This scholarship provides three full tuition, room, and board scholarships to established studio artists in order to promote their artistic growth. This scholarship was established by Benjamin Schore in memory of his late wife, an innovative New Hampshire artist who died in 2002. In 2021, NCSW was honored to receive funding from the late Benjamin Schore’s bequest that has enabled us to endow this scholarship for future generations.
An original planning committee member of NCSW, Kira first came to prominence as an artist in the late 1970s, when she started making ceramic cooking vessels based on an ancient Chinese prototype she had learned about while a student at Goddard College in Vermont. Her pots, first used at a well-known restaurant, were later marketed nationally. In the early 1990s, seeking further artistic challenge, Kira enrolled at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and at Alfred University. In 1997, Kira attended North Country Studio Workshops for a glass workshop that sparked a change in her life. She was inspired to enroll in a MFA program in sculptural glass at the University of Arizona that launched her career as a committed sculptor. Through her gifted work, and despite illness, Kira demonstrated remarkable determination, passion, and dedication to her career and to her artistic goals. Her life as an artist is an inspiration and it is in this spirit that the Kira Fournier Scholarship will allow recipients to attend NCSW.
Goals:
To provide professional development experience to a craftsperson or visual artist whose resume and body of work demonstrate a strong commitment to an artistic discipline.
To share the success of NCSW with more artists.
To expand and enrich the arts community.
Selection Criteria:
Must be a craftsperson or visual artist whose resume and body of work demonstrate a strong commitment to an artistic discipline. Jurors will favor work that is contemporary rather than traditional and that transcends function.
Provide up to five images of artwork/craft pieces showing artistic quality and strong artistic vision. Work samples must be completed in the last three years.
A written statement of how the scholarship would advance the applicant’s artistic growth in both the short and long term and the likely impact on the artist’s work and future direction.
A resume or statement of professional artistic experience especially with chosen medium.
To Apply:
Fill out online scholarship application for this and any other NCSW Scholarships. Application due by June 3, 2024 and you will be notified by June 10, 2024.
Submit $60 application fee with application.
Questions: Please contact info@ncsw.org
NCSW is committed to being welcoming to all and does not discriminate regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, race, religion, philosophical or political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, nationality, geographic origin, or socioeconomic status.
All NCSW participants must be 18 years old or older.
