CONTINUING EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS
The Decorative Arts Trust fosters the professional development of emerging scholars in the field through two initiatives: scholarships to attend our symposia and Study Trip Abroad programs; and scholarships to participate in conferences and professional development programs hosted by partner institutions. Through these efforts, the Trust furthers its effort to serve as a community foundation for the decorative arts and material culture fields by supporting vital and groundbreaking scholarship, including object-based research centered on diverse and inclusive perspectives and marginalized and underrepresented communities. By underwriting these scholarships, the Trust demonstrates the impact of hands-on close looking and connoisseurship.
Symposium Scholarships
Dewey Lee Curtis Scholarships enable graduate students and young professionals in fields related to the decorative arts to attend the Decorative Arts Trust’s biannual symposia. The Trust supports at least two scholarships for each symposium. Named in memory of the late Dewey Lee Curtis, a decorative arts historian and founding father of the Trust, these awards cover the full cost of symposium registration, lodging, and a travel stipend.
Deadline
The deadline for applications is approximately two months prior to the beginning of a symposium. The deadline for the Fall 2026 Symposium in Boston is July 31, 2026.
Guidelines
The application process includes submitting the online application form and then emailing a curriculum vitae (CV) and a letter of recommendation to grants@decorativeartstrust.org.
As part of our funding guidelines, scholarship recipients are expected to maintain a membership with the Trust during the year(s) in which funding is provided. Our website outlines the various membership levels and benefits we offer. The Student & Young Professional tier is designed to be an accessible option for recipients who are graduate students and early career professionals within five years of obtaining a degree. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about this requirement.
2017–26 Recipients
2026
- Atlanta:
- Mya Rose Bailey, Curatorial Research Fellow, Preservation Society of Newport County
- Elizabeth Driscoll Smith, Joyce Linde Assistant Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
2025
- Brandywine Valley:
- Hailey Chomos, Curatorial Fellow, National Gallery of Canada
- Allison Donoghue, Tiffany & Co. Foundation Intern in American Decorative Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Sara C. Morris, PhD candidate, Art History, University of California, Santa Barbara
- San Francisco:
- Tali Gorodetsky, Curatorial Cataloguing Fellow in European Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Legion of Honor
- Sara Shields-Rivard, PhD candidate in Art History, Queen’s University
2024
- Nashville:
- William Ledesma, Collections & Museum Management Intern, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage
- Meggan McCarthy, Site Interpreter and Researcher, The Battle of Franklin Trust
- Emily Nootbaar, Americana Foundation Curatorial Intern, Colonial Williamsburg
- Eleanor Shippen, Assistant Curator, Tennessee State Museum
- Charleston:
- Jocelyn Patterson, MS student, Clemson University
- Brenna Reilley, Associate Curator, Gibbes Museum of Art
- Ahmauri Williams-Alford, Assistant Curator of Historical Interpretation, Telfair Museums
2023
- Philadelphia:
- Cambra Sklarz, PhD student, University of California, Riverside
- Laini Farrare, MA student, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Rhode Island:
- Lan M. Morgan, Assistant Curator, Peabody Essex Museum
- Luli Zou, MA student, Bard Graduate Center
2022
- Kentucky:
- Carlene Bermann, MA Candidate, Cooperstown Graduate Program
- Ann Glasscock, Associate Curator, Taft Museum of Art
- Katherine C. Hughes, Graduate Research Assistant, Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation
- Richmond:
- Kyrie Blackman, MA Student, Art History, University of California, Riverside
- Amelia Lancaster, Americana Foundation Intern, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
2021
- Salem:
- Megan Baker, PhD Candidate in Art History, University of Delaware
- Nina Blomfield, Decorative Arts Trust Marie Zimmermann Resident Collections Fellow, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
2020
- No symposia were held in 2020.
2019
- Annapolis:
- Emily Campbell, Architectural Preservation and Research Associate, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
- Bethany J. McGlyn, MA candidate, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Astrid G. Tvetenstrand, PhD candidate, American and New England Studies, Boston University
- Berkshires:
2018
- Albany:
- Kelsey Brow, Curator, King Manor Museum
- Rebecca Migdal, Independent Museum Consultant
- New Orleans:
- Elisabeth Mallin, Decorative Arts Trust Associate Curator, Maryland Historical Society
- Daniel Chamberlin, Curatorial Assistant/ Historical Interpreter, Telfair Museums
- Christopher Grant, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Chicago, Anthropology
- An Agreeable Prospect: Rediscovering Drayton Hall in the 18th-Century Atlantic World:
- Nicole Blackwood, PhD, Art History, Courtauld Institute of Art
- David Scott Merrifield, MA, History, James Madison University
2017
- Savannah:
- Lea Lane, Mellon Foundation Curatorial Intern, Colonial Williamsburg
- Maureen Marton, Decorative Arts Trust Curatorial Intern, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute
- Hartford:
- Daniel Sousa, The Decorative Arts Trust Curatorial Intern, Historic Deerfield Inc.
- Laura Cunningham, MS, Library Information Science, Simmons College
- Elizabeth Muir, MA, Curatorial Studies and Decorative Arts, Parsons School of Design and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Sybil Johnson, MA, Decorative Arts and Design History, Bard Graduate Center
Study Trip Abroad Scholarships
The Trust offers scholarships for early-to-mid-career professionals and graduate students to attend specially designated Study Trips Abroad each year. These awards cover the full cost of registration fees and airfare. The Frances and Beverly DuBose Foundation funds one recipient annually, and additional scholarship opportunities may become available throughout the year. If you would like to be considered for any such opportunities for other programs should funding arise, please email grants@decorativeartstrust.org to indicate your interest.
Deadline
Deadlines will be announced as scholarships become available.
Guidelines
Applicants are asked to send a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae (CV), and a reference letter to grants@decorativeartstrust.org.
As part of our funding guidelines, scholarship recipients are expected to maintain a membership with the Trust during the year(s) in which funding is provided. Our website outlines the various membership levels and benefits we offer. The Student & Young Professional tier is designed to be an accessible option for recipients who are graduate students and early career professionals within five years of obtaining a degree. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about this requirement.
2017–26 Recipients
2026
- Low Countries:
- Lauryn Smith, Assistant Curator, Frick Pittsburgh (Dubose Scholarship)
- Jasper Martens, PhD student, University of California Santa Barbara
2025
- Greece Reed Scholarship
- Noah Duell, MA student, University of Virginia
- Crete Scholarship:
- Shirley Wei, MA student, Columbia University
- Thames Valley Dubose Scholarship:
- Catherine Doucette, PhD student, University of Virginia
- Japan:
- Fosca Maddaloni-Yu, Euchlin D. Reeves Curatorial Fellow in Ceramics, Reeves Museum of Ceramics, Washington and Lee University
- Yayoi Shinoda, Associate Curator, Japanese Art, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
- Mai Yamaguchi, Coates-Cowden-Brown Associate Curator of Asian Art, San Antonio Museum of Art
2024
- Bologna and Ravenna:
- Jessica Ban, MA student, American University
- Katherine Rabogliatti, PhD student, University of Maryland College Park
2023
- France:
- James Miller, PhD Student, University of Pennsylvania
2022
- Bavaria:
- Marlise Brown, PhD Candidate, Art History, Temple University
- Alyse Muller, PhD Candidate, Art History & Archaeology, Columbia University
2021
- Genoa, Turin & Milan:
- Madison Clyburn, PhD candidate, Bard Graduate Center
- Christina De León, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Robert L.B. Edwards, Nelson Byrd Woltz
- Yao-Fen You, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
2020
- The Netherlands:
- Alisa Chiles, Andrew W. Mellon Graduate Fellow, Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Sarah Mallory, PhD Candidate, History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University, Somerville, MA
- Jennifer Motter, MA Candidate, History, The College of William & Mary
2019
- Loire Valley:
- Olivier Hurstel, Curatorial Fellow of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture, Philadelphia Museum of Art
2018
- Chippendale:
- Alyce Perry Englund, Assistant Curator, American Decorative Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Adam Erby, Associate Curator, George Washington’s Mount Vernon
- Scandinavia:
- Trevor Brandt, Curator, American Swedish Museum
- Diane Ehrenpreis, Associate Curator of Decorative Arts, Monticello
- Kara McKeever, Genealogy Center Manager, Museum of Danish America
2017
- Scotland:
- Lilly Higgins, PhD, Art History, Yale University
- Renee Pelletier, BA, History and Anthropology, Mount Holyoke College
- Venice and the Veneto:
- Elizabeth Simmons, PhD, Art History, University of Delaware
- Patricia Lowe Smith, Curator of Historic Architectural Resources, Drayton Hall
Professional Training Program Scholarships
The Trust provides annual grants to the following programs to underwrite continuing education scholarships for graduate students and young professionals pursuing careers in the decorative arts and material culture. These scholarships are awarded through our respective partner organizations. Interested parties should contact them directly for additional information about their programs and scholarship opportunities:
2017–26 Recipients
2026
- Winterthur Museum, Winterthur Institute:
- Katie Van Riper, Collections Manager, Martha’s Vineyard Museum
2025
- Attingham, Summer Course:
- Sarah Beach, Graduate Fellow in Furniture Conservation, Biltmore
- Attingham, Royal Collections Studies:
- Melissa Naulin, former Associate Curator of Decorative Arts, White House
- Historic Deerfield, Summer Fellowship Program:
- Madison Nelson, Undergraduate Student, Macalester College
- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Summer Institute:
- Allison Donoghue, Tiffany & Co. Foundation Intern in American Decorative Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Victorian Society in America, Chicago Summer School:
- Isla Stewart, PhD student, Rutgers University
- Winterthur Museum, Winterthur Institute:
- Meredith Ahmed, MA student, University of Iowa
- Winterthur Museum, Maker-Creator Program:
- Sophie Glenn, Independent Metalworker and Furniture Maker
- Historic Trappe Americana Symposium:
- Ann H. Cannon, Curator of American Art, Fenimore Art Museum | Fenimore Farm & Country Village
- Laini Farrare, Mary Church Terrell Fellow, PhD Student, History Department, University of Delaware
- Maria Yeye, Curatorial Assistant for Art of the Americas and Design and Decorative Art, Dallas Museum of Art
- Emily Immel, Collections Curator at Mennonite Life and MA student in Museum Studies at CUNY School of Professional Studies
2024
- Attingham, Summer Course:
- Lea Stephenson, Luce Foundation Curatorial Fellow, Historic Deerfield
- Historic Deerfield, Summer Fellowship Program:
- Tanyi Tseung, undergraduate student, Yale University
- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Summer Institute:
- Jacqueline Mazzone, Assistant Curator, Historic Interiors and Household Accessories, Colonial Williamsburg
- Victorian Society in America, Chicago Summer School:
- Erin McGrath, Heritage Works, Dubuque, IA
- Winterthur Museum, Winterthur Institute:
- Camilla Meeker, Museum Guide, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
2023
- Historic Deerfield Summer Fellowship Program:
- Nicholas Wendell, Undergraduate student, University of Vermont, Burlington
- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts Summer Institute:
- Ahmauri Williams-Alford, Telfair Museums
- Winterthur Museum Maker-Creator Program:
- Hugo Nakashima-Brown, North Bennet Street School
- Attingham Summer Course:
- Susan Eberhard, PhD student, History of Art, University of California, Berkeley
- Victorian Society in America Chicago Summer School:
- Carley Christina Altenburger, Assistant librarian, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library
2022
- Historic Deerfield Summer Fellowship Program:
- Mary Orms, undergraduate student, University of Texas, Austin
- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts Summer Institute:
- Damiët Schneeweisz, PhD Candidate, Courtauld Institute of Art
- Winterthur Museum Maker-Creator Program:
- Peter Hudson, Joiner’s Apprentice, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
- Attingham Summer Course:
- Devon Zimmerman, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary American Art, Ogunquit Museum of American Art
- Victorian Society in America Chicago Summer School:
- Rebecca Hagen, Registrar, Fallingwater
2021
- Historic Deerfield Summer Fellowship Program
- Jingyi Zhou, BA graduate, Art History, Rice University
- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Summer Institute:
- Elizabeth Fox, Curatorial Assistant, Worcester Art Museum
- Winterthur Museum Maker-Creator Program
- Ellie Richards, artist, furniture-maker, and sculptor
- Historic Deerfield, Skilled Hands and Cultivated Minds conference:
- Cecelia Eure, College of William & Mary
- Sophie Vandevander, College of William & Mary
- Emily Wells, College of William & Mary
- Fiona Holmes, Kalamazoo College
- Laura Ochoa Rincon, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
2020
- Center for Painted Wall Preservation Symposium, “Conserving our Painted Past”:
- Marina Cherdrina, MA candidate, Queen’s University
- Rachel Pietron Ericksen, Fellow, Jay Heritage Center
- Amanda Kasman, Graduate Fellow, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Julianna M. Ly, Assistant Paintings Conservator, Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts
- Katelyn J. Rovito, Graduate Fellow, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Katarina Stiller, Surveyor, LA Arboretum Library
- Eliza West, Development and Communications Coordinator, The Lost Mural Project
- Wilton House Museum Symposium, “House Museums: Essential Work”:
- Catherine Cyr, MA Candidate, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Kelly Fu, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Caroline Handley, BA Candidate, History, Luther College
- Brandon Hartung, MA Candidate, Education, University of Minnesota Duluth
- Emily Hemphill, MA Candidate; Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies, University of East Anglia
- Alexandra Izzard, MA Candidate, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Sapida John, MA Candidate, Museum Studies, City University of New York
- Emily Karniol, MA Candidate, Museum Studies, University College Cork
- Alexandria Mead, MA Candidate, Anthropology, The College of William & Mary
- Kelly Pedigo, MA Candidate, Historic Preservation, University of Mary Washington
- Aisha Pierre, MA Candidate, Museum Studies, Syracuse University
- Wyatt Reinhardt, BA Candidate, Public History, Western Carolina University
- Elysia Segal, MA Candidate, Museum Studies, City University of New York
2019
- Attingham Summer School:
- Rosalie Hooper, Curatorial Assistant, Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Foundation for the American Institute for Conservation, Annual Meeting:
- Tatiana Shannon, Conservator, Excelsior Art Services
- Foundation for Appraisal Education:
- Valerie Voinis, Appraiser, Houston Estate Sales
- Historic Deerfield, Summer Fellowship Program:
- Jennifer L. Lien, BA candidate, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Historic New England, Program in New England Studies:
- Brittany E. Luberda, Research Assistant, Saint Louis Museum of Art
- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Summer Institute:
- Smithsonian American Art Museum:
2018
- Attingham Summer School:
- Shoshana Resnikoff, Curator, The Wolfsonian at Florida International University
- Foundation for Appraisal Education:
- Cathy L. Wright, Independent Art Appraiser and Consultant
- Historic Deerfield, Summer Fellowship Program:
- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Summer Institute:
- Christopher M. Grant, PhD, Anthropology, University of Chicago
- Winterthur Museum, Winterthur Institute:
- Courtney Taylor, Curator, LSU Museum of Art
- Victorian Society of America, Newport Study Program:
- Victor Badami, MA, Industrial Design, Rhode Island School of Design
2017
- Attingham Summer School:
- Eloise Owens, Curatorial Assistant, The Frick Collection
- Lydia Blackmore, Decorative Arts Curator, The Historic New Orleans Collection
- Foundation for Appraisal Education:
- Megan Gandalfo, Appraiser, Pall Mall Art Advisors
- Historic Deerfield, Summer Fellowship Program:
- Catherine Cyr, BA, American History, Bowdoin College
- Program in New England Studies:
- Steven McNeil, PhD, Art History, Queen’s University
- Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Summer Institute:
- Katie McKinney, Americana Foundation Intern, Colonial Williamsburg
- Winterthur Museum, Winterthur Institute:
- Amanda Breen, Assistant Curator, Smith Banke Museum
- Victorian Society of America, Chicago Study Program:
- Emily Banas, Curatorial Assistant, Decorative Arts and Design, Rhode Island School of Design Museum
Questions? Contact us at grants@decorativeartstrust.org.