The International Center of Medieval Art (ICMA) offers grants for graduate students in the early stages of their dissertation research, enabling beginning scholars to carry out foundational investigations at archives and sites. Winners will be granted $3,000, and if needed, officers of the ICMA will contact institutions and individuals who can help the awardees gain access to relevant material. Three grants are awarded per year, and they are designed to cover one month of travel.
The grants are primarily for students who have finished preliminary exams, and are in the process of refining dissertation topics. Students who have already submitted a proposal, but are still very early on in the process of their research, may also apply.
All applicants must be ICMA members.
Applicants must submit:
1. Outline of the thesis proposal in 800 words or less.
2. Detailed outline of exactly which sites and/or archives are to be visited, which works will be consulted, and how this research relates to the proposed thesis topic. If you hope to see extremely rare materials or sites with restricted access, please be as clear as possible about contacts with custodians already made.
3. Proposed budget (airfare, lodging, other travel, per diem). Please be precise and realistic. The total need not add up to $3,000 precisely. The goal is for reviewers to see how you will handle the expenses.
4. Letter from the thesis advisor, clarifying the student’s preparedness for the research, the significance of the topic, and the relevance of the trip to the thesis.
5. A curriculum vitae.
Upon return, the student will be required to submit a letter and financial report to the ICMA and a narrative to the student section of the Newsletter.
NOTE: Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and closures, we can delay disbursements until international travel is safe.
Applications are due by 7 March 2021. The ICMA will announce the winners of the three grants at the Spring Board Meeting in May.
Applicants submit materials here.
Thesis advisor submit letter of recommendation here.
Email Ryan Frisinger at awards@medievalart.org with any questions.
The mission of the International Center of Medieval Art is to promote and support the study, understanding, and preservation of visual and material cultures produced primarily between ca. 300 CE and ca. 1500 CE in every corner of the medieval world. To this end the ICMA facilitates scholarship and education and sponsors public lectures, conferences, publications, and exhibitions.
Medieval Art Research 