A New Apprentice

September 10th, 2013

Kate Montagne has won a scholarship from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, becoming the first QEST Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Scholar, enabling her to undertake a two year apprenticeship with us. The National Association of Decorative and Fine Art Societies (NADFAS) have also provided grant funding in support of this apprenticeship.

Kate worked with us previously as a sculptor’s assistant, alongside other freelance work for a bronze foundry and with our friends Branca Bastos and Mathew Bray at their decorative finishes company Atelier. Since starting the apprenticeship, Kate has been working on the Great Fulford ceiling, following the project through from design to completion. She is developing her modelling skills and gaining experience in other areas of workshop practice, including design and drawing. The photograph shows Kate with a clay rosette she modelled for Great Fulford.

We are extremely grateful to QEST, the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and NADFAS for their support and we are delighted to be working with Kate.

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST), the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, was established in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Association and the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. QEST makes awards to craftsmen and women of all ages to help them further their careers. Since 1991 the Trust has awarded £2.3 million to 319 craftspeople aged between 17 and 50 plus for study, training and work experience. www.qest.org.uk

The National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) is one of the UK’s leading voluntary arts education bodies. We are an Arts based educational charity with almost 92,000 members and over 350 societies across the UK and Europe. The aims of the Association are the promotion of the aesthetic education of the public, the appreciation and study of the decorative and fine arts, and the giving of aid to the preservation of our artistic heritage for the benefit of the public. www.nadfas.org.uk