Art History Undergraduate Awards, Prizes, Scholarships
2022 opportunity TBA coming soon
The John and June Allcott Art & Social Justice Fellowship for summer 2021 offers an opportunity for Studio and Art History students who want to gain experience with social practice and community engagement or to develop a more socially conscious method. The 2021 Allcott Art & Social Justice student fellows will pursue projects at the nexus of art, local history, and social justice, using as their springboard the oral history archives of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Oral History Trust in Chapel Hill. Throughout the summer of 2021, students will work towards a creative response to the MCJC’s community-first history site, From the Rock Wall, which offers a “rich, layered, and multi-perspectival view of the historically Black neighborhoods that make up what are currently known as Northside and Pine Knolls in Chapel Hill, NC– areas that emerged as labor enclaves under Jim Crow”. The goal of this socially engaged initiative is to support students in creating social impact projects that help build bridges between and within historically marginalized and underrepresented groups and the wider community.
The proposed art or research project could be socially engaged, education-based, community-integrated, or historically focused, but should emphasize a creative engagement of the histories and cultures of local communities by utilizing the oral archive as research or influence. The completed project should focus on demonstrating the value of art-based interventions and creative strategies for promoting social and racial justice.
Amount of the Award:
Two fellowships of $3,500 each, one for Studio and one for Art History, will be awarded to support the pursuit and development of this project. The nature of the proposed engagement with the archives is flexible but requires attending two workshops hosted by the Carolina Center for Public Service during the 2021 Spring semester. These will help fellows develop their projects and obtain new skills and strategies to link their academic endeavors to making a difference in communities across North Carolina. Project work may be pursued at any time from selection to the day before the 2021 Fall semester begins.
Eligibility:
Currently enrolled UNC-Chapel Hill Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors* are eligible to apply, but preference will be given to majors and minors in the Department of Art and Art History. All applicants must have taken a course in the Department of Art and Art History. *Seniors are eligible if they are returning for the fall 2021 semester.
Terms of the Award:
Fellows will be expected to:
- Be enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill for the Fall 2021 semester.
- Use the award by the end of Summer 2021 as described in their project proposal.
- Present a written and oral report in the 2022 Spring semester after the completion of the project.
- Present the outcome of the project in a 10-15 minute presentation at the Department of Art and Art History Honors Symposium (TBD) in the 2022 Spring semester.
Basis for Selection:
The Department of Art and Art History will coordinate a Selection Committee comprised of Studio and Art History Faculty, a member of the Carolina Center for Public Service, and/or an affiliate of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center. The best candidates are those who indicate their interest in a community-based project that is tied to their personal and career aspirations. Artistic or community motivation as a learning experience and excitement about the project are also significant factors in the proposal. Strong consideration will be given to candidates whose university records demonstrate academic rigor and who are from underrepresented backgrounds in North Carolina or the Campus community, as well as those who plan on remaining in the Chapel Hill area during the summer of 2021. Proposed projects will need to follow MCJC ethics and serve the mission of the organization.
Projects should be well-considered and researched for feasibility in scope and budget. Students should identify a faculty mentor who will support the student during the course of the project. The Selection Committee will also take into consideration the student’s financial needs to pursue the project. Fellows will be selected in March of 2021.
Application Process:
Students should apply by submitting an application, project proposal, and a project budget to Mario Marzan, mmarzan@email.unc.edu, by March 1, 2021, 4:00 pm.
Allcott Fellowship Application 2021 Extended
The proposal must not exceed 1,000 words describing the following:
- Motivation for pursuing fellowship.
- Plan for working with the oral archives.
- Preliminary research and implementation plan.
The project budget can include any of the following costs:
- Materials and supplies.
- Production costs including printing or framing costs.
- Fees or stipends to community members.
- Fees for contracted work.
- Stipend to artist of up to $500.
- Transportation.
The John and June Allcott Undergraduate Travel Fellowship enables two students–one in art history and one in studio art–to travel in pursuit of an independent, career-related project within the United States or Abroad during the summer.
Eligibility:
Currently enrolled UNC-Chapel Hill Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors* are eligible to apply, but preference may be given to majors in the Department of Art and Art History and to juniors. All applicants must have taken courses in the Department of Art and Art History. Students are encouraged to work with a faculty advisor in the Department in preparing their application.
*Seniors are eligible if they are returning for the fall 2023 semester.
Amount of the Awards:
Two fellowships of $4000 each are awarded.
Terms of Award:
Applicants must be available for interviews at UNC-Chapel Hill on Monday, April 20th, 2023.
Fellows will be expected to:
- Be enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill for the fall 2023 semester.
- Use the award during the summer of 2023 as described in their project proposal.
- Present a written and oral report in the spring semester (2024) after their return.
Basis for Selection:
The Department of Art and Art History coordinates a Selection Committee that will select finalists for interviews. The best candidates are those who indicate their interest in an independent study project that is tied to their personal and career aspirations. Motivation for travel-study as a learning experience and excitement about the project are also significant factors. Strong consideration will be given to candidates whose university records demonstrate academic rigor. Projects should be well-considered and researched for feasibility and cost factors. The Selection Committee will also take into consideration a student’s financial needs to pursue the project.
Application Process:
Application forms are available in the Undergraduate Policies, Procedures, and Resources section of the Department of Art and Art History website.
Deadline:
Completed applications must be submitted to the Department of Art and Art History Office, Hanes Art Center 101, by 4:00 PM, Monday, April 10th, 2023.
Depending on the number of applications, semi-finalists will be announced and contacted to schedule an interview with the Selection Committee. Interviews will take place on Monday, April 17th, 2023.
This fund supports both Studio Art and Art History undergraduate student research in the Department of Art and Art History. Research is broadly defined, and students may apply for funds to subsidize individual research or special group research projects that fall outside routine class work. This can include things like purchase of materials, travel to conferences or research sites, support for group or individual exhibitions, including rentals of exhibition spaces. Proposals may be submitted by individual Studio Art or Art History majors or official undergraduate student groups in the Department of Art and Art History. In general, to be considered for funding, projects are typically extracurricular, or beyond what might be normally expected for a class assignment. Projects might be exceptional in their scale and should have potential for lasting impact. Applicants must provide some explanation of their need. Petitions for funding are reviewed by the Undergraduate committees in Studio Art and Art History. Studio Art and Art History majors apply directly to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in their area. In addition, faculty can apply for Pearman funds to enable special projects associated with a class such as field trips or subvention for speakers if such projects relate directly to student-generated research. This relationship must be clearly articulated in the application. Applications are ongoing, and awards typically range from $100-$500, depending on available funds and demand. The fund was established by a generous donation of Herbert Brown Mayo in memory of his aunt, Beatrice B. Pearman.
Download ApplicationRECENT PEARMAN AWARD WINNERS:
Art history major Katherine Lilley (2002-03) used the funds she was awarded to travel to Princeton University, where she studied depictions of Mary Magdalene from the tenth through the thirteenth centuries in Western Europe. At Princeton, Katie was able to access the Index of Christian Art, a photographic archive of Christian art from ca. 200 C.E. to 1450 C.E.
Valerie Bruchon (2002-03), a studio art major, traveled with a group of Professor Jeff Whetstone’s photography students to Kentucky. There, with the help of funding provided by a Rockefeller PACT grant, the students facilitated photography programs in local schools. When the group returned to UNC, Valerie used the Pearman funding she received to organize, edit, and print the 700+ images made by the students during the trip. The photographs were then exhibited in May, 2003, in Harlan, Kentucky.
Studio art major Deborah Dorland Bradley (2003-04) used the funding to develop and produce her Honors Thesis Project, “The Passion of the Mother,’ which through installation and performance explored the role of women in the world’s largest monotheisms: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
ALLIE SCALES REPORTS ON HER 2005 SURF PROJECT
Summer of 2005 was very special for me. I spent several months following my passion while advancing my major. This opportunity was given me by the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program. In the Spring semester I crossed my fingers and submitted a research proposal to the Office of Undergraduate Research, in competition with a number of other students. When I was chosen to receive a SURF award I (metaphorically!) threw my hat in the air. It was a tremendous feeling to be embarking on a well-financed self-directed project that excited and intrigued me. My interests? The stories that paintings tell about their contexts and their artists, and research that would draw attention to the neglect of women artists in the his-stories of Art. My project? To learn how to research the provenance of artworks by retracing their histories. Serendipitously, following a UNC class in Women in the Arts which introduced me to artists I hadn’t known, I came across a painting that gave me the raw material for my search, a locally owned copy of an Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun original. Using this picture as my subject I spent the summer communing with art, books, experts, museums and those whose lives had been entwined with this painting. I was a total art geek! I have produced a brochure for the museum that owns the painting, and to prolong the fun, I plan a later trip to European museums to see Vigée Le Brun originals.
I was particularly confident knowing I was supported in this venture by an advisor, Prof. Mary Sheriff, who has special expertise in the artist, and by my enthusiastic graduate mentor, Sally Tomlinson.
Allie Scales, BFA
This award was established in 1979 by the Department. It is given annually to the undergraduate who, in the opinion of the faculty committee, has done the most outstanding work in art history.
Past Winners
2007: Emily Guerry
2006: Jordan Robbins & Alexandra T. Dodson
2005: Jonathan Westleigh Harmon
2004: Rachel Emily Gurlitz
2003: Katherine Darden Lilley
2002: Not given
2001: Emma Barbara-Evelyn Cryer
2000: Natacha Maria Dockery
1999: Carlie Selbo Sigel
1998: Heidi Tomoko Ozama
1997: Christopher Nathan Trotman
1996: Lindsey Clark Frallic
1995: Laura Paige Derbenwick
1994: Melaine Ann Leight, Jane Rothrock Shippen
1993: Amy Ruth Buchanan, Meredith Turner Kay
1992: Not given
1991: Stephanie Elisabeth Von Isenburg
1990: Clay Bernardin Thorp
1989: Mark Hamilton Rogers
1988: Toby Avram Jurovics
1987: Michelle Elaine Barger
1986: Macon Cheek Toledano
1985: Louise Melchor Gilbert
1984: Not given
1983: Mary Elizabeth Searle
1982: Doane Kathryn Motsinger
1981: Deborah Ward Bedford
1980: Linda Marie Cabe
1979: Harriet Annabel Whelchel