Open Call for the 2023 Maria Cristina Bergesio Scholarship

Regulations for the awarding of scholarships named after Maria Cristina Bergesio

Maria Cristina Bergesio was lecturer in the history of contemporary jewellery at LAO for many years and collaborated on all editions of PREZIOSA and Florence Jewellery Week until 2017. Maria Cristina passed away in 2020 and since 2021 the school has established a scholarship to honour her memory, her dedication to contemporary research, her professionalism and her consistency.

The scholarship provides free attendance at an annual course in jewellery making or jewellery design, during which the selected candidate undertakes to develop a research project in the field of contemporary jewellery.
The grant ensures complete gratuity for the activities carried out within the school: attendance of lessons, use of the laboratories, classrooms, library and equipment.

The continuation of the grant for the entire duration is subject to the submission of interim reports to be sent bi-monthly to the project coordinators and the school tutor. The grant holder will have to agree on regular meetings with the project contact persons and the school tutor in order to monitor the progress of the research and also to obtain indications on the continuation of the work.

The project is aimed at the creation of a jewellery collection and the writing of a final thesis that illustrates and summarises the project that the student will have dedicated him/herself to during his/her stay at LAO.
The collection will remain the property of the author but LAO may use all the material produced for promotional purposes, to set up exhibitions, and for publications.

The scholarship holder will be able to present his/her research in the form and manner he/she prefers, after having agreed this with the references and the tutor: collection of objects, drawings, multimedia presentations, videos, installations.

If the results are judged appreciable, the scholarship holder's work will be published on the school's website and social networks, as well as on portals dedicated to contemporary jewellery.