Established in 1996 by a generous gift from the Davidson Family Charitable Foundation, the Amon Carter’s Davidson Family Fellowship provides support for scholars pursuing the PhD or at the postdoctoral level to either begin or continue work on research projects in the history of American art that directly relate to objects in the museum’s permanent collection of paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photographs, and rare books. The painting and sculpture collection offers examples relating to significant movements in American art ranging from early nineteenth-century landscape painting through mid-twentieth-century modernism. The works on paper collection encompasses over eight-hundred drawings and watercolors along with over 6,500 prints from the nineteenth century through the mid-to-late twentieth century. The photography collection—one of the country’s most significant—includes over 40,000 historical and fine art prints spanning the inception of the medium through the latest digital techniques. The rare book collection features many of the finest accomplishments in illustration ranging from early colorplate landscape and natural history books through contemporary photobooks.
In addition to access to the art collection, fellows also make use of the museum’s significant research collections, including its 140,000 item library with a set of microfilm from the Archives of American Art, several artists’ archives and other special archival collections, along with access to registrars' object files. Fellows may be assigned to a library carrel or a private office near the library reading room and stacks. During their stay, fellows act as a member of the curatorial team and are expected to actively participate in the scholarly life of the museum. Depending on the nature of the project, the fellow will be asked to present research progress in the form of a public lecture, roundtable discussion, or similar presentation.
Successful candidates should have an in-depth knowledge of the history of American art and culture in areas represented by the museum’s collections demonstrated in coursework and/or publications. Proposals from qualified individuals in disciplines other than art history are also encouraged. Preference will be given to projects that most fully leverage the complement of collections and research resources available at the museum. Awards are based on merit and are open to all qualified individuals.
The stipend rate is $3,000 per month for a minimum one month and maximum four month, full-time research period at the museum. The application deadline is April 15, 2013, for a fellowship period to start on or after September 1, 2013. Housing and travel expenses are to be managed by the fellow, although the museum is available for assistance in locating accommodations. The museum will announce awards by May 31, 2013.
A valid application must include the following five components in English: 1. application form (applicant may sign interactive form with digital ID or scan a signed copy of the form); 2. application letter with a description of the project, including a summarized work plan and length of stay; 3. full curriculum vitae; 4. synopsis of master’s and doctoral theses; 5. three letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the museum by each reference. The museum encourages all application documents to be submitted electronically either to samuel.duncan@cartermuseum.org or via a file sharing service. Hard copy application materials will not be returned.
For additional information, please email samuel.duncan@cartermuseum.org or write to:
Samuel Duncan
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Attn: Davidson Family Fellowship
3501 Camp Bowie Boulevard
Fort Worth, TX 76107-2695
Previous Fellowship Recipients
2012
- Monica Steinberg, Ph.D. Candidate, Graduate Center of The City University of New York
Name-Games: Documenting the Development of Alter-Egos in the Los Angeles Art World of the 1960s
2011
- Maggie Cao, Ph.D. Candidate, Harvard University
Martin Johnson Heade and the Un-grounding of Landscape
2010
- Timothy G. Andrus, Ph.D. Candidate, Virginia Commonwealth University
Stuart Davis’ New Mexican Landscape and the American Scene
2009
- Aaron Carico, Ph.D. Candidate, American Studies, Yale University
Portrait as Still Life: Slavery, the Politics of Realism, and William Harnett’s Attention, Company!
2008
- Nancy Palm, Ph.D. Candidate, Indiana University
Thomas Cole’s National Landscapes and the Context of Indian Identity Construction in Nineteenth-Century America: Preliminary Findings at the Amon Carter Museum
2007
- Mark White, Oklahoma State University
Art as a Social Expression: Stuart Davis, Communication, and the Agency of Abstraction - Shirley Reece-Hughes, Independent Scholar
Uncovering America's Vernacular Past: Artist Immigrants and Cross-Culturalism in the Age of Early Modernism