Scholarships available - Dates-and-Prices - Art History Abroad

The Sir Trenchard Cox Scholarship

In association with NADFAS and AHA

THE SCHOLARSHIP provides a place on an Art History Abroad summer course: a two week tour of Venice, Florence and Rome in the company of enthusiastic tutors who will help bring the art of the Renaissance and the culture of Italy to life. The scholarship is open to all, but is particularly intended to encourage students who do not have a scholarly interest in art history. It will be awarded as a result of a competition, which invites an imaginative, though not necessarily art historical, response.

To be eligible for the Sir Trenchard Cox Scholarship applicants have to be 16 by 30 April and no older than 18 by 31 August. Exceptions to this do apply, contact for details.

COMPETITION Applicants are asked to submit two 400 word reasoned descriptions; the first of a building, painting, sculpture or work of decorative art which they truly enjoy, the second of a building, painting, sculpture or work of decorative art which they loathe. The two articles must be supported by photographs, drawings or tracings, each on a format no larger than an A4 sheet of paper. The adjudicators will look for good and daring arguments to support the applicant's assertions. The adjudicators will be appointed jointly by NADFAS Young Arts Department and Art History Abroad. Their decision will be final.

TIMING Entries for the scholarship must be received at NADFAS House no later than midday on 30 April and the Award will be announced by 31 May, in time for that year's Art History Abroad Summer Courses starting in June/July. All applicants will be notified by post of the results and the winner will receive the course itinerary and correspondence in the same manner as other students joining the AHA trip.

FEES AND SPENDING MONEY Art History Abroad's fee for a summer course is the value of the scholarship. This covers a return flight, accommodation, all museum entry fees, travel upon the course in Italy and tuition throughout Venice, Florence and Rome. In 2008 the AHA fee is £2500.

PLEASE NOTE The fee and therefore the scholarship does NOT cover lunch and supper or spending money. Students are asked to meet these daily expenses of about £27 per day (say £400 for the 15 day course). Travel insurance is NOT included.

TRANSFERABILITY A successful applicant may wish to transfer the value of the summer course to the Art History Abroad Autumn, Spring or Early Summer course (six weeks), usually attended by year out students, but he/she will have to pay the balance of the fees. Otherwise the value of the Scholarship may NOT be transferred or cashed in. If the winner is unable to attend the course the benefit of the Scholarship will be offered to the runner up.

HOW TO APPLY All applicants MUST specify on their entry form which of the two summer courses or year out course they would like to join should they be awarded the scholarship, and register with Art History Abroad their intention to apply for the Sir Trenchard Cox Scholarship.

APPLICATION FORMS should be sought from Chloe Bevan at the Young Arts Department at NADFAS House, 8 Guilford Street, London WC1 1DA, Tel: 020 7430 0730 ext 249 or email

enquiries@nadfas.org.uk

 

Some information about Sir Trenchard Cox

Sir Trenchard Cox was an enchanting man. He died in 1996, leaving deep in the memory of those who knew him a quality of old world manners and warm wit. He was kind to everyone and encouraged all he met in their delight of beautiful things. It is perhaps this facet of his character that made him such a good Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum where it is said that he made time each week to walk around the great halls of the museum talking to the wardens whose solitary task it is to guard the collection. While at the Victoria and Albert he brought his astonishingly broad scholarship to bear in order to strengthen a multitude of departments which cared for objects as diverse as costume, furniture and wrought iron. In every case the level of expertise achieved was admired around the world. Furthermore, his devotion to the principal that museums serve all people made him a leader in efforts to make museums comprehensible. To this end some galleries were laid out with different types of objects put into a historical setting and thus into context. Before the Victoria and Albert Museum he was at the Wallace Collection in London and was Director of the City Art Gallery at Birmingham. He will not, perhaps, be remembered as one of the cultural barons of this century but he was an influential man who put everyone he met at ease, not by trivialising his expertise, but by encouraging others to join in his interests.

Sir Trenchard Cox was a constant help to Patricia Fay in the early days when she founded NADFAS and rejoiced in being NADFAS President. He would take great delight in the workings of NADFAS Young Arts and for this reason it seems appropriate that this scholarship should bear his name.

Nicholas Ross, Art History Abroad