A Program of the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA) and the Office of Career Services (OCS)
Purpose
Artist Development Fellowships (ADF) are intended to nurture the artistic development of promising and/or accomplished students in the arts who, it is hoped, will one day look back on this opportunity and mark it as a significant contributor to their creative development.
Artist Development Fellowships are awarded annually by the Council on the Arts, a standing committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Fellowships support student development in the practice of the arts, including but not limited to work in the following disciplines: dance, literature, music, theater, studio art, film, mixed media, and arts practices that are multi-disciplinary in nature. The Council will consider fellowship requests for:
- research and development of individual artistic projects that are crucial to the development of the artist;
- domestic or international travel in order to apprentice and/or work with individual artists, programs, and/or artistic companies; and/or
- interdisciplinary work—not necessarily work that combines art forms, but work that links the artistic/creative process to a wholly different field in a way that sheds new perspective on and/or understanding of each.
Other types of funding requests will be considered, provided that individual artistic development is at the core of the proposal.
Selection Criteria
Candidates must demonstrate unusual accomplishment in the arts and/or evidence of significant artistic promise. The work outlined in the proposal must constitute a truly exceptional opportunity for artistic growth. The Council encourages applicants to seek funding for proposals from other sources in addition to this program.
The Council generally will not fund proposals supporting thesis projects, post-production work on film and video, attendance at conferences, housing costs alone, or private music lessons that could be supported through the OFA's Music Lesson Subsidy Program.
Eligibility
The program is open to undergraduates currently enrolled in Harvard College. Fellowships are not awarded to freshmen except in extraordinary circumstances. Applicants are expected to complete their fellowship work prior to graduation. (The Council may occasionally make exceptions for work undertaken immediately following graduation, although current undergraduates will be given priority consideration.)
Benefits
The ADF program supports the work of Fellowship recipients through:
- Financial assistance: The number and amount of awards will vary each year subject to program funding and individual project budgets. Awards will likely be in the $1,000 to $5,000 range.
- Community building: Each year, opportunities will be provided for Fellowship recipients to share their work, meet periodically, and engage in discussion and exchange of ideas with visiting professional artists.
Fellowship Reporting Requirements
During their yearlong Fellowship, recipients will be asked to:
- Attend occasional artist fellows’ gatherings throughout the year.
- Submit a final report discussing work completed during the year, as well as samples of work, if possible.
- Share their work within the Harvard Community.
Procedures
- Download the Artist Development Fellowships application and complete it according to instructions.
-
Submit application materials by Thursday, January 28, 2010, at 12:00 noon to
Fellowships Office
Office of Career Services
77 Dunster Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Do not submit work samples unless requested to do so by the Council on the Arts or its Representatives.
- OFA and OCS staff will do a preliminary review of these materials and may request more information from applicants. The Council on the Arts will review applications beginning in February. The Council may, at its own discretion, ask applicants to meet with its representatives to discuss an application. All applicants will be notified of the Council’s funding decisions by March 15 at the latest.
Questions
Please direct inquiries to:
