Bursaries


Bursaries are awarded biannually, in the year in which a Turning Competition is not held.  The last awards were made early in 2009.  13 excellent entries were received, and awards were made to:

Nick Agar ........................£4,500
Sarah Thirlwell ..............£2,000
Simon Hope ...................£1,000
Tracy Owen ....................£1,000
Leon Lewis ........................£500
Rosemary Wright .............£352

The next Bursary awards will be in 2011 and entries will be sought in the Autumn of 2010.

To assist those interested in applying for a Bursary in 2011, the rules for 2009 are shown below as a general guide to the requirements. The rules for 2011 WILL be different!

One or more Bursaries worth up to a combined total of £9,000 are available to assist talented turners to achieve their professional aspirations and enhance their future career opportunities.  The awards are open to capable UK resident turners whose work is well regarded.   Special consideration will be given to those candidates judged to be most capable of advancing the boundaries of the craft of turning.  Age is no barrier to entry.

RULES

1     Applicants shall submit written proposals to the Bursary Committee outlining their career aspirations and stating in the form of a costed action plan how they would use the Bursary to achieve their aims.  This shall be accompanied by a curriculum vitae, the names of two referees and one or more photographs of turned items made by them, with descriptions including production methods employed.  Entries should be sent to The Clerk, The Worshipful Company of Turners, 182 Temple Chambers, Temple Avenue, London EC4Y OHP, to arrive not later than 28th February 2009.

2     Applicants will be expected to have a good working knowledge of:
* a range of hand and powered tools and aids used in high-quality turned work
* choice, preparation and maintenance of lathe and cutting tools
* materials, principally woods, and their suitability for various purposes
* the design of pieces for practical and/or decorative purposes, including the geometry and measurement of work pieces
* techniques of turning between centres, faceplate and chuck turning
* techniques of surface decoration, colouring and finishing
It is important that applicants display high regard for safe practice, both at the lathe and generally in the workshop environment.

3      A short list of candidates will be invited to attend for interview and adjudication at Apothecaries’ Hall, Black Friars Lane, London EC4 in the third or fourth week of March 2009.  Candidates will be expected to bring with them a display of their work. Design sketches, photographs of their workshop and work-in-progress if appropriate, may support the display.  Short-listed candidates will receive assistance with their travel expenses.

4     The Bursary Committee will adjudicate.  In the event that the adjudicators find more than one candidate of outstanding ability the Bursary may be divided among them or, if there is no suitable candidate, the award may be held over.  The adjudicators’ decisions are final.

5     A mentor will be appointed to guide each successful candidate on matters relating to the Bursary.

6     The successful candidate will be required to submit a progress report satisfactory to the Company six months after receiving the Bursary, and after twelve months will be expected to prepare a display of work achieved with the assistance of the Bursary.  This display may be publicised in order to bring the candidate’s skill to the attention of the public, and to encourage future applicants.

7     The Bursary may be used for research, training, equipment, materials, travel for study, to demonstrate or display work, to produce an invention of turning-related equipment, to set up a turning-related business, or for any other purpose approved by the Bursary Committee that will assist the candidate in achieving recognition as an exceptional turner.

8     Unless specially justified by the candidate’s action plan, the Bursary shall be paid in four equal quarterly instalments, payment being contingent on satisfactory adherence to the action plan.

9     At the end of the Bursary year the candidate, if not already a registered professional turner, may apply to be assessed for admission to the Register of Professional Turners.  The candidate is also likely to receive invitations to talk about, teach or demonstrate the art of turning.


Back to Top of Page

Contacts ¦ Links ¦ Site Index

Page Published 14 April 2009
© The Worshipful Company of Turners