RESEARCH GRANTS

Each year since 2003, the Decorative Arts Trust has awarded Research Grants to graduate students working on a Master’s thesis or PhD dissertation in a field related to the decorative arts. These research travel grants range from $500 to $2,000. The Trust encourages projects that advance diversity in the study of American decorative arts.

In partnership with other organizations, the Trust also offers grants for topics with a particular focus:

Marie Zimmermann Grant: Sponsored by the Marie & John Zimmermann Fund, these grants are allocated to projects that focus on late-19th and 20th-century topics.
DARTS Grant: Sponsored by the Decorative Arts Society of Orange County, these grants are given to students pursuing a topic based on objects, collections, crafts, or designers located on the West Coast or students enrolled at a West Coast-based graduate program.

Applications are due by April 30 each year, and these two steps are required:

Complete the online application.
Submit CV and three images contextualizing the project via email to thetrust@decorativeartstrust.org.

Grant recipients are notified by May 15. Recognizing the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on research travel, recipients are expected to complete the stated research project as conditions allow. Grant funding is provided once travel is complete, at which time recipients are required to submit a 500-word report that details the scope of the research and the impact upon their thesis or dissertation project as well as high-resolution images of the objects or historic sites examined during their travels. The Trust selects some reports for inclusion in The Magazine of the Decorative Arts Trust and the Decorative Arts Trust Bulletin.

2024 Recipients

2024 Recipients Overview
Steven Baltsas, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware, European émigré cabinetmakers and the Renaissance Revival furniture in America
Juliana Fagua Arias, PhD student, History of Art and Visual Studies, Cornell University, transpacific trade including Chinese silks, Indian cottons, Japanese lacquerware, Colombian emeralds, and Mexican cochinea
Rachel Hunter Himes, PhD student, Art History and Archeology, Columbia University, meaning and representations of race in 18th- and 19th-century porcelains, clocks, textiles, and wallpapers
Allyson LaForge, PhD student, American Studies, Brown University, Passamaquoddy birchbark artist Tomah Joseph’s awikhigan (birchbark writing)
Andrea Jung-An Liu, PhD student, History of Art, University of California Berkeley, decorative arts in Modernist Japanese architecture
Lauren Lovings-Gomez, PhD student, Art History, Rice University, the materiality and innovation demonstrated by women artists in Britain from 1853 to 1912 (The Marie Zimmermann Grant)
Molly Martien, PhD student, Art History, University of Delaware, John Hemming’s furniture and joiner’s shop at Monticello
Matthew Monk, PhD student, History of American Civilization, University of Delaware, Appalachian Craft Revival movement woodworking and weaving from 1895 to 1930
Carole Nataf, PhD student, History of Art, Courtauld Institute of Art, circum-Atlantic networks of cochineal and indigo dyestuffs in the “Nouvelle Indes” Gobelins tapestry set from 1737
Ariana Pemberton, PhD student, History of Art, University of California Berkeley, analyzing the “Elephant of Charlemagne” ivory chess piece purportedly gifted by the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid to the Roman emperor Charlemagne
Anastatia Spicer, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware, the Philadelphia ingrain carpet weaving industry from 1870 to 1885
Emily Whitted, PhD student, History, University of Massachusetts Amherst, early American darning samplers from Westtown School
Margot E. Yale, PhD student, Art History, University of Southern California, studio jewelry designer Margaret De Patta’s production line with the California Labor School (The American Decorative Arts Forum of Northern California Grant)
Danielle Zhang, PhD student, History, University of California, Los Angeles, Qing dynasty (1636–1912) vernacular crafts that incorporate imagery of literati art (The Decorative Arts Society of Orange County Grant)

2023 Recipients

2023 Recipients Overview
Elliot Camarra, MA student, History of Design and Material Culture, Bard Graduate Center
Graham Feyl, PhD student, History of Art and Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara (American Decorative Arts Forum of Northern California Grant)
Isabella J. Galdone, PhD student, History of Art, Yale University
Cara Marie Green, MA student, Fashion & Textile Studies: Theory, History, Museum Practice, Fashion Institute of Technology
Andrew Grider, BA student, Interior Design, Virginia Commonwealth University
Lily Higgins, PhD student, History of Art, Yale University
Alida R. Jekabson, PhD student, History of Art and Architecture, University of California Santa Barbara
Laura C. Jenkins, PhD student, History of Art, The Courtauld Institute of Art
Sybil F. Joslyn, PhD student, History of Art and Architecture, Boston University
Tracy Meserve, MA student, Decorative Arts and Design History, George Washington University
Alyse B. Muller, PhD student, Art History, Columbia University
Damiët Schneeweisz, PhD student, History of Art, The Courtauld Institute of Art
Krishna Shekhawat, PhD student, Art History, University of California, Berkeley (DARTS Grant)
Hampton Smith, PhD student, History, Theory, and Criticism of Art and Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lea C. Stephenson, PhD student, Art History, University of Delaware (Marie Zimmermann Grant)

2022 Recipients

2022 Recipients Overview
Olivia Armandroff, PhD student, Art History, University of Southern California (DARTS Grant)
Emily Cox, PhD student, History of Art, Yale University (Marie Zimmermann Grant)
Danielle Ezor, PhD student, Art History, Southern Methodist University
Grace M. Ford-Dirks, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Manon Gaudet, PhD student, History of Art, Yale University
Ann Carlton Hewitt, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Sarah E. Lund, PhD student, History of Art & Architecture, Harvard University
Katherine Novko, MA student, Museum Studies, The Cooperstown Graduate Program-SUNY Oneonta
Riley K. Richards, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Claire E. Sabitt, PhD student, Art History, Princeton University
Olivia R. Scott, MA student, Fashion Studies, Parsons School of Design
Julia Silverman, PhD student, History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University
Amanda Thompson, PhD student, Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture, Bard Graduate Center
Ashley E. Williams, PhD student, Art History, Columbia University

2021 Recipients

2021 Recipients Overview
Laura Beltrán-Rubio, PhD student, American Studies, William & Mary
Catherine Cyr, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Susan Eberhard, PhD student, Art History, University of California, Berkeley (DARTS Grant)
Kelly Fu, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Decorative Arts, University of Delaware
Jena Gilbert-Merrill, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware (Marie Zimmermann Grant)
Michael Hartman, PhD student, Art History, University of Delaware
Delanie Linden, PhD student, History, Theory, & Criticism of Art and Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Alexandra M. Macdonald, PhD student, History, William & Mary
Morgan McCullough, PhD student, History, William & Mary
Ramey Mize, PhD student, Art History, University of Pennsylvania
Lauryn Smith, PhD student, Art History, Case Western Reserve University
Astrid Graves Tvetenstrand, PhD student, American & New England Studies, Boston University
Rachel Winter, PhD student, History of Art & Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara
Margaret Wood, MA student, Decorative Arts and Design History, George Washington University

2020 Recipients

2020 Recipients Overview
Kayle R. Avery, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Elizabeth S. Browne, PhD student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Christina L. De Leon, PhD student, Bard Graduate Center
Catherine Doucette, MA student, The Courtauld Institute of Art
Lamar Gayles, MA student, University of Illinois Chicago
Robert Gordon-Fogelson, PhD student, University of Southern California
Cecilia Gunzburger, PhD student, University of Virginia
Cynthia Kok, PhD student, Yale University
Kayli Rideout, PhD student, Boston University
Isabella Rosner, PhD student, King’s College London
Cambra Sklarz, PhD student, University of California, Riverside
Paige Weaver, PhD student, University of South Carolina
Xiaoyi D. Yang, PhD student, Bard Graduate Center

2019 Recipients

2019 Recipients Overview
Ashley Boulden, PhD student, Art and Architectural History, University of Virginia
Grace Converse, PhD student, Art History, University of Southern California
Christopher Grant, PhD student, Anthropology, University of Chicago
Vishal Khandelwal, PhD student, History of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Bethany McGlyn, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Rachel F. Pool, MA student, History of Design and Curatorial Studies, Parsons School of Design and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Alison Maree Printz, PhD student, Art History, Tyler School of Art at Temple University
Allison L.W. Robinson, PhD student, History, University of Chicago
Celia Rodriguez Tejuca, MA student, History of Art and Architecture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

2018 Recipients

2018 Recipients Overview
Alicia Caticha, PhD student, Art and Architectural History, University of Virginia
Danielle Charlap, PhD student, Art History, University of Southern California
Christina Garnier, PhD student, History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University
Elyse Gerstenecker, PhD student, Art and Architectural History, University of Virginia
Carrie Greif, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Mariah Gruner, PhD student, American Studies, Boston University
Elizabeth Humphrey, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Matthew Limb, PhD student, History of Art and Architecture, University of California Santa Barbara
Erica Lome, PhD student, History of American Civilization, University of Delaware
Steven McNeil, PhD student, Art History, Queen’s University

2017 Recipients

2017 Recipients Overview
Catherine Acosta, MA student, Design and Curatorial Studies, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Emily Anderson, PhD student, Art History, University of Southern California
Gabriella Angeloni, PhD student, History, University of South Carolina
Margot Bernstein, PhD student, Art History, Columbia University
Janine Yorimoto Boldt, PhD student, American Studies, College of William & Mary
Candice Candeto, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Alisa Chiles, PhD student, History of Art, University of Pennsylvania
Rachel Harmeyer, PhD student, Art History, Rice University
Courtney Wilder, PhD student, History of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

2016 Recipients

2016 Recipients Overview
Daniel Ackermann, PhD student, Art History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lindsay Dupertuis, PhD student, Art History and Archaeology, University of Maryland at College Park
Emelie Gevalt, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Annemarie Glasscock, PhD student, Art History, University of Wisconsin
Sarah Grandin, PhD student, History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University
Sarah Mills, PhD student, Art History, City University of New York
Lisa Minardi, PhD student, History of American Civilization, University of Delaware
Alexandra Ward, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware

2015 Recipients

Ruthie Dibble, History of Art, Yale University
Rosalie Hooper, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Emily Pazar, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Sarah Thomas, History, College of William and Mary

2014 Recipients

Amber Wingerson, Smithsonian-George Mason, Program in the History of Decorative Arts
Alexandra Parker, Smithsonian-George Mason, Program in the History of Decorative Arts

2013 Recipients

Josh Probert, History, University of Delaware
Jackie Killian, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware

2012 Recipients

Rebecca Migdal, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Nina Ranalli, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Dalila Huerta, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Joseph Larnerd, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware

2011 Recipients

Kati Schmidt, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Ann Marie Glasscock, Art History, Temple University
Elizabeth McGoey, History of Art, Indiana University

2010 Recipients

Leah Giles, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
Leslie Jones, Smithsonian and Corcoran Program in the History of Decorative Arts

2009 Recipient

Erin Kuykendall, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware

2008 Recipient

Nicole Belolan, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware

2007 Recipients

Abby Burch, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, University of Delaware
Samantha Dorsey, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, University of Delaware

2006 Recipient

Christina Keyser, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, University of Delaware

2005 Recipient

Derin Bray, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, University of Delaware

2004 Recipient

Bobbye Tigerman, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, University of Delaware

2003 Recipient

Matthew Thurlow, Winterthur Program in Early American Culture, University of Delaware

Many of the Summer Research Grant recipients’ articles appear in print in The Magazine of the Decorative Arts Trust, one of our most popular member benefits. Join today!