| Fellowship Program
I. General Information for Applicants
The Center for the History of Collecting in America was established in 2007 to stimulate awareness and study of the formation of fine and decorative arts collections from Colonial times to the present, while asserting the relevance of this subject to art and cultural history. The Center’s academic and public programs provide a forum for thoughtful exchange that may expand and further stimulate scholarship in this discipline.
Through its Fellowship Program, the Center seeks not only to encourage research on the history of collecting in America, but also to expand the field’s still limited body of literature.
At present the Center offers a number of short-term fellowships for graduate and pre-doctoral students and for post-doctoral and senior scholars. In addition the Center offers long-term Leon Levy Fellowships for post-doctoral and senior scholars. In all cases preference will be given to researchers whose projects are particularly appropriate to the resources available at the Frick Art Reference Library.
Two short-term fellowships will be granted for Winter/Spring 2009 (February-April), one to a junior (pre-doctoral) scholar, and one to a senior (post-doctoral) scholar. The following two short-term fellowships will be granted for Summer/Fall 2009 (July-September). Long-term Leon Levy Fellowships (one to two academic semesters) will be granted for Winter/Spring 2009.
II. Conditions of Appointment
Proposals: Fellowship proposals may address wide-ranging aspects of the history of collecting in the United States, from Colonial times to the present, and may focus on individual collectors, dealers, developments or trends in the art market. Interdisciplinary research subjects are especially encouraged.
Eligibility: Applicants may come from the academic or museum worlds, or from other relevant professional backgrounds. They may be full- or part-time students, full- or part-time employees, or independent art historians, historians, and/or curators.
Time: Recipients of a short-term fellowship will come to the Center for a period of six to eight weeks. Recipients of a long-term Leon Levy Fellowship will come to the Center for a period ranging from four to five months (one academic semester) or from nine to ten months (two academic semesters). All fellows are expected to be in residence at the Center/Frick Art Reference Library for the entire period of the fellowship, except for brief research excursions to other cities.
Funding: Each short-term fellowship for a junior scholar is $5,000. Each short-term fellowship for a senior scholar is $10,000. Each long-term Leon Levy Fellowship is $25,000 per semester (with a maximum of two semesters) and is supplemented with travel funds up to $1,250 (per semester) for brief research trips during the fellowship period. In all cases the fellowship stipend is expected to cover round-trip travel from a Fellow's town of residence to New York plus all local expenses. No additional allowances will be given by the Center to a Fellow for housing, travel, photography, mailings, image rights charges, or other related expenses.
Offices: Fellows will be provided with a workstation in the Frick Art Reference Library. Each workstation includes a computer, connected to The Frick Collection’s network, as well as access to a printer, fax, and photocopy equipment.
Frick Art Reference Library: Fellows will receive full access to the collections of the Frick Art Reference Library, which houses more than 250,000 books and periodicals, 80,000 auction sales catalogues, and a photoarchive of more than one million items. The Library’s resources are of particular value to scholars engaged in the history of collecting in America. Fellows will receive privileges, which include stack access to library materials, interlibrary loans, database searching, and reference assistance. In addition, Fellows may consult the Archival Collections, which include the institutional records of The Frick Collection, Frick Art Reference Library, and the Helen Clay Frick Foundation.
The Frick Collection: The Frick Collection houses world-renowned paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts, and includes some of the best-known paintings by the greatest European artists, major works of sculpture, superb eighteenth-century French furniture and porcelains, Limoges enamels, Oriental rugs, and other works of remarkable quality. Fellows will be part of the community of The Frick Collection and will be able to have informal communications with members of its curatorial staff.
Sister institutions: When appropriate, the Center will do its best to facilitate the Fellows’ access to other libraries, museums, and research institutions in the New York City area.
Obligations: Fellows are expected to present a brief seminar or lecture while in residence at the Center. At the end of their terms, Fellows are asked to submit a statement of 1,500–2,000 words outlining how their project progressed during their tenure at the Center.
Housing: No housing will be made available to Fellows. The Center regrets that it cannot be of any further assistance in this matter and encourages Fellows to make appropriate housing arrangements well in advance.
Nationality and visas: Applicants may be residents of any country. Once selected, the Fellows must have or obtain a valid Social Security number and are expected to have or obtain requisite authorization from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) allowing them to engage in the activities for which they have been designated as Fellows of the Center. The Frick Collection does not provide legal or administrative support to expedite visa applications. A letter documenting details of the fellowship can be provided by The Frick Collection to a prospective Fellow upon completion of the selection process.
III. General Application Instructions
All applicants are required to complete and sign the Application for Fellowship.
The following materials must be attached to the completed form:
- Cover letter briefly stating the purpose of the research planned and indicating how a fellowship would be beneficial;
- Project Proposal (maximum 1,500 words): A detailed description that situates the project within the context of existing research on the history of collecting in America and explains how it will benefit from a fellowship at the Center;
- Curriculum Vitae
IV. Application Submission and Deadline
Applications for the fellowships to be awarded for Winter/Spring 2009 must be e-mailed or postmarked not later than October 15, 2008. Applications for the fellowships for Summer/Fall 2009 must be e-mailed or postmarked not later than February 15, 2009.
Applications must be addressed to:
Center for the History of Collecting in America
Frick Art Reference Library
10 East 71st Street
New York, New York 10021
Attn.: Fellowship Program
Or sent by e-mail with attachments to center@frick.org. Applications mailed after the deadline or received too late in the review process cannot be considered.
Notification of decisions will be mailed on November 15, 2008 (for Winter/Spring 2009) and March 15, 2009 (for Summer/Fall 2009). |
