Patricia Jaffray Scholarships

 At the June 2010 Spirit of Summer fundraiser for the American Museum of Asmat Art at the University of St. Thomas, the University raised funds to support a scholarship fund in honor of Patricia Jaffray.  Her lifelong work for the arts and education in the Twin Cities is well known.  A Trustee of the University until her passing, she was enthusiastic about many causes, including international education.  For these reasons, these scholarships were named in honor of her and her work in the community and university. 

The purpose of the program is to continue to broaden awareness of the Asmat people through one-time student scholarships for students at St. Thomas who wish to take a seminar on the Asmat or engage in independent study or supervised research using the Asmat collection. The scholarships will encourage students unfamiliar with the Asmat to learn more. One student at a time, one class at a time, one research project at a time, we will continue to grow the visibility of the art and culture of this incredible people

 There are two scholarships available to undergraduate and graduate students at St. Thomas: 

 Jaffray Major Research Scholarship

This scholarship, in the amount of $2500, is for an undergraduate or graduate art history student to research and write on Asmat art or culture in their capstone Senior Paper or Qualifying Paper.  The paper will conform to departmental guidelines for these papers and should be a substantive exploration of an issue or theme in Asmat art, and will include a presentation at the departmental research symposium.

Students interested in applying for the Jaffray Scholarship must submit a 750-word prospectus describing the topic, previous research or classwork, current scholarship on the topic, a description of the research and writing plan/timeline, and the proposed faculty sponsor.  The prospectus should have attached a select bibliography of scholarly work on the topic.  The prospectus should be submitted to the Chair of the Art History department, and a letter of support from the sponsor to the chair should be arranged.  Applications should be received by the end of add/drop period each semester for an award in that semester.

 Applications will be evaluated by a departmental committee that will include either the Director of Graduate Studies or the Chair, the Director of the American Museum of Asmat Art @ the University of St. Thomas, and one additional faculty member.

 More about the life and work of Patricia Jaffray can be found at the following link to her obituary in the Star Tribune: http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/83088777.html.