QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust

Supporting Excellence in British Crafts

The Trust
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Who can apply
How to apply
Latest QEST Scholars
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The Trust

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) makes awards ranging from £2,000 to £15,000 to craftsmen and women of all ages to help them further their careers.

Since 1991 the Trust has awarded over £1,163,000 to 183 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.

Craft Scholarships

What are Scholarships awarded for?

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.

How much is each Scholarship worth?

Between £2,000 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.

What sort of crafts are covered?

A huge range of modern and traditional crafts. Scholarship winners have included: an antiques restorer, calligraphers, book conservators, potters, silversmiths, upholsterers and many more.

Who can apply?

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.

What are we looking for?

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.

How to apply

Scholarships are awarded twice a year. Completed forms for Spring 2009 Scholarships must be received not later than 9 January 2009.

You can download an application form now:

Microsoft Word 97/8 format 310k (Mac or PC)


Or you can send an A4 self addressed envelope with a 50p stamp to:

The Secretary
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
No 1 Buckingham Place
London SW1E 6HR

Latest QEST Scholars

These Scholars will receive their awards at the Royal Warrant Holders Lunch in London in June 2008.

Ruth Anthony

Engraver and Jeweller
Age: 29

Ruth designs and makes bespoke precious jewellery and engraves for the trade. Her £7,500 Scholarship means she can study the specialised craft of gun engraving with Royal Warrant Holding firms of gunmakers – Holland & Holland and Purdey. This will broaden the scope of her work and enable her to develop a jewellery range incorporating hand engraving techniques specific to gun work.

Su Blackwell, MA

Paper Artist
Age: 32

Su runs her own business as a paper artist, using cut paper from second-hand books to create highly imaginative and unusual 3D works. She currently hand cuts paper but her £750 Scholarship enables her to tackle larger and more diverse projects by attending a specialist laser cutting course.


Jim Fleeting, BSc

Luthier
Age: 31

Jim spent seven years as an IT support engineer. A keen guitar collector and player, he switched career and set up Jim Fleeting Guitars in Ripon, repairing and building guitars. One of the UK’s most innovative luthiers, his £2,990 Scholarship enables him to attend a course in California with one of the world’s leading exponents of the craft.

Mel Howse

Glass Artist
Age: 39

Mel designs contemporary architectural, ecclesiastical and fine art installations. Her impressive body of work includes windows for Lancing College Chapel and the Quatercentenary Window for the Butchers’ Company livery hall. The £7,600 Scholarship enables her to expand her skills by studying enamelling with glass on metal.

Ben Marks

Square Piano Restorer and Conservator
Age: 20

Ben plays the pianoforte and harpsichord and has a keen interest in early music. He was working three days a week with Lucy Coad Square Piano Conservation and Repair in Bristol. His £11,000 Scholarship enables him to complete a three year apprenticeship with Lucy Coad.


Richard McGuinness

Wooden Car Body Restorer
Age: 41

For many years Richard repaired and restored wooden Thames boats. He recently transferred his talents to rebuilding and restoring woodwork on unusual vintage cars. The £2,200 Scholarship enables him to gain additional skills and move into fulltime restoration of ash framed car bodies.

Rachel Sawicki, BA

Book Conservator
Age: 28

Rachel is an Assistant Conservation Technician in the Conservation and Collection Care Department of the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Although she loves books and is dedicated to conservation Rachel has no formal conservation qualification. Her £10,000 Scholarship enables her to study for an MA in Book Conservation at West Dean College.

Susannah Silver, MA, PhD

Craft Baker
Age: 49

Susannah set up last year as an artisan baker in Kirriemuir Angus, trading as 'Bread Naturally'. The £9,400 Scholarship enables her to undertake a period of intensive study in traditional artisan bakery techniques in New York and spend time working in some of the city's leading bakeries.

Katie Whiting, BA (Hons)

Shoe Designer
Age: 22

Having graduated with a first in fashion design, Katie's debut collection shown at Graduate Fashion Week, resulted in numerous commissions. She now has her own 'Katie Rose' label. Her £9,260 Scholarship will support her during an internship at Vivienne's Westwood's shoe design department and while completing a footwear diploma.

William Davies

Stone Carver
Age: 26

Studied architectural stone masonry for two years at Weymouth College before joining Cathedral Works Organisation Ltd where he was involved in projects including Temple Bar in the City and Windsor Castle. His £10,000 Scholarship means he can continue a three year Historical Stone Carving Graduate Diploma at City & Guilds of London Art School.

William Davies

Stone Carver
Age: 26

Studied architectural stone masonry for two years at Weymouth College before joining Cathedral Works Organisation Ltd where he was involved in projects including Temple Bar in the City and Windsor Castle. His £10,000 Scholarship means he can continue a three year Historical Stone Carving Graduate Diploma at City & Guilds of London Art School.

Eugenie Degan

Violin Restorer
Age: 27

A skilled cello player, Eugenie was at the Paris Conservatoire and the Schola Cantorum before studying violin making and repairs at London Metropolitan University. She works part-time with Peter Ratcliff, an expert stringed instrument restorer. Her £10,000 Scholarship enables her to complete her training in restoration with Mr Ratcliff.

Kerry Lemon, BA

Children’s Book Illustrator
Age: 26

After gaining a first class fine arts degree from Reading University Kerry embarked on a self-directed programme of study on children’s book illustration and took part in exhibitions while working as a Visual Arts and Outreach Officer.  Her £9,000 Scholarship enables her to study part-time for an MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art.

Alan Partridge

Clock Restorer
Age: 49

A qualified skilled blacksmith, engineer and mechanic who spent 15 years in a blacksmith's forge before becoming a clock restorer and repairer with his own workshop. His £7,200 Scholarship enables him to study the highly skilled, ancient and endangered craft of making reed shallots for pipe organs.

Anna Rolls, BA (Hons)

Metal Sculptor
Age: 26

Anna graduated in Three-Dimensional Crafts at Brighton University. For the past three years, for exhibitions and private commissions, she has created sculptures of birds in metal using pre-fabricated materials. Her £2,000 Scholarship enables her to add to her skills by studying conservation and restoration of metalwork at West Dean College.

Felix Thornton-Jones, BSc (Hons)

Conservator
Age: 27

Felix worked as a sculpture restorer and conservator in New York before returning to London where he gained a first class honours degree in conservation and restoration. Prior to graduation he joined a team of conservators at Plowden & Smith. His £7,600 Scholarship enabled him to attend an MA course in Conservation and Restoration of Archaeological Materials in Xi'an, China.

Carole Waller, BA (Hons)

Textile and glass artist
Age: 51

An internationally renowned artist who works with textiles making large scale paintings on unprimed fabrics for exhibitions and to commission. Carol has exhibited internationally since 1986. She recently began working with glass and her £5,000 Scholarship enables her to undertake a year's intensive study of glass painting and enamelling and research trips to Germany.

Excel Newsletter

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 2008 issue of Excel

Download a pdf file of the
Summer 2007 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.

News from QEST Scholars

A television series with a Royal theme is featuring two QEST Scholars. Entitled 'By Royal Appointment', the six part series is being shown this summer on ITV London and ITV Meridian. Portrait painter Rupert Alexander (1996), who has painted portraits of HRH The Prince of Wales and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and is scheduled to paint HM The Queen, was filmed working in his London studio. Painter Stainer Melissa White (2007) is seen creating her trademark Elizabethan style fabrics. Royal Warrant Holding firms featured in the series include Savile Row tailors Henry Poole, perfumers Floris and gunmakers Purdey.
Programme timings can be checked on: www.kmbproductions.co.uk
www.rupertalexander.com
www.fairlyte.co.uk

3-dimensional paper artist Su Blackwell's installation 'While You Were Sleeping' is on show in London's Courtauld Institute's 8th East Wing Collection 'On time' until July 2009. This biennial student-curated contemporary art show features the work of up-and-coming artists alongside established names. Su will also have a solo exhibition at the Long and Ryle Gallery, London from 26 November to December. The show will feature ten new pieces of work – each one unique.
www.sublackwell.co.uk 
www.eastwing8.co.uk 
www.longandryle.com

Textile and Glass Artist Carole Waller will exhibit her clothing and glass work in the Summer Exhibition at her studio, One Two Five, Box Road, Bath from 28 June to 13 July.

Contemporary Whitby Jet Jeweller Jacqueline Cullen will be exhibiting at the prestigious Goldsmiths' Fair, the leading selling exhibition of contemporary jewellery and silverware at Goldsmiths' Hall in the City of London.  Jacqueline will have a stand during the first week – 22 to 28 September.  She will also be at the Crafts Council’s exhibition 'Origin' at Somerset House in October.  

Metals conservator Nicola Dunn has left the Museum of London and moved to New Zealand to take up an eight month post as Objects Conservator at the Auckland Memorial Museum. She is working on objects for display in the galleries for loan to other museums. These include military medals, clocks and historic silver objects.

Mosaic artist Gary Drostle won the 'Best Architectural' prize at Mosaic Arts International 2008 in Miami, Florida for his 'De Luci fish Sculpture' in Erith. Gary also represented Europe as one of six judges for Mosaic Art Now, a new magazine highlighting the best mosaic works of the year. A thousand entries were submitted and unknown to Gary, three other judges voted his mosaic, produced during his QEST funded period at the Orsoni Glass Foundry in Venice, one of the top mosaics of 2007. www.drostle.com 

Conservator Felix Thornton-Jones has returned from China having successfully completed the MA in the Conservation of Archaeological Materials. He has opened his own studio in south London, specialising in conservation and restoration of sculpture and decorative arts. He aims to serve the art markets (art dealers and auction houses) and private collections primarily in London but also further afield if required. felixthorntonjones@mac.com  www.felixthorntonjones.com

Useful Crafts Links

Award Giving Bodies

Princes Foundation – www.princes-foundation.org
Princes Trust – www.princes-trust.org.uk
The Walpole Group – www.thewalpole.co.uk

Colleges

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

Conservation

Institute of Historic Building Conservation – www.ihbc.org.uk
Icon (The Institute of Conservation) – www.icon.org.uk

Crafts and Skills

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

Arts and Heritage

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

Publications

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.

Contact us

General enquiries

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
No 1 Buckingham Place
London SW1E 6HR

T: 020 7828 2268

qest@rwha.co.uk

Press Enquiries

T: 01442 875267

qest@cleapr.co.uk

 

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