STUDIO FELLOWSHIPS
Celebrating the Studio Fellowship in the Messler Gallery, March 2008
2009 Studio Fellow Andrew Tarnawsky, from Karabar, Australia
Thomas Huang, from Lawrence, Kansas, with a bamboo canoe that he built during his 2009 Fellowship
2009 Studio Fellow, Yuri Kobayashi
Video about the Studio Fellowship by Dave Griffin
The Studio Fellowship Program provides emerging and established furniture makers, carvers, and turners with a stimulating environment for the exploration of new work. The program offers free studio space and other benefits to individuals who are willing to commit anywhere from a month to a year to expanding their creative abilities.
Facility
Six Studio Fellows share the 5,400-square-foot Thomas Miller Jackson Building, which contains a bench room, a machine room with full dust collection, and a drafting room. The bench room is outfitted with European-style workbenches and the machine room is equipped with 10" tablesaws, a 12" sliding table saw, 8" and 12" jointers, 15" thickness planers, 14" and 20" bandsaws, Oneway 1640 lathes, a shaper, a router table, a combination sander, an oscillating spindle sander, a chopsaw, a scrollsaw, drill presses, grinders, and a horizontal slot mortiser.
Benefits
- Free studio space in a well-equipped, dedicated facility
- Round-the-clock shop access, including weekends
- Open attendance at demonstrations and lectures by more than 40 outstanding professionals who teach at the school annually
- Critiques by faculty and visiting instructors
- Access to the Center’s library and gallery
- Interaction with hundreds of professional and amateur furniture makers who participate in the Center’s instructional programs
- Exhibition opportunity in Messler Gallery group show
Responsibilities
Studio Fellows are expected to contribute six hours per week to the school, helping out with tasks such as:
- facilities and grounds maintenance
- gallery staffing and cleaning
- assistant teaching
- special events, such as gallery openings
In addition, Fellows are responsible for their own housing, materials, and transportation.
Qualifications
Applicants must:
- be experienced furniture makers, capable and ready to explore new work on their own initiative
- possess good interpersonal skills
- know how to use machinery and hand tools competently and safely
- have a record of creative achievement
The Maine Fellowship
Through the generosity of the Betterment Fund, the Center has established a “Maine Fellowship” to encourage the participation of Maine woodworkers as Studio Fellows. The Maine Fellowship gives preference for one of the six fellowship positions to a Maine-based woodworker who fits the program’s guidelines and intent, with particular emphasis on encouraging the professional development of emerging makers.
Application
The six Studio Fellowship positions are awarded on a competitive basis for periods ranging from one month to one year. Applications are accepted anytime, and positions are awarded as vacancies arise.
To apply, please send the following:
- A resume
- Digital images of your work
- A letter stating your reasons for applying and your goals as a woodworker
- The names and telephone numbers of three references
- An indication of the dates for which you are available
Applications should be e-mailed to: fellowship@woodschool.org
Annual Studio Fellowship Exhibition
To see work from the annual exhibition of work by current and former Studio Fellows, follow these links: