The Mason Charitable Trust Scholarship

The New Zealand Spinning, Weaving and Woolcrafts Society Inc. (Creative Fibre) has the privilege of being one of the organisations supported by the Mason Charitable Trust. The Mason Charitable Trust funds a scholarship that is designed to further the development of creativity in the use of fibre. The privilege of being made the Mason Scholar may be given to one member of Creative Fibre every two years.

The Objective of the Scholarship
The objective of the Mason Charitable Trust Scholarship is to give a member of Creative Fibre the ability to extend their knowledge and push the boundaries of their capabilities and their design skills by studying overseas with a recognised international practitioner. The intention is that this will be in an area of practice where there are no suitable tutors in New Zealand.

The Creative Fibre member chosen as the Mason Scholar will be a person who is a competent craftsperson who is not able to develop further in the technique they are seeking to study within the New Zealand environment and needs the opportunity to study internationally in order to develop their practice to its full potential.

The Mason Scholar needs to have the confidence, knowledge, and inspiration to maximise the international study they undertake. The intent is for the Mason Scholar to be able to return from their course of study with fresh ideas that inspire greater awareness of the potential to innovate.

It is the intention of the Scholarship that the Mason Scholar’s experience will benefit all members of Creative Fibre. To do this, the Mason Scholar is expected to share their experience with members and make them aware of what can be done in their chosen field.

The Mason Charitable Trust Scholarship is awarded every two years (in odd numbered years).

The Mason Scholarship requires the study to be undertaken after the receipt of the scholarship; it cannot be applied retrospectively.

Scholarship
The Mason Charitable Trust Scholarship is not intended to meet the full cost of the course of study. It is intended to enable the applicant to undertake study by assisting with travel and tutoring costs. The Mason scholarship can be awarded to:

  • assist with the costs associated with attending a workshop or series of workshops with one or more overseas practitioner/s working in the area of expertise sought; and/or
  • assist with the costs associated with taking part in a programme of learning or one on one mentoring with one or more overseas practitioner/s working in the area of expertise sought.

Application for Scholarship
The person applying for the scholarship must be a financial New Zealand based member of Creative Fibre.
Applicants can only receive this scholarship once in their lifetime.
The applicant meets the cost of sending their application and portfolio to the selectors and its return.

Applicants must submit:

  • A comprehensive plan of their proposed programme. This needs to include the aims of the proposed programme, how they intend to achieve these aims, and how they will measure whether they have achieved them.
  • An explanation of why the method of study is important and provide a resume of the person(s) they will be learning from, and an explanation of why they are appropriate tutor(s) for the applicant.
  • A timetable for when this scholarship will be taken up. This should include details of the place and format of the study and evidence that the proposed workshop/s or practitioner is available for the suggested course of study within the proposed time frame.
  • Photographic images and selected samples of their recent work of the applicant’s recent work.
  • A complete budget of all the costs for undertaking the proposed programme. The applicant must explain how the scholarship will contribute to these costs.

Conditions of the Scholarship
All the following conditions of the Scholarship must be fulfilled by the recipient. The Scholar will be required to sign an agreement that outlines their acceptance of the conditions of the scholarship. The agreement will include the applicant’s proposal.

  • The recipient must exhibit at a National Creative Fibre Festival at the end of this scholarship with the Mason Charitable Trust being highlighted as the sponsor of the scholarship. This exhibition is to be separate from any work that may be submitted for the juried National Exhibition or Fashion Show.
  • The recipient must give workshops and/or lectures at the festival or education event following the completion of their study. Lectures should detail how the Scholarship has developed their practice and workshops should be in the technique they have developed as a result of the study funded through the scholarship.
  • An article on the recipient’s study must be written for the Creative Fibre magazine.
  • The scholar will provide a progress report to the Executive of Creative Fibre every six months for the duration of the scholarship. After completion of the scholarship, a written report is to be sent to both the Executive and the Mason Charitable Trust.