Bequeathed to the Fondation des États-Unis in the early 1930s, the Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship is awarded annually to a select number of exceptional American artists and musicians who plan to pursue their studies in Paris. A scholarship is also available to one French, Swiss or American medical post-graduate specializing in psychiatry with an internship in a Parisian hospital.
The scholarship is awarded to a maximum of four American post-graduate students in visual fine arts (painting, graphic design, print-making, sculpture, photography) and music (composition, instrumental or vocal performance). The scholarship is not intended for research in art history or musicology, nor for dance or theater.
In order to apply for the scholarship, candidates must:
The scholarship is awarded to one French, Swiss or American medical student specializing in psychiatry with an internship in a Parisian hospital.
In order to apply for the scholarship, candidates must:
For further information, please contact culture@feusa.org
William McClain Cravy graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Southern California where he was a student of David Allen Moore. A tenured member and acting Principal Bass of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Will has played as a soloist with numerous orchestras including the Colorado and Culver City Symphonies, and was featured in a 2015 Aspen Music Festival Student-Spotlight Recital. He was awarded 2nd place in both the 2015 Aspen Music Festival Low Strings Competition, and the 2015 Pasadena Showcase House Instrumental Competition (LA Phil judged), 3rd place in 2016 the Jefferson International Young Artists Competition, and was a finalist in the 2016 Young Musicians Foundation Debut Concerto Competition. As an orchestral musician, Will has appeared with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (UK), the New World Symphony (Miami), the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the Juneau Symphony, as principal bass of Aspen Opera under Robert Spano and alongside his teacher in the Aspen Chamber Orchestra. Will has performed chamber music with members of the LA Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony and has participated in the Aspen, Lake George, Domaine Forget, Wabass Institute, and Colorado College music festivals. Will is currently pursuing a master’s degree on full scholarship at USC after recently completing the NAC Institute for Orchestral Studies.
Alteronce Gumby is an artist from New York City. He received his Masters’ in Fine Arts from Yale University in Painting and Printmaking this past May 2016. Before coming to Paris, Gumby has previously participated in international residencies such as The Dumfries House in Scotland, UK, Summer Academy in Salzburg, Austria and London Summer Intensive in London, UK. Gumby has also shown internationally with various group exhibitions in New York, London and Los Angeles. Gumby’s work has evolved predominantly around the process of painting, but has also explored expression in other forms such as ceramic, poetry and performance. Gumby has arrived in Paris just after opening his debut solo exhibition in New York City at 6 Base in the Bronx, where he produced the second version of his immersive work on paper, One Way Ticket Across The Universe. While in Paris, Gumby will engage in a conceptual and metaphorical conversation with Yves Klein and the migration of African-Americans to Paris in the 20th century.
Saxophonist Wilson Poffenberger is quickly establishing himself as a soloist, educator, and chamber musician. As a recipient of the 2016-2017 Harriet Hale Woolley award, Mr. Poffenberger is living in Paris, France and studying with Jean-Michel Goury at the Conservatoire de Boulogne-Billancourt.
As a soloist, Mr. Poffenberger has performed with the Dana Symphony Orchestra, Youngstown State University Percussion Ensemble, and Hagerstown Municipal Band. He has presented recitals at the International Navy Band Saxophone Symposium (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016), North American Saxophone Alliance Biannual Conference (2014), Duquesne Saxophone Day (2014), and the Fondation des Etats-Unis. Recent accomplishments include first prize at the 2014 Dana Young Artist competition, semi-finalist in the 2014 International Saxophone Symposium and Competition, semi-finalist in the 2014 North American Saxophone Alliance Collegiate Solo Competition, and finalist in the 2013 Butler Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition.
A strong advocate for new music, Mr. Poffenberger has premiered works by Guillermo Lago, Gregory Wanamaker, Robert Lemay, Alex Miller, and Aaron Lockhart. He has maintained a private studio in the Youngstown, Ohio area, providing lessons to students of all levels. Mr. Poffenberger received his Masters of Music degree from Youngstown State University and his Bachelors of Music Education degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has performed in masterclasses with Otis Murphy, Chien-Kwan Lin, Michael Ibrahim, Timothy McAllister, Vincent David, Claude Delangle, Arno Bornkamp, Masataka Hirano, and Christian Wirth. His primary teachers include James Umble, Keith Young, Kent Engelhardt, and Zach Shemon. Mr. Poffenberger performs exclusively on Selmer Paris saxophones and mouthpieces.
Zoe Walsh (b. 1989, Washington, DC) earned their M.F.A. in Painting/Printmaking from Yale University in 2016 and their B.A. in Art History and the Visual Arts from Occidental College in 2011. At Yale, Walsh was awarded the Al Held Travel Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome in 2015. Walsh was granted a Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship through the Fondation des États-Unis in Paris, France for the 2016-2017 academic year. Walsh’s work has been exhibited at venues such as Abrons Art Center, New York, Yve YANG Gallery, Boston and Pieter Performance Space, Los Angeles. Walsh will have a solo exhibition of their work at the Fondation des États-Unis in 2017. While in Paris, Walsh is exploring the intersections of the Romantic movement in French painting and interfaces between interior and exterior spaces in Le Corbusier’s architecture.
We are incredibly proud of our distinguished alumni and want to help honor and strengthen the ties made between colleagues, teachers, and friends. You may consult the complete list of Harriet Hale Woolley scholars here.
In order to reconnect with fellow alumni please see here. To make a gift to the Fondation, which will directly benefit current and future Woolley scholars, please click here.
