We've just posted the 2010 SOAR Scholarship guidelines and application at www.interweavesoar.com. The deadline for receiving applications is Friday March 5, 2010. We've also changed the process--so now there is an online form to fill out and all applications must be submitted electronically via email. We did this to streamline the review process.
SOAR Scholarship
In 1995, Interweave Press established a scholarship program as a way of supporting fiber students to expand their interest in spinning, to share valuable information within the spinning community, as well as to preserve, expand, and promote spinning in the community at large. This program is funded by generous donations from SOAR participants, and funds qualified individuals to attend SOAR.
In order to receive a SOAR scholarship you must demonstrate that you are actively involved in learning an aspect of spinning and sharing your knowledge with the larger community. Your involvement may include fields related to handspinning, such as dyeing, knitting, weaving, fiber preparation, and the like. You don't have to be enrolled in a formal training course or a degree program. Applicants must be 18 years or older to apply.
There are two kinds of SOAR scholarships: full and assistance. Our full scholarship covers the fees for Workshop and Retreat, lodging, and meals. The assistance scholarship covers the fee for either the Workshop only or the Retreat only. The information describing sessions at the 2010 SOAR will be available in mid-February on our website, interweavesoar.com.
The Gisela and Bill Evitt Scholarship
In 2009 we announced the addition of a new scholarship to honor Gisela and Bill Evitt—founding members and long-time supporters of the SOAR Scholarship. Bill died in March of 2009, but Gisela continues to support the advancement of spinning, weaving, and felting through SOAR and her local fiber community. The Gisela and Bill Evitt Scholarship will be awarded to individuals who work with children and youth, teaching them how to spin, knit, weave, or felt.