The Gabo Trust-IIC Travelling Scholarship

The Gabo Trust and the IIC are pleased to announce a call for applications for the Gabo Trust-IIC Travelling Scholarships. Applications are invited from Individual Members and Fellows of IIC who are conservators practising in either the public or private sector.

What is the Travelling Scholarship?

The Travelling Scholarship is a bursary to allow individuals who are current paid-up members of IIC to take a study-focused tour anywhere in the world. The aim of the tours is to carry out research into the conservation of sculpture and to meet and see the work of other conservators; thereby learning about their differing approaches, ethics, materials and methods. The Travelling Scholars are required to make a written report on their tour, with photographs, in order to benefit their own career and also to enrich the worldwide body of knowledge of the conservation of sculpture.

The winners’ written reports and photographic records should be produced with a view to their appearing on the IIC website as well as being available for use by the Gabo Trust and being held in the Tate archives. Winners will have twelve months to complete the tour from when the Scholarship is awarded and a further month to lodge their report at the IIC office.

The award will normally be paid as a single lump sum up to a maximum of £5,000 Sterling or the equivalent in US Dollars or Euros at the time of application. There is a maximum of two awards to be made in any round of the award.

These Scholarships are directly concerned with the conservation of sculpture in all its aspects and are not restricted to any particular period or culture, but some benefit to modern and contemporary sculpture (post 1880) must be apparent in the application.

The Gabo Trust

The Gabo Trust was founded in 1988 by the family of the sculptor Naum Gabo. Aware of the problems with new materials in modern and contemporary sculpture, they set up the Gabo Trust to increase conservation resources in institutional collections and to further the education of conservators.

The Gabo Trust is a UK-based charity, but this is an internationally available award.

How do I apply?

The application form is available from the IIC web-site www.iiconservation.org.

Your application must include an estimate of the amount of money required (in Pounds Sterling, US Dollars or Euros) and a proposed itinerary of countries, venues and sites to be visited.

With your application a signed letter of support will be required from a Referee, who must be a person of standing, training, experience and background in conservation; this may be a senior colleague, tutor or another individual familiar with your work and experience; this person need not be a member of IIC, but should nevertheless clearly state their professional credentials.

Applications will be invited towards the end of 2009 from Individual Members and Fellows of IIC who are conservators practising in either the public or private sector.

Your completed application package should be sent by post or fax or (as an attachment) by email to:

Gabo Scholarships
International Institute for Conservation
of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC)
6 Buckingham Street
London WC2N 6BA
UK
iic@iiconservation.org.uk
Fax: +44 (0)20 7976 1564

How will winners be notified?

The results will be notified by post, fax or e-mail to all applicants within one month of the receipt of their application.

What happens then?

Within a month of being notified of their being awarded a Travelling Scholarship, individuals must confirm to the IIC office the dates of their intended their tour.  This can be booked through an agency who can offer a comprehensive travel and accommodation itinerary, such as Trailfinders (www.trailfinders.com) for those resident in the United Kingdom, the Irish Republic or Australia.

The award monies will be paid to the Scholar when they have booked and paid for their travel – a verified paper copy of the invoice(s) will be required by IIC before payment is sent.