. His Scholarship will ensure that he benefits from an intense period of concentrated work whilst taking an MA course in Ceramics & Glass at the Royal College of Art.
Traditional casting methods and techniques have been pivotal to his work whilst Sam has produced a series of Life-Cast body parts. He is now incorporating hand-modelled and moulded figurines with this past work and continuing the traditions of both the Staffordshire Factories and European equivalents to create a new form of the table centrepiece. It is this strong historical industrial contextualisation, mixed with his own narratives that have convinced Sam that he has something to bring to modern British Ceramics.
Archive Conservation
Age: 24
Having completed two years of study in archive conservation, Catherine is a conservation assistant at the Borthwick Institute working on a Heritage Lottery funded project, run in conjunction with Harewood House Trust, to conserve, preserve and make publicly available the 18th and 19th century slavery records in the Lascelles Barbados Archive. Her award will enable Catherine to complete the final three modules within the Society of Archivists' Certificate in Archive Conservation, with placements on Maps and Plans, Parchment and Bookbinding and qualify as an Archive Conservator.
Illustrator
Age: 26
A successful illustrator, Rose's evocative and energetic style is regularly published in leading glossy magazines and national newspapers and she has illustrated Pirate Gran, a children’s picture book published by the National Maritime Museum. Now, she intends to transfer from the page to walls and, having been inspired by Rufus Porter, a 19th century American folk artist/muralist, Rose will use her Scholarship to attend the MA in Authorial Illustration at the University College Falmouth. She will also take two other courses: "Rufus Porter Style Paints" and "Creating Rufus Porter Murals" at The Rufus Porter Museum in Maine, USA so that she can bring back the traditions of 19th century folk art and develop them within her own style reflecting the English landscape.
www.roseillustration.com
Silversmith
Age: 34
A silversmith who designs and creates contemporary silverware frequently combining it with drift and other recycled wood, Grant's work has been shown at the Contemporary Applied Arts gallery in London and has been acquired by Queen Margaret University Edinburgh, Incorporation of Goldsmiths and the Scottish Parliament as well as public and private collections such as the Bute House Collection, the home of Scotland's first minister, Birmingham Museums and Art Galleries and Goldsmiths' Hall Modern Collection. His Scholarship will enable Grant to attend the MA in Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork & Jewellery at the Royal College of Art.
Stonemason
Age: 36
Dan, a traditional journeyman stonemason is currently part of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s conservation team. He has worked on conservation projects that include St. George’s Chapel Windsor and Norwich Cathedral. Winning a Scholarship will enable Dan to receive advanced, one-to-one tuition in relief carving, letter cutting and design from Teucer Wilson, one of Britain’s most distinguished designers and letter-carvers and therefore progress his career to a new level.
Goldsmith & Jeweller
Age: 29
Goldsmith and Jeweller, Jessica, whose portfolio of work includes spectacular pieces for Boodles and De Beers as well as repairs for Bulgari, will use her Scholarship to learn the highly specialized skill of micro pave setting from the Alexandre School of Optical Setting in Antwerpen, Belgium. Jessica hopes that, by learning this setting method to such a high standard, she will return a rare skill back to the UK. Setting for other bespoke jewellers will ensure an income and give her the security to design her own pieces both commercially and for galleries.
www.jessicapoole.co.uk
Stucco duro
Age: 33
Jenny, whose stucco duro, hand modelled decorative plasterwork, adorns the interiors of a number of historic buildings of significance, will now attend a 2-year History of Design MA at the Royal College of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Decorative lime plasterwork has been used in this way for the past four hundred years and is present in many buildings of historic importance. Stucco reached its peak of popularity in the eighteenth century and is common in stately homes throughout the country. Hand modelled plasterwork is an art form that is seriously at risk and Jenny intends to play her part in the preservation of this iconic and historical craft.
Wall Painting Conservation
Age: 24
Elizabeth Woolley, who is currently undertaking a Masters degree in the conservation of wall paintings, will use her Scholarship to complete her third and final year of studies at the Courtauld Institute of Art in Somerset House, London. She has participated in fieldwork projects in Cyprus and China, where she worked alongside Lisa Shekede a QEST Scholar in 1995, but her particular interest remains in English medieval wall paintings.
If you are planning to visit one of the exhibitions mentioned, please check with the organisers for opening times and any changes to dates.
QEST produces a newsletter, Excel, with details of the latest craftspeople to receive awards plus news from past Scholars. Excel comes out in January and July and will appear on this site as soon as it is published.
Journalists and crafts-related organisations wishing to receive a hard copy of the newsletter should email their details to qest@rwha.co.uk
Download a pdf file of the
Spring 2010 issue of Excel
Download a pdf file of the
Summer 2009 issue of Excel
To open these files you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. You may need to click here to download this free software to view it.
Joesphine Beney (2007) has been taking a year out from her Conservation Studies at The City and Guilds of London Art School whilst gaining work experience in Munich. Since arriving there in November 2008, she has been restoring two carved, gilded Ludwig II postaments for the Bavarian Castles & Palaces Administration, with whom she completed a three-month summer internship last year. These two objects are now on display in the prestigious "China und Bayern" exhibition at the Bavarian National Museum; whilst the piece that she worked on last summer, a small children’s carriage that was featured in a previous edition of Excel, is currently on display in the V&A's "Baroque" exhibition.
"Since completing the work on the postaments, I have been working with a freelance conservator to clean, consolidate, repair and retouch a suite of furniture in the Prinz Carl Palais in the centre of Munich. This historic building belongs to the Bavarian government and is used to host functions such as ambassadorial receptions and state visits. On our first day of work we were briefly interupted by the Bavarian Prime Minister himself, who took a break from a photoshoot to come and see what we were up to!"
Confectioner, Rachel Shaw’s (1996) Derbyshire business has continued to expand enabling her to introduce more "craft bakery" lines and to continue training the team using traditional craft skills, because, as she explains, "It is one of our bugbears that pre-mixes are used in so many establishments".
With the downturn in the economy there has been a slowdown in wedding cake orders, although a significant increase in birthday and celebration cakes, indicating that more people are celebrating at home with family and friends. "At Christmas, we organised a big extravaganza in the Great Dome at the University of Derby, Buxton and on behalf of the Michael Elliott Trust, we made the actress June Brown M.B.E. (better known as Dot Cotton in BBC's EastEnders) a cake," said Rachel. “Together with a big cake stall, it proved a very effective fundraiser."
Violin and Cello Restorer, Eugenie Degan (2007) opened her new workshop in Milton Village, Cambridge in May 2009. Eugenie now has the facilities to restore all instruments from the quartet, restore their bows, repair all quality instruments as well as making new violins, violas and cellos and also deal with early fretted like gambas. As a skilled cellist, who studied at the Paris Conservatoire and the Schola Cantorum, Eugenie has been playing with the Cambridge Philharmonic Society since she moved to the city at the beginning of the year. When Eugenie was awarded her Scholarship in 2007, it was her stated aim to be able to open her own workshop with a thorough technical understanding of the violin making trade as well as the day to day running of a business. She currently working on various instruments, including a double bass.
www.deganviolins.com
Since Craft Baker Susannah Silver (2008) returned from attending the French Culinary Institute in New York’s intensive eight week Art of International Bread Making course. Situated on Broadway, the Institute is a chefs’ school with the focus on German, French and Italian breads as well as American products. "Although we were gaining technical expertise at the Institute, learning eight different recipes a day which equals some forty different recipes throughout the course; we were still able to visit other bakeries," explained Susannah. "The States has a terrific history of embracing other cultures and their foods and so it was a wonderful opportunity to see Italian and Kurdistan bakeries in action and learn from their expertise."
"It was immensely helpful and since returning I have implemented their production techniques, which are much better and far more energy efficient, resulting in a higher yield," commented Susannah. "Without a doubt, the course has raised the bar for me in terms of quality, as I now have a real understanding for the dough and am making a superior product. It is now a question of time to put all that knowledge into practice and to use all those forty recipes!"
Susannah continues to sell her range, her speciality being the French sourdough breads, at the farmers markets as well as delivering to many Tayside delicatessens. As with many small artisan businesses she is faced with the challenge of small local shops being closed down in favour of the large supermarket chains, but she continues to make more than 300 loaves and 200 pastries per week.
"Sourdough is still a version of magic to me, rather like alchemy," enthused Susannah, "and making pastries reminds me of my past life, making sculpture. I really enjoy the creation process of making croissants, pain raisin and all the pastries."
www.breadnaturally.com
If you are planning to visit one of the exhibitions mentioned, please check with the organisers for opening times and any changes to dates.
Princes Foundation – www.princes-foundation.org
Princes Trust – www.princes-trust.org.uk
The Walpole Group – www.thewalpole.co.uk
Building Crafts College – www.thebcc.ac.uk
City and Guilds – www.city-and-guilds.co.uk
Courtauld Institute – www.courtauld.ac.uk
University of the Arts London – www.arts.ac.uk
West Dean College – www.westdean.org.uk
Institute of Historic Building Conservation – www.ihbc.org.uk
Icon (The Institute of Conservation) – www.icon.org.uk
Crafts Council – www.craftscouncil.org.uk
Crafts Scotland – www.craftscotland.org.uk
Craft Northern Ireland – www.craftni.org
Creative and Cultural Skills – www.cciskills.org.uk
Learning & Skills Council – www.lsc.gov.uk
Society of Designer Craftsmen – www.societyofdesignercraftsmen.org.uk
UK Skills – www.ukskills.org.uk
The Art Fund – www.artfund.org
English Heritage – www.english-heritage.org.uk
Heritage Link – www.britarch.ac.uk/heritagelink
Historic Houses Association – www.hha.org.uk
National Trust – www.nationaltrust.org.uk
National Trust for Scotland – www.nts.org.uk
NADFAS – www.nadfas.org.uk
RIBA - www.riba.org/go/RIBA/Home.html
SPAB – www.spab.org.uk
a-n Magazine – www.a-n.co.uk
Crafts – www.craftscouncil.org.uk/crafts-magazine
Craft & Design– www.craftanddesign.net
Royal Warrant Holders Association – www.royalwarrant.org
Please note: QEST is not responsible for the contents or reliability of these external websites and listing shall not be taken as endorsement of any kind. QEST cannot guarantee that these links will work all the time and we have no control over availability of the linked pages.
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
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