Lost Art Press

Scholarship Class for African-American Woodworkers

Posted on by Lost Art Press
Jerome Bias, who will be leading the scholarship class.

We are thrilled to announce that we will offer a scholarship class this fall for six African-American woodworkers that will be taught by our long-time friend and hand-tool woodworker Jerome Bias.

The class will run from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 2023, at our storefront in Covington, Ky. The scholarships include tuition, materials and lunch every day. All African Americans are encouraged to apply: men, women, straight, gay, beginners, intermediates, whatever. No previous woodworking experience is necessary. Just a passion for learning the craft.

During the five-day class, Jerome will show students how to build a six-board chest using hand tools, white pine and traditional tapered nails. The chests can be personalized with different mouldings and details on the feet. These chests are fantastic as blanket chests at the foot of a bed or for storing hand tools in a workshop.

A six-board chest in pine.

But just as important as the chest, students will learn to wield handplanes, chisels, hammers and handsaws – the core tools of a trade shared by many of our ancestors.

Jerome is a talented woodworker, chef and interpreter living in North Carolina. In addition to building furniture, Jerome has worked as an interpreter at Old Salem Museum and Gardens and has studied the life and work of 19th-century African American woodworker Thomas Day. He has also presented his work at Colonial Williamsburg and regularly travels to former plantations to cook traditional meals as a way to enable African American visitors to connect with how their ancestors expressed hope and love while still enslaved.

Applying for the scholarship is easy. Simply send an email to: scholarship@lostartpress.com by Sept. 15, 2023. In the email, please let us know:

  1. Your name and where you live.
  2. A few sentences about any woodworking experience you’ve had so far.
  3. A few sentences about why you want to attend this class.

We have room for six students in this class. Jerome will select the students from the pool of applicants. As mentioned above, the class includes tuition, materials and lunches during the class. Students will be responsible for travel to Covington and lodging – we are happy to help suggest places that fit your budget. 

And don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of tools. We will be able to loan students the essential tools for the class.

Finally, please share this post with any African-American woodworker (or wanna-be woodworker) you know. We want to cast as wide a net as possible.

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. Whenever we offer scholarships for woodworkers who have been traditionally excluded from the craft, we often hear the cry: Why not offer scholarships based on need? Our answer: We already do that. All of my teaching outside of my shop (Florida School of Woodwork; Marc Adams School of Woodworking) goes to fund need-based scholarships at those schools. I teach for free; all the money goes to scholarship funds. During my career, I have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the Roger Cliffe Memorial Foundation, which supplies woodworking scholarships for veterans and people who face financial hardship. So please, before you take a swing at us, please know that we seek to help anyone get into the craft. These scholarships are just one of the ways we do it.

31 thoughts on “Scholarship Class for African-American Woodworkers”

    1. I will second this question – also – where do we send the money

    3. Same question but a little more specific: donations in the form of cash or even hand tools for the students? (We’ve all got a lot of redundancy in the hand tool dept.)

      2. Yeah it would be cool if attendees could go home with a tool chest with at least a couple saws and chisels etc. For me the hardest part of beginning was just collecting enough basic tools to do anything. Without tools to use you quickly lose motivation to continue.

        1. Just chiming in… it would be wonderful to donate so that students who need tools could go home with a basic set.

    4. We’re working on a way to accept donations – and thanks to everyone who has asked. Please stay tuned.

  2. Very well done. Wish the attendees all the best and a great learning experience.

  3. I don’t have much, but a tenner isn’t out of the question. Car was just broken into – window broken and tire was slashed.

  5. This makes me so happy. Jerome Bias has been doing amazing things for a long time. Glad to see this.

  7. If donations would help expand this program to include some travel or lodging expenses, I would be happy to contribute.

    1. 18 (unless a parent is also present, in which case we might allow younger– but insurance requires adults)

  13. I would like to donate also. It would be nice to fan the flame of woodworking appreciation in the American American community. I’m in.

  14. Love that you all are doing this. Put me on the donation list as well.

    1. Anytime, right at the end of my driveway, I’ll teach you exactly what you need to be taught.

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