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Fellowship Openings in France!

Press Release: Fellowship openings in France

[Editor’s note: This fellowship is for people between the ages of 21 and 29.]

The American Friends of Coubertin announces 2011-12 fellowships

We are again pleased to announce the availability of training fellowships in woodwork, architectural metalwork and stonework at the Coubertin Foundation just outside Paris, France from September 2011 through May 2012. Applicants should have at least 2 or 3 years post-apprenticeship work experience in their craft, be accomplished and seeking master skills.

The Coubertin Foundation is a registered public charity in France dedicated to the preservation and advancement of traditional crafts by combining education and production and has been in operation for more than 50 years. Training and experience for selected craftsmen is provided through the activities of Ateliers Saint-Jacques, which competes in the marketplace for historical restoration projects as well as new commissions from individuals and corporations, and thus provides trainees with a real working environment.

The program includes:

* work in the workshops

* professional training in their relevant trade (technology, drafting, workshop organization)

* classes in French language and general culture

* instruction in how to teach one’s own craft

* free-hand drawing, history of architecture and styles

* modeling and casts

* perspective and proportions

* basics of management and accounting

* mathematics and mechanics of materials

* foreign languages (French if appropriate, English, German)

* computer skills and CAD

* artistic heritage

* weekly lectures on cultural topics

* visits of monuments, museums, exhibits

* live performances (theater and music)

Their productive work in the workshops is paid, which ensures a minimum monthly income of € 500 (Euros). All fellows without exception receive health and insurance and workers compensation coverage.

One round trip airplane ticket between the U.S. and France is included, as is visa (work permit) processing. The program has a demanding schedule and includes weekend excursions. Except perhaps over the Christmas holiday, a return to the U.S. is not possible except for emergencies.

Fellows should be between the ages of 21 and 29, and have at least 2 or 3 years of professional experience beyond their apprenticeship. They must demonstrate a good level of professional skill in their area with concrete examples (a portfolio is part of the application). They commit to participate fully in the program’s activities and to abide the rules and regulations of the program.

The fellowships are enabled through American Friends of Coubertin, a U.S. 501(c)(3) charitable organization based in Chicago.

The deadline for application is February 28, 2011.

Please consult our website for details and an application form at www.afcoubertin.org

For more information, please contact us at board@afcoubertin.org

•••

From early 2010

American Friends of Coubertin sends the first young American craftsman for a year’s study and intensive training in France

The Coubertin Foundation is located in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse, about 20 southwest of Paris, on the original grounds of the Coubertin estate, held by the same family for over 400 years.

In September, American Friends of Coubertin sent its first American fellow to Coubertin, the highly-regarded French center of intensive training in stone, wood, and metal crafts that executes work for the Palace at Versailles and for major corporate and private connoisseurs throughout the world.

The recently organized association, based in Chicago, raises funds to send promising young American craftsmen to train with European masters in these ancient arts and crafts at the Coubertin Foundation, near Paris. The fellowships provide an expense-paid year to qualified workers where they will rigorously train in their crafts and alternate with extensive classroom work.

The Coubertin Foundation has been operating for 50 years, but heretofore all the fellows were from France and other European countries. American Friends of Coubertin seeks to provide American craftsmen with this unique opportunity.  For the first time this year, applications were solicited, received and from young American craftsmen and women.

The first fellow is Nick Esposito, a woodworker from California. Esposito will spend the 2010-11 academic year in Paris. Prior to his arrival at Coubertin he has taken a French language immersion course.

The fellowship covers all expenses and provides a stipend.

For further information contact board@afcoubertin.org or call François Velde at (312) 322 2526.

See also the AFC website: http://www.afcoubertin.org

Comments/Discussion

2 Responses to “Fellowship Openings in France!”

  1. John

    Wow, that’s really great. If I was a bit younger I would jump all over this. Something maybe for my kids in a few years. A big thanks to American Friends of Coubertin for doing this. This sort of thing can only help our industry.

    Reply
  2. Mark Roberson

    That is a fantastic opportunity for craftsmanship to be passed down from the masters . We will be looking for someone to enter a program in the future.

    Reply

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