There are 2 categories of membership: Full and Associate.
In both cases the process is one of election: candidates submit a CV, portfolio and signed application form to a formal but friendly MCA Committee that ensures all applicants are treated fairly and equally.
Full Membership
Full Members must have been in business as carvers in their own right for a minimum of five years and can demonstrate proficiency in their specialist crafts.
You can apply for full membership in one particular area or 'specialist craft'. More
Associate Membership
This new class of membership enables competent professional carvers who would be unsuccessful in meeting the criterion for full membership (perhaps in knowledge of classical styles, time in business or needing a tuning of technique) to be included within the Association.
The aim is for full members to support and encourage their progress to full membership. More
If you are unsure into which category you might fall, or have any other questions about membership, please contact the Association by clicking on the link at the top or here.
Master Carvers Association:
FULL MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Candidates for election to the category of Member shall be duly proposed by a Member and seconded by another Member.
In other words, you need to know a member of the Association well enough for them to propose you.
All candidates shall have been in business as Carvers in their own right for a minimum of five years and shall have demonstrated proficiency in their specialist crafts.
The MCA stands for high professional standards, commitment and experience.
Candidates shall submit a CV and portfolio and shall complete and sign an application form - supplied by the Association; or download below.
In this form you detail your business name and address, including email and website if you have them; the categories of Specialist Crafts in respect of which you are applying for membership; and any other information the Committee may require. You and you also agree to be bound by the Rules of the Association if you are elected.
All applications will be considered by the Committee who, acting by majority vote, are authorized to accept or reject applications in their absolute discretion.
A separate vote shall be taken in respect of each Specialist Craft in respect of which application for membership is made. A successful candidate will be listed in each Specialist Craft in respect of which a majority vote in favour is passed.
If there are no Specialist Crafts in respect of which a majority vote in favour is passed, the application will be deemed to have failed.
In other words, you would apply as, say, a figure carver in wood and stone - 2 of the MCA specialist crafts (see top link for a full list) - and submit photographs to demonstrate your competence. The Committee will evaluate each submission separately and if you reach the required standard you would be elected as a member specialising in those areas.
There is no objective scale. Committee members judge as peers.
A member of the Committee may request that a maximum of two members of the Committee visit a candidate's workshops before any votes are taken. No such visit will take place without the candidate's prior agreement.
In agreeing the visit, the candidate will be deemed to have agreed to reimburse the Association the expenses incurred by the members of the Committee in connection with the visit.
In other words, the MCA quite reasonable may like to look at your workshop, and you would agree to reimburse expenses.
A successful candidate shall not be registered as a Member until any such expenses are reimbursed and the entrance fee and the first annual subscription are paid.
Members of the MCA pay a small annual subscription to cover expenses such as the bulletin, website, AGM and annual dinner.
To be considered for membership of the Association you will need to fill out an application form (below) and send it, along with your CV and a portfolio of your work, to the hon. secretary.
Feel free to contact the hon. secretary using the Contact link at the top of the page or here.
Master Carvers Association:
ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS
Associate Membership is a new category of membership of the MCA.
It aims at recognising that, while a carver might not meet the criteria for full acceptance into the MCA - and this may be in terms of the tradition or styles of carving which Members represent, or a need for the tuning of technique - carvers may none-the-less working at a high standard and making a significant contribution to the craft of woodcarving.
This is a general category and does not include inclusion in the Specialist Craft categories.
The Association will help and support Associate Members, and encourage them in working towards full membership.
Candidates for election to the category of Associate Member shall be duly proposed by a Member and seconded by another Member.
In other words, you need to know a Member of thee Association well enough for them to propose you.
Candidates shall submit a CV and portfolio and shall complete and sign an application form - supplied by the Association; or download below.
In this form you detail your business name and address, including email and website if you have them and any other information the Committee may require. You and you also agree to be bound by the Rules of the Association if you are elected.
All applications will be considered by the Committee who, acting by majority vote, are authorized to accept or reject applications in their absolute discretion.
The MCA stands for high professional standards, commitment and experience.
A successful applicant shall not be registered as an Associate Member until the entrance fee and the first annual subscription are paid.
Members of the MCA pay a small annual subscription to cover expenses such as the bulletin, website, AGM and annual dinner.
If you fulfil the entry criterion and would like to apply for Associate Membership of the Association, you will need to fill out an application form (below) and send it, along with your CV and a portfolio of your work, to the hon. secretary.
Feel free to contact the hon. secretary using the Contact link at the top of the page or here.
