The PaperWorks Scholarship Program is a collaboration with the University of Arizona’s Graduate Studies in Art and Pima Community College’s Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery. Together, we work to support and elevate student artists at both the graduate and undergraduate levels who are working predominantly in paper-based media.

At Pima Community College, scholarships are awarded through the Annual Student Art Exhibition, held at the Bernal Gallery on the West Campus. This juried exhibition is open to all Pima Community College students across the five campuses. In 2025, more than 198 students submitted over 240 works of art, resulting in a strong and diverse exhibition of 73 selected pieces.

This exhibition receives generous support from donors across Tucson, and PaperWorks holds the distinction of being one of the top contributors, thanks to the continued generosity of our members. Our financial support allows student artists to be recognized and rewarded for their exceptional work.

At the University of Arizona, graduate students are selected directly by faculty from the School of Art. These students are chosen for their exceptional work in paper arts and related disciplines. Through this partnership, PaperWorks is proud to recognize and support artists from various levels of study, providing not only scholarships but also additional resources to supplement the efforts of university staff and faculty.

All scholarship recipients are encouraged to introduce themselves and present their work during a PaperWorks member meeting, helping them build their presentation skills and confidence in representing their art to a broader audience.

In 2025-2026, PaperWorks continues to expand and strengthen the scholarship program into a more robust, effective, and inspiring initiative—one that truly reflects our mission of building community, one artwork at a time.