RESEARCH GRANTS
Each year the Trust awards at least 10 research grants to graduate students working on a Master’s thesis or PhD dissertation in a field related to the decorative arts. The Trust encourages projects that advance diversity in the study of American decorative arts. Grants range from $500-$1,000. 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.
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 candidate, American Studies, William & Mary
- Catherine Cyr, MA candidate, University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in American Material Culture
- Susan Eberhard, PhD candidate, Art History, University of California, Berkeley (DARTS Grant)
- Kelly Fu, MA candidate, University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in American Decorative Arts
- Jena Gilbert-Merrill, MA candidate, University of Delaware’s Winterthur Program in American Material Culture (Marie Zimmermann Grant)
- Michael Hartman, PhD candidate, Art History, University of Delaware
- Delanie Linden, PhD candidate, History, Theory, & Criticism of Art and Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Alexandra M. Macdonald, PhD candidate, History, William & Mary
- Morgan McCullough, PhD candidate, History, William & Mary
- Ramey Mize, PhD candidate, Art History, University of Pennsylvania
- Lauryn Smith, PhD candidate, Art History, Case Western Reserve University
- Astrid Graves Tvetenstrand, PhD candidate, American & New England Studies, Boston University
- Rachel Winter, PhD candidate, History of Art & Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara
- Margaret Wood, MA candidate, Decorative Arts and Design History, George Washington University
2020 Recipients
- 2020 Recipients Overview
- Kayle R. Avery, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, Winterthur, University of Delaware
- Elizabeth S. Browne, PhD candidate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Christina L. De Leon, PhD candidate, Bard Graduate Center
- Catherine Doucette, MA candidate, The Courtauld Institute of Art
- Lamar Gayles, MA candidate, University of Illinois Chicago
- Robert Gordon-Fogelson, PhD candidate, University of Southern California
- Cecilia Gunzburger, PhD candidate, University of Virginia
- Cynthia Kok, PhD candidate, Yale University
- Kayli Rideout, PhD candidate, Boston University
- Isabella Rosner, PhD candidate, King’s College London
- Cambra Sklarz, PhD candidate, University of California, Riverside
- Paige Weaver, PhD candidate, University of South Carolina
- Xiaoyi D. Yang, PhD candidate, Bard Graduate Center
2019 Recipients
- 2019 Recipients Overview
- Ashley Boulden, PhD candidate, Art and Architectural History, University of Virginia
- Grace Converse, PhD candidate, Art History, University of Southern California
- Christopher Grant, PhD candidate, Anthropology, University of Chicago
- Vishal Khandelwal, PhD candidate, History of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Bethany McGlyn, MA candidate, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Rachel F. Pool, MA candidate, History of Design and Curatorial Studies, Parsons School of Design and Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Alison Maree Printz, PhD candidate, Art History, Tyler School of Art at Temple University
- Allison L.W. Robinson, PhD candidate, History, University of Chicago
- Celia Rodriguez Tejuca, MA candidate, History of Art and Architecture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
2018 Recipients
- 2018 Recipients Overview
- Alicia Caticha, PhD, Art and Architectural History, University of Virginia
- Danielle Charlap, PhD, Art History, University of Southern California
- Christina Garnier, PhD, History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University
- Elyse Gerstenecker, PhD, Art and Architectural History, University of Virginia
- Carrie Greif, MA, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Mariah Gruner, PhD, American Studies, Boston University
- Elizabeth Humphrey, MA, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Matthew Limb, PhD, History of Art and Architecture, University of California Santa Barbara
- Erica Lome, PhD, History of American Civilization, University of Delaware
- Steven McNeil, PhD, Art History, Queen’s University
2017 Recipients
- 2017 Recipients Overview
- Catherine Acosta, MA, Design and Curatorial Studies, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Emily Anderson, PhD, Art History, University of Southern California
- Gabriella Angeloni, PhD, History, University of South Carolina
- Margot Bernstein, PhD, Art History, Columbia University
- Janine Yorimoto Boldt, PhD, American Studies, College of William & Mary
- Candice Candeto, MA, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Alisa Chiles, PhD, History of Art, University of Pennsylvania
- Rachel Harmeyer, PhD, Art History, Rice University
- Courtney Wilder, PhD, History of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2016 Recipients
- 2016 Recipients Overview
- Daniel Ackermann, PhD, Art History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Lindsay Dupertuis, PhD, Art History and Archaeology, University of Maryland at College Park
- Emelie Gevalt, Master’s, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
- Annemarie Glasscock, PhD, Art History, University of Wisconsin
- Sarah Grandin, PhD, History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University
- Sarah Mills, PhD, Art History, City University of New York
- Lisa Minardi, PhD, History of American Civilization, University of Delaware
- Alexandra Ward, Master’s, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, University of Delaware
2015 Recipients
2014 Recipients
2013 Recipients
2012 Recipients
- Rebecca Migdal, University of Delaware, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture
- Nina Ranalli, University of Delaware, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture
- Dalila Huerta, University of Delaware, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture
- Joseph Larnerd, University of Delaware, Winterthur Program in American Material Culture
2011 Recipients
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!
