Applications are now open for the Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art 2020/2021. The Fellowships are designated for graduate students at any stage of PhD dissertation research or writing. Ten fellowships are available for a non-renewable, one-year term beginning between June and September 2020 for the 2020-21 academic year.

The fellowships may carry out in residence at the fellow’s home institution, abroad, or at another appropriate site for the research. The fellowships may not be used to defray tuition costs or be held concurrently with any other major fellowship or grant.

Benefits

• The total award of $40,000 includes a stipend and additional funds for travel and research. This program is made possible by funding from the Henry Luce Foundation.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be a PhD candidate in a department of art history in the United States. A student with an appropriate project whose degree will be granted by another department is eligible only if the principal dissertation advisor is in a department of art history. (Students preparing theses for the Master of Fine Arts degree are not eligible.)
• Have a dissertation focused on a topic in the history of the visual arts of the United States. Projects should focus foremost on the art object and/or image and employ an art-historical or visual studies approach. Although the topic may be historically and/or theoretically grounded, proposals whose emphases are predominantly socio-historical will not be considered.
• Have completed all requirements for the PhD except the dissertation before beginning fellowship tenure.
• Have not previously applied for this fellowship more than once.
• Be a US citizen or permanent resident.

Evaluation Criteria

Scholars asked to review applications in this program are instruct to use the following three criteria:

• The quality of the proposal with regard to its methodology, scope, theoretical framework, and grounding in the relevant scholarly literature.
• The potential of the project to advance the field of study in art history, both generally and in the specific field(s) it engages.
• The applicant’s record of scholarly engagement and potential for scholarly achievement.

Application

Applications must be submit online and must include:

• Completed application form
• Proposal (no more than five pages, double spaced, in Times New Roman 11-point font)
• Illustrations (no more than three pages) [optional]
• Bibliography (no more than two pages)
• List of publications, exhibitions, and/or presentations (no more than two pages) [optional]
• Two reference letters, one of which must come from the applicant’s dissertation advisor