WJA grants 8 scholarships to jewelry students

Eight students currently studying jewelry and metalsmithing at various colleges across the country and abroad have been awarded scholarships from the Women’s Jewelry Association.

Michelle Graff michelle.graff@nationaljeweler.com

New York--Eight students currently studying jewelry and metalsmithing at various colleges across the country and abroad have been awarded scholarships from the Women’s Jewelry Association.

The scholarships, which total $16,000, will benefit the students for the 2014-2015 school year.

The organization’s annual Awards for Excellence gala, raffle and silent auction raise money for the scholarships, as do member donations, sponsors and financial support from the Marilyn DaSilva Fund, June Herman Fund and Myra Goldstein Scholarship Fund.

The recipients of the scholarships are as follows.

--Melissa Cousins, University of Georgia
$4,000 June Herman Designer/Creator Scholarship Award

Cousins double majors in jewelry and metals and marine biology, and plans to use her scholarship to study intermediate and advanced metals, advanced jewelry, scientific illustration and ceramics. She said her goals are to open her own custom/handmade jewelry shop and become a gemologist.

--Sylvie Alusitz, Rochester Institute of Technology
$2,500 Myra Goldstein Designer/Creator Scholarship Award

Alusitz is majoring in jewelry/metalsmithing and also studying art history, book binding, welding, flame working and the uses of wood, glass, fibers and clay. She has worked as a bench jeweler intern and assistant jeweler at several wholesale and retail jewelry firms.

--Eunwha Son, University of Kansas
$2,000 Marilyn DaSilva Designer/Creator Scholarship Award

Son is in a metals/jewelry graduate program and has won a variety of scholarships in both South Korea and the United States, including receiving the Myra Goldstein WJA Student Scholarship in 2013. Her goal is to obtain a professional position in the jewelry industry, specializing in design within the nexus of art, fashion and fine jewelry.

--Katelyn Butler, Missouri State University
$1,500 Designer/Creator Scholarship Award

Butler is majoring in jewelry/metalsmithing and will be using her scholarship to study 3-D printing, advanced metalsmithing, contemporary art and medieval art. She also has won a separate scholarship to attend the 2014 Society of North American Goldsmiths conference.

--Amanda Ortman, Virginia Commonwealth University
$1,000 Designer/Creator Scholarship

Ortman is a sculpture major and also studies craft and materials, art history and product innovation. She plans to use her scholarship toward classes in ancient Peruvian textiles, advanced sculpture and math modeling.

--Lopeeta Tawde, University of Kansas
$1,000 Designer/Creator Scholarship

Tawde is pursuing a master of fine arts degree in metalsmithing and jewelry design, and plans to use her scholarship toward classes in the Matrix CAD design program, gemology and the history of jewelry. Her ultimate goal is to

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work as a jewelry artist and pursue a career in academia.

--Maggie Horvath, Savannah College of Art and Design
$2,000 Designer Scholarship

Horvath is studying contemporary jewelry and 3-D visualization as she pursues a master of fine arts in jewelry. She has participated in juried exhibitions, including the Kutztown University exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, and her long-term plan is to become a high school teacher or professor.

--Dorothy Cheng, West Dean College, United Kingdom
$2,000 Non-Designer Scholarship

Cheng is studying for her master’s degree in the conservation of metalwork at West Dean College in England, and has worked as a maker of production, custom and art jewelry. Her goal is to continue her jewelry studio practice while freelancing as a metalwork conservator.

A WJA scholarship jury, headed by Lisa Slovis Mandel, chair of the WJA Scholarship Fund Board of Trustees, evaluated this year’s scholarship applicants. Her committee included WJA representatives from across the country.

Additional information about WJA scholarships and grants can be found on the WJA website.

Editor's note: This story was updated to correct the name of the scholarship winner from the Rochester Institute of Technology. It is Sylvie, not Sylvia, Alusitz.

Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.