Scholarship Funds

Hear From Recipients

A record number of scholarships were awarded for IPTW 2007 in Frederick, Maryland. Eighteen students and apprentices were able to attend thanks to the generosity of PTN members. This is what some of the scholarship recipients wrote about the experience:

 

Wow, wow, wow! What an extraordinary experience – I can’t thank you enough for organizing the scholarship recipients and coordinating the Educational Fair at the PTN conf. While I won’t be over-dramatic to state the experience was life changing - it was pretty darn close! I learned so much - met the most fascinating tradesmen, educators & architects – and all around had a fabulous time! Thank you, thank you, thank you! If there is anything I can do please do not hesitate to call or e-mail. Again - this was an extraordinary experience & I am so grateful.

Addy Smith-Reiman, Cornell University

 

From one generation to the next, THANK YOU! It was such a pleasure, as always, to be amongst such fine people and master craftsmen (and women) for IPTW. Here's to hoping that future generations will do justice to the standards set before us by the masters. Seriously though, I have learned so much from all of you in the short time our paths have crossed. Some lessons philosophical, others more practical. All of them worth remembering. I look forward to future hands-on demonstrations and rewarding labor. Take care and thanks again.

Leslie Perrigo, Belmont Technical College

 

The 2007 International Preservation Trades Workshop compiled the knowledge of a wide variety of masters, with whom became masters through years of experience via trial and error. This left me personally with a sensation that can only be described with the figure of speech: 'a slap in the face.' This slap, however, had two sides: first being the somewhat embarrassing realization of how little I know, leaving an overwhelming knot of fear in my stomach that seemed to grow with every demonstration; the second being this wave of excitement in how much knowledge is out there, free to absorb, and the skills I could potentially gain and one day master myself. Some of these masters, just to nip the tip of the iceberg, included dry stone conservancy, blacksmithing, slate roofing, window glaze/repair, scagliola, plaster, lime wash and painting. After attending the demonstrations and lectures of all of these skilled professionals I noticed a few common denominators: first of which is that a building is alive, biggest part to understand: it breaths; you must truly understand the surface you're dealing with, and understand how to use the age for you; learn how something was traditionally done so that the knowledge of the past with current techniques and technology can work together. The final bit of advice that I am sure to never forget, proclaimed by historic structure painting and refinishing expert Dusty Hoffman, "If you smell the poison through your mask, you're already dead." Thank you so much for the opportunity, it was more beneficial than I could have ever dreamed it to be.

Jessica Burr, Savannah College of Art & Design

 

Once upon a time I fell in love with a bridge called Pont Julien in the south of France. Made of local drylaid limestone blocks, it is still standing strong centuries after the Romans left it. The IPTW represents and demonstrates the fundamentals of the building trades that created Pont Julien along with other exquisitely crafted structures worldwide. As a young student at my first workshop, being among master craftsman seemed a little intimidating. This experience not only taught me about metal works, slate roofs, dry stone masonry, scagliola, tool care, etc., but it also allowed me to meet some unforgettable people. I now know never to assemble a slate roof without an adequate headlap (3” standard), and to remember the four basic principles and five golden rules when building a dry-laid stone retaining wall. The most memorable moment was when Art Novotny opened up his workshop to my colleague and me so we could experience the actions of a blacksmith first hand. When he told us we were going to make hooks, my stomach fell a little. However, when I started working the hot metal the motions felt so natural that the initial fear dissipated. In sculpting my hook I learned that coke burns the hottest, but its impurities, clinker, block the air gates (tuyere) in a blacksmith’s forge and need to be removed. I am going to share my IPTW 2007 experience at my school’s Student Historic Preservation Association meeting and encourage membership. In our responsibility to save our history, knowledge of the building trades is crucial. If these traditions die then our legacy dies.

Lisa L. Lorang, Savannah College of Art & Design

 

As usual there were too many interesting presentations at these years IPTW. Of those that I managed to attend, I found the bridge restoration demo to be very engaging. I have often seen old footage of such activities but never understood the actual methodology involved. Also hot riveting makes an excellent example of cooperation between trades, in this case a blacksmith and an iron worker. The other session I found to be most beneficial was offered by the Park Service and dealt with the tedious task of reproducing molding cutters. Unique presentations like these are what make the IPTW so worthwhile.

Nick Tenaglio, Shepherdstown, West Virginia