Predoctoral Fellowship Program, 2009–2010
Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts
Fellowship applications are only available through the departmental chair of your educational institution.
The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts Arts announces its annual program of support for advanced graduate research in the history, theory, and criticism of art, architecture, and urbanism. Each of the following nine fellowships has specific requirements and intents, including support for the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation, for residency and travel during the period of dissertation research, and for postdoctoral research. Application for a predoctoral fellowship may be made only through nomination by the chair of a graduate department of art history or other appropriate department. To be eligible, the nominee must have completed all departmental requirements, including course work, residency, and general and preliminary examinations, before November 15, 2008. Certification in two languages other than English is required. Candidates must be either United States citizens or enrolled in a university in the United States.
The David E. Finley Fellowship
One fellowship is awarded annually for 36 months. The first two years of the Finley Fellowship are intended for research and travel in Europe to visit collections, museums, monuments, and sites related to a well-advanced dissertation in Western art. During this two-year period, residency abroad is expected, for which travel funds are available. The third year is to be spent in residence at the Center to complete the dissertation and to perform curatorial work. Half of the year in residence will be devoted to a research project, designed to complement the subject of the dissertation, at the Gallery or other Washington-area collections. A primary requirement for this fellowship is that the candidate have a significant interest in curatorial work.
The Paul Mellon Fellowship
One fellowship is awarded annually for 36 months. The fellowship is intended for the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation in Western art and to enable a candidate to reside abroad for two years to develop expertise in a specific city, locality, or region related to the dissertation. The third year is to be spent in residency at the Center to complete the dissertation.
The Samuel H. Kress Fellowship
One fellowship is awarded annually for 24 months. This fellowship is intended for the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation in European art on a topic before the early nineteenth century. The Kress Fellow is expected to spend one year of the fellowship period on full-time dissertation research abroad and one year at the Center to complete the dissertation, devoting half time to Gallery research projects designed to complement the subject of the dissertation and to provide curatorial experience.
The Wyeth Fellowship
One fellowship is awarded annually for 24 months. The fellowship is intended for the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation that concerns aspects of art of the United States, including native and pre-Revolutionary America. The Wyeth Fellow is expected to spend one year of the fellowship period on dissertation research in the United States or abroad, and one year at the Center to complete the dissertation.
The Ittleson Fellowship
One fellowship is awarded annually for 24 months. The fellowship is intended for the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation in the visual arts in a field other than Western art. The Ittleson Fellow is expected to spend one year of the fellowship period on dissertation research abroad, and one year at the Center to complete the dissertation.
The Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship
One fellowship is awarded annually for 24 months. The fellowship is intended for the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation in cross-cultural studies or in a field other than Western art through the twentieth century. Cross-cultural proposals should represent at least one culture outside the Western tradition. The Andrew W. Mellon Fellow is expected to spend the first year of the fellowship period in a specific city, locality, or region related to the dissertation. The second year is to be spent in residence at the Center to complete the dissertation.
The Robert H. and Clarice Smith Fellowship
One fellowship is awarded annually for 12 months, for research on Northern European art between 1400 and 1700, intended for the advancement or completion of either a doctoral dissertation or a resulting publication. For those preparing a publication based on the dissertation, candidates may have graduated as early as fall 2006. The Smith Fellow may use the fellowship to study either in the United States or abroad; there are no residence requirements at the Center.
The Chester Dale Fellowships
Two fellowships are awarded annually: one for 24 months, the other for 12 months. The 24-month fellowship is intended for the advancement or completion of a doctoral dissertation in any area of Western art, with a preference for modern and contemporary topics. The two-year Dale Fellow is expected to spend one year on dissertation research either in the United States or abroad; the second year is to be spent in residence at the Center to complete the dissertation. The 12-month fellowship is intended for the advancement or completion of a doctoral dissertation in Western art. The one-year Dale Fellow may use the fellowship to study in the United States or abroad; there are no residence requirements at the Center.
The Center offers a Paul Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship. Recipients of the David E. Finley, Paul Mellon, Samuel H. Kress, Wyeth, Ittleson, Andrew W. Mellon, and two-year Chester Dale fellowships may apply for this fellowship if the dissertation has been accepted by June 1 of the residence year.
All predoctoral fellowships are $20,000 per year. A $4,000 annual housing subsidy made possible by the Robert H. Smith Fund is available for fellows not in residence. Fellows in residence are provided with housing in apartments near the Gallery, subject to availability. In addition, predoctoral fellows receive allowances for photography and travel, depending on the terms of the fellowship.
All fellows in residence are members of the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts. Fellows are associated throughout their tenures at the National Gallery of Art with the Samuel H. Kress Professor, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor, the Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professor, the senior fellows, and other members of the Center.
Departments will limit nominations to one candidate for each category of fellowship; an individual may be nominated for no more than one fellowship. Renominations will be accepted on the basis of revised application materials. Interested students should consult with the dissertation advisor and departmental chair to obtain nomination forms. After the application deadline, any inquiries should be directed to the Center by the chair of the department and not by the candidate.
Twelve sets of all materials, including nomination forms, supporting letters from two individuals who have directed the work of the nominee, and a brief writing sample, should be forwarded to the Fellowship Program, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, 2000B South Club Drive, Landover, Maryland 20785, to be received on or before November 15, 2008. One of the two letters of recommendation may be from outside the department. After a preliminary selection, several candidates for each fellowship will be invited to Washington in February 2009 for interviews. Appointments will be announced following the spring meeting of the Trustees of the National Gallery of Art. All fellowship grants begin on September 1, 2009 and are not renewable.
For information contact:
Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, Maryland 20785
Telephone: (202) 842-6482
Fax: (202) 789-3026
Contact us via a Web form
The present announcement supersedes all previous information about the Predoctoral Fellowship Program.