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International Printmaking Travel Scholarship

Professor Emeritus Fred Jones and his wife, Nancy, have established the International Printmaking Travel Scholarship to offset personal expenses associated with travel abroad to study printmaking. The scholarship is available for current art majors and B.F.A. graduates, and also to Western exchange students involved with the Cardiff College of Art in Wales.

“One major factor that motivated Nancy and I to establish this scholarship is to preserve the craft of printmaking,” Jones said. “The people teaching printmaking at Western now (Susan Czechowski and Bill Howard) are excellent and I see a lot of good energy in the program. We just want to help it along.

The WIU Art Gallery has a significant collection of prints, of which 150 were donated by Jones. These are works of artists and poets from both sides of the Atlantic.

"This is a an important step in creating a printmaking curriculum that can be a force in this area. The Midwest area has a rich tradition in printmaking and our students follow in that tradition. This international scholarship will enable our already competent students to further their work and connect at an international level,” said professor of art Bill Howard. 

Jones is a product of and advocate of international education. He first came to the United States from his home country of Wales in 1964 as a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, then taught two years at Chester College of Art in England before joining Western’s art faculty in 1968.

“I attended Cardiff College of Art in Wales. Cardiff offers a B.F.A., M.F.A. and Ph.D. in Printmaking, and is one of four major metropolitan art universities in the United Kingdom. Ideally, I would like to see a Western student study printmaking at Cardiff,” said Jones. “Mostly, I would like our students to get a wider view within their own education. The exposure to other cultures, major museums, fantastic artworks and different ideas about printmaking will enhance students’ creativity and help them achieve their potential, which is really what Nancy & I hope to do.”

"The International Printmaking Scholarship will provide a chance for printmaking students to experience and grow even beyond the special printmaking camaraderie and community of Garwood 1st floor,” added Susan Czechowski, professor of art.  “This generous opportunity to take their personal studies abroad will prepare them as artists for the contemporary art world in which they will work and live."

Applications for the International Printmaking Travel Scholarship are available online and through the Department of Art. Recipients will be selected by a faculty committee. Upon completion of the study abroad experience, recipients are expected to submit a one-page report a small print for the university collection.

“International education is a life changing event and makes education more meaningful,” Jones said. “Scholarship recipients will come back to us, talk to other students, and leave a print. This investment will come back to us and leave something at Western Illinois University for the future.”

Fred Jones retired from the art department in 2000 after 32 years of teaching. Nancy Jones was involved for many years with international education at Western and, with Fred, is very supportive of international experiences for WIU students. “We are just giving back in a small way,” said Jones. “It makes such a difference.”