Our scholarship fund is designed to help pay the way through college for students studying ceramics. We want to raise enough money so that the interest will be sufficient to really make a difference in the ability of a young student to graduate college. At this point our fund is able to spin off enough money to ensure our ability to give money each year forever. Today the amount we can safely give away, and still maintain the integrity of the fund, is small.
Our fund-raising drive aims to continuously add more money to the fund so the interest will generate enough money to make a major difference in college plans for our scholarship winners.
The scholarships we give are linked to The National K12 Ceramic Exhibition. The students who win them are winners in the exhibition. When seniors respond to the call for entries, they can read a questionnaire made available by the foundation board. Their responses to the questionnaire, and the quality of their art work, determine eligibility for consideration of scholarships.
When Nancy and Ken Ernst began the scholarship fund n 2005 with a $10,000 contribution, they were promised the fund would be grown. Scholarship fund-raising began at the 2006 exhibition in Portland.
During the three days of the exhibit, more than $1,000 was raised for deposit into the sinking fund thanks to a large donation by The Williams` of Trinity Ceramic Supply of Dallas, Texas, a juror`s grant from Professor Michel Conway, and a donation from Barbara Beasley, an amazingly generous donation from the Damore twins who, as students, worked the desks at the exhibition. Thank you to Maddy and Maxine Damore and their parents, Robin and Dennis.
In 2007 we received our largest contibution from Ingrid and Marvin Mahan and The Ingrid Mahan Foundation.
From these beginnings we hope to watch our scholarship fund grow and grow. We seek donations of all sizes from all sources. We request that all who read these pages, see the exhibition, or learn of it, help us build permanence into our future by helping gather funds for this worthy cause.
The Scholarship Fund Today and Our Current Scholarships
The Jared Branfman MemorialScholarship
Jared Branfman was an artist of extraordinary ability and passion. He was an athlete and league champion in wrestling, track, and soccer. He was a scholar of art history, Hispanic culture and was fluent in Spanish. He was a person whose life and spirit embodied curiosity, intellect, creativity, kindness, boundless energy, and incomparable courage. A love of education and a dedication to sharing his knowledge and experience with others was in his blood.Jared passed away on September 27, 2005. He was 23 years old. It is an honor for us to have this scholarship awarded in the name and memory of our son and brother Jared.From The Branfman Family
The Lucy Roy Memorial Scholarship
Though neither a K12 clay teacher nor a potter, Lucy Roy worked for years helping the K12 exhibition.Her warmth and wisdom helped us find better ways to work and to organize our show.She brought a grace and sense of calm to the process of setting up our show.Her penetrating yet joyful appreciation of the student work led us to seek her help to set the exhibition.Her spirit is with us when we begin again each year.
The Ingrid Mahan Foundation Scholarship
Recognizing the importance of continuing education in all aspects of life, the Ingrid Mahan scholarship award is joyfully given to a deserving student whose skill, desire to learn, and dedication to mastering the medium of clay has been demonstrated.
The Ernst Family Scholarship
The inspiration for the creation of these initial gifts was to honor the vision, dedication and efforts of the ceramic educators, the students they mentor, and the many volunteers nationwide affiliated with bringing The National K12 Ceramic Exhibition Foundation and it`s dream of having a Scholarship Fund to fruition.With joy we welcome you to join our families` heartfelt commitment, the circle of friends, sponsors and donors that have come on board in support of the National K12 Scholarship Fund, and ask that you give generously to grow this fund for deserving student artists.They are our future. With gratitude to the K12 Board for your vision, Nancy and Ken Ernst, Ingrid and Marvin Mahan.
The Emily C. Specchio Foundation Scholarship Created
in 2010 by The Emily C. Scecchio Foundation, this award is
given `to young people with big ideas on how to give back to the arts`. The Specchios Scholarship is donated to honor their daughter who died
suddenly. They`ve created a foundation in her name. http://emilycspecchiofoundation.org.
The Aardvark Teaching Award
Created in 2007 by Rick MacPherson of Aardvark Ceramic Supply, this award is given to a teacher of ceramics for the purpose of recognizing excellence in the teaching of ceramics at the K-12 level.
The Regina Brown Teacher Development AwardDonors & Winners The Regina Brown Teacher Development Award is given to a ceramics teacher to benefit the health of the national ceramics community by aiding in the development and commendation of outstanding ceramic educators at the kindergarten through grade 12 level.Founded in 2008 in the name of long time NCECA leader, Regina Brown, by Dan Hammett and a group of 9 other art professors through personal donations.
