Museum coordinator receives prestigious scholarship

Jerushia Graham has received the Margaret L. Gongaware Scholarship for the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Graham will be a participant in the Islamic World Papermaking and Natural Dying Workshop led by Radha Pandey. 

Graham is coordinator at Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking, located within the Paper Tricentennial Building on Georgia Tech’s campus. She will further develop her hand papermaking skills in the technique of Islamic papermaking, which she will bring back to the museum to share in workshops and other experiences.

“I am particularly grateful to Arrowmont for honoring me with this award,” Graham said. “Arrowmont’s support enables the development of new skills and knowledge in the very specialized area of Islamic World Papermaking and Natural Dying. To have the opportunity to work with such an accomplished papermaker as Radha Pandey is an exciting prospect. I’m looking forward to sharing the techniques I’ll learn with the Tech community and the many visitors to the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking.”

These scholarships are highly competitive and are awarded based on a thorough application process. Graham has extensive Western papermaking skills, and familiarity with Asian-styles of papermaking. This workshop will expand her knowledge base, and assist the museum in being able to present to the public the many facets of hand papermaking. Natural dyes have been used for centuries in craft, and exploring the process of producing and using the dyes will also provide insight for the museum to share with the public.

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is located in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and has been providing arts education for over a century. The summer workshop program provides people of all skill levels the opportunity to be immersed in art making without distractions from daily life. Nationally known instructors and well-equipped studio spaces create an environment supportive of explorations in art. Workshops are small in size, allowing participants to have focused instruction and build skills.