Tag: scholarship

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My Penland Scholarship

Scholarships are an important part of the Penland workshop landscape. Did you know:

  • About half of Penland students attend with financial assistance.
  • Scholarships are open to all ages and all skill levels.
  • Scholarships are available for all Penland workshops, with the exception of our fall weekend workshops.
  • Full and partial scholarships make Penland programming more accessible and enhance the workshop experience for all.

But don’t just take is from us. Meet some of last summer’s scholarship recipients:

I am a retired RN. I am looking to begin anew as a practicing artist. This has lit a fire in me, and shown me how to make it possible. – Kathleen, print scholarship recipient

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I will look back on this experience as a turning point in both my work and life, and judging by the strength of this community, I see Penland being woven into my story for a long time to come. -Finley, textiles scholarship recipient

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My class, ‘The Anti-Purist Rapture’ with the de la Torre brothers, has pushed the boundaries of my art practice and left me with new ideas and concepts to explore in my MFA this fall. -Ariel, glass scholarship recipient

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More About Penland Scholarships

Penland offers a variety of financial aid, from full to partial scholarships to studio assistantships to the Pines Scholarship, an opportunity to work at Penland for one or two weeks and then take a workshop. In recent years, we have made important changes in the interest of equity, eliminating the need for images for most scholarships, removing the requirement for letters of recommendation, reducing the application fee to just $5, and eliminating work requirements while students are engaged in workshops.

We are currently accepting applications for Summer 2025. With over 100 workshops to choose from, now is the perfect time to apply and to share this opportunity with someone who could benefit from an immersive craft workshop at Penland.

Apply by December 16th!

Ashley, textiles scholarship recipient

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A Scholarship to Explore Iron

Last summer, Cameron Cooper attended a workshop with Mike Rossi in the Penland iron studio. Like 50% of Penland’s students, Cameron’s experience was made possible by a scholarship. As we approach our fall scholarship application due date, Cameron has generously shared his experience so that other’s may be inspired to apply:

Cameron Cooper’s Penland Experience

When I arrived in Penland, I knew my name, my favorite color, and my favorite food, but I didn’t know my hands. I had been longing for a space to create, build, and connect with nature and art, and Penland provided just that. It was a place where I could let go of my thoughts and live from the heart.

Two words that come to mind when I think of my time at Penland are freedom and grace. I had the freedom to explore and wonder, and the beautiful landscape and studios provided endless inspiration. I loved being able to visit other studios and see what others were working on. The community was warm and welcoming, and I felt a sense of love and warmth from the moment I arrived.

The process of forging iron was challenging at times, but I was surrounded by a supportive instructor in Mike Rossi and peers who were happy to help. Penland has a magical quality that makes you feel safe and at peace. It reminded me that creating is a state of being, not just doing, and that the more I can be myself, the more my work will reflect how I see the world. Everyone at Penland made me feel capable and valued, and I grew in my ability to express myself through a new material.

Since graduating in 2020, I had felt lost and creatively blocked, but Penland gave me permission to fail, forgive, and have fun. It’s a place that fosters democracy and provides space for everyone to explore and express themselves. I am immensely grateful for my experience and look forward to returning for a concentration or residency.

Scholarships at Penland

Penland’s robust scholarship program exists to make workshops accessible to those who are not able to participate without financial assistance and to create educational opportunities for people who have been underrepresented at Penland and in craft. In recent years, Penland has taken steps to streamline our scholarship application process, removing image requirements for most scholarships, reducing the application fee to $5, and removing the requirement for letters of recommendation, resulting in an increase in applications.

Immersive craft workshops are at their best when students are surrounded by a diversity of skill, experience, and means. Apply now for fall scholarships (Due March 15) and additional summer scholarships for select workshops (available on a rolling basis).

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Announcing the Elizabeth Brim Scholarship Fund


An outpouring of support for 2023 Outstanding Artist Educator Elizabeth Brim has helped establish the Elizabeth Brim Scholarship! We invite you to help endow a scholarship in honor of Elizabeth Brim’s pioneering and sustained contributions to the blacksmithing community! Any amount is greatly appreciated.

“Few people have been as committed and have contributed as much to Penland as Elizabeth Brim. Not only is Elizabeth a rockstar in the blacksmithing world, she is a great friend and inspiration to so many who enjoy the Penland experience. If Elizabeth has touched your life, directly or indirectly, we invite you to be a part of her legacy by donating to the Elizabeth Brim Scholarship. We are thrilled to honor Elizabeth Brim’s legacy by creating this opportunity for future generations. ”

-Susan Owen, friend, mentee, peer

BE A PART OF ELIZABETH’S LEGACY

Deep Penland Connections

Elizabeth was Penland’s iron studio coordinator from 1995–2000 and then settled permanently into a house and studio just a mile from the school. Over three decades, she has taught many workshops at Penland and other craft schools including Peters Valley in New Jersey and Haystack in Maine. She has demonstrated at numerous blacksmithing conferences, organized two symposia at Penland, and been a role model and inspiration for countless aspiring blacksmiths. She continues to be an integral part of the Penland community.

Iconic, Innovative Work

Elizabeth Brim is known for her life-sized, steel replicas of traditionally feminine objects such as hats, dresses, pillows, and flowers; for her expressive and fluid use of the material; and for her facility at inflating steel forms with compressed air.

Elizabeth Brim, Excess, 2008. Steel. Metal Museum Permanent Collection 2009.8.1. Gift of John & Robyn Horn.

Watch Elizabeth inflate a steel pillow.

Honoring Elizabeth

Over the summer, Penland honored Elizabeth as Outstanding Artist Educator at the 38th Annual Penland Benefit Auction. Twenty blacksmiths who are near and dear to Elizabeth created special works of art, inspired by her for the occasion. Friends and colleagues shared how Elizabeth has touched their lives. Many of these artists have contributed to the Elizabeth Brim Scholarship fund, bringing us closer to our goal of endowing a scholarship that will provide opportunities for blacksmiths for generations to come.

Elizabeth has given so much to Penland and to the blacksmithing community. We invite you to be a part of her legacy by donating to the Elizabeth Brim Scholarship fund. Donate today!