GV Kelley, a first year MFA Ceramics student, has been awarded a scholarship through the Penland School of Arts + Crafts Higher Education Partners Program.
Kelley found about the scholarship through the School of Art and Art History graduate student listserv.
“As soon as I saw the email I immediately set to work to fulfil the application requirements,” they said. “I wrote a letter to the current Director of the SA+AH, Maria Rogal, to talk about who I am, my experience at UF, why attending a workshop at Penland would aid my artistic growth and professional network, and how I could then benefit my school upon my return. I completely rewrote my artist statement to bring it up to speed with what I am making in graduate school. I also added a few photos of my work.”
Kelley said the turnaround for the scholarship was three days. Kelley found out they won the scholarship while out on a bike ride.
“I was so excited!” they said. “I was on a long solo bike ride and had just reached Hawthorne when I received a voice mail from Patrick Grigsby about it. It was great news to get in the middle of a long bike ride on a gorgeous day.”
Kelley will be attending workshops in Penland, North Carolina this summer and will be allowed the opportunity to work with sculptor Kensuke Yamada.
“We will be constructing hollow built figures out of clay, and learning different glazing and surfacing techniques while focusing on personalizing our pieces,” Kelley said.
Kelley described the Penland Scholarship as a great opportunity and encouraged students to apply.
“Apply to stuff. Just do it. The only way to get shows and scholarships is to apply!”
