RIT is Awarded $100,000 Grant From Tiffany & Co. Foundation
Grant will fund scholarship in craft education program
Rochester Institute of Technology today announced it has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, established by Tiffany & Co. to further the renowned jeweler’s philanthropic legacy in protecting and strengthening the world’s cultural and natural resources. The grant is awarded to the institute’s School for American Crafts (SAC) to fund the Tiffany & Co. Foundation Metals and Jewelry Design Endowed Scholarship.
Located in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, SAC offers undergraduate and graduate level study in Metal and Jewelry Design, Ceramics and Ceramic Sculpture, Glass and Glass Sculpture, and Woodworking and Furniture Design. The broad degree programs offered by the school make it the finest of its kind, and a recognized world leader in craft education.
Joan Stone, dean of RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, said the Tiffany grant will give metal and jewelry design students at RIT the support and recognition they deserve. "RIT has enjoyed the support of Tiffany & Co. for more than a decade, with gifts of equipment for our campus facility," said Stone. "This generous grant furthers a new level of collaboration between RIT and Tiffany & Co. In recent years, 11 graduates of SAC have been placed at Tiffany & Co. where they have served as silversmiths, spinners, designers, and in product development, product quality, repair and finishing."
Daniel Randall, a native of Roxbury, Vt., and a fourth-year student in the Metals and Jewelry Design program in SAC, will receive the first $5,000 award from the scholarship endowment.
"We couldn’t get a TV signal in Roxbury," Randall said. "So, instead of doing what most kids did, I spent a lot of time drawing and thought of becoming an illustrator. That was until I learned jewelry making in high school and later became fascinated with designing Danish modern tableware, such as cups and saucers, silverware and teapots."
Although Randall is considering several opportunities after he graduates in June, he is especially interested in spending time abroad to continue his education in Denmark or Northern Europe. "I want to expand my designs in tableware, keeping them functional but interesting to look at."
Leonard Urso, chair of Metals and Jewelry Design in SAC, said Randall has an eye for detail in metal crafts that will ensure a successful career. "Dan is one of many creative and committed students in the Metals program at RIT. His ability to create modern works with a sense of timeless quality is what sets him apart. Each piece he makes—whether it’s a ring or a spoon—is perfectly balanced."
"I was quite surprised and very grateful for the grant as well as the upcoming opportunity to see Tiffany’s Jewelry Manufacturing Shop first hand," says Randall. "RIT does a lot to help students and I can’t thank Len Urso enough for taking an interest in my work. He’s the reason I came here to study."
Daniel Randall would surely like to join the ranks of master artists and designers represented in the Tiffany display cases. "If I get real lucky," Randall said, "maybe someday Tiffany will be selling my teapots."
Internationally recognized as a leader in imaging, technology, fine and applied arts, and education of the deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology enrolls 15,000 full-and part-time students in more than 250 career-oriented and professional programs. For the past decade,
The Tiffany & Co. Foundation supports non-profit organizations with monetary gifts. In order to make the most significant contribution possible, the Foundation’s efforts are concentrated on the decorative and visual arts; arts and crafts education; arts preservation; as well as environmental conservation.