Fellowships
Professional-Development Fellowships for Graduate Students
About the Program
Amanda Valdez, Pink Love, 2009, fabric and canvas, 36 x 36 in. (artwork © Amanda Valdez). A student at Hunter College in New York, Valdez is one of five artists who won a 2010–11 fellowship
CAA’s Professional-Development Fellowships support promising artists and art historians who are enrolled in MFA and PhD programs nationwide. Fellows are honored with $5,000 grants to help them with various aspects of their work, whether it be for job-search expenses or purchasing materials for the studio. CAA believes a grant of this kind, without contingencies, can best facilitate the transition between graduate studies and professional careers. Fellows also receive a free one-year CAA membership and complimentary registration to the Annual Conference. Honorable mentions, given at the discretion of the jury, also earn a free one-year CAA membership and complimentary conference registration.
CAA initiated its fellowship program in 1993 to help student artists and art historians bridge the gap between their graduate studies and professional careers. The Past Recipients section publishes short biographies of fellows and honorable mentions from 2002 to the present. A list of recipients from 1993 to 2001 is forthcoming this summer.
New for 2012
At its May 2011 meeting, the CAA Board of Directors restored the Professional-Development Fellowships in Art History after a two-year suspension. For the first time since the 2008 cycle, CAA will award fellowships to both artists and art historians.
Professional-Development Fellowships in the Visual Arts
In 2012, five student artists in MFA programs will each receive a one-time award of $5,000. CAA will name the winners in February 2012.
Professional-Development Fellowships in Art History
Brittany Ransom, Tracks Series, 2010, digital photograph of bess beetles with light-emitting diodes and watch batteries, dimensions variable (artwork © Brittany Ransom). Ransom received a 2010–11 fellowship as a student at the University of Illinois in Chicago
In 2012, two doctoral candidates in art history will each receive a one-time award of $5,000. CAA will name the winners in February 2012.
Application Criteria
The application process for the 2013 fellowships will open in may 2012.
CAA seeks applications from students who are current members; are citizens or permanent residents of the United States; will receive their MFA or PhD degree in the calendar year following the year of application (2013 for the next fellowship cycle); and have outstanding capabilities and experience and demonstrate distinction in approach, technique, or perspective in their contribution to art history and the visual arts. A jury of artists, curators, and other professionals will review all applications in fall 2012 and announce the recipients in January 2013. Please review the application form for each fellowship for specific instructions.
2010–11 Fellowship Recipients
CAA has awarded five 2010–11 Professional-Development Fellowships in the Visual Arts to five artists enrolled in MFA programs across the United States. The recipients are: Alma Leiva, Virginia Commonwealth University; Sheryl Oring, University of California, San Diego; Brittany Ransom, University of Illinois, Chicago; Mina T. Son, Stanford University; and Amanda Valdez, Hunter College, City University of New York.
The jury also named five artists as honorable mentions: Maria Antelman, Columbia University; Caetlynn Booth, Rutgers University; Gregory Hayes, Brooklyn College, City University of New York; Ashley Lyon, Virginia Commonwealth University; and Georgia Wall, School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Contact
For more information about the CAA fellowship program, please contact Michael Fahlund, CAA deputy director, at 212-392-4401.
