Accepting Applications – Tyson Scholars of American Art
Call for Applications:
The Tyson Scholars of American Art Program at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art invites applications for the 2017-2018 Tyson Scholars of American Art Program. The residential program supports full-time scholarship in the history of American art, architecture, visual and material culture from the colonial period to the present. To support their research, Tyson Scholars have access to the art and library collections of Crystal Bridges as well as the library at the University of Arkansas in nearby Fayetteville. Housing is provided at the Crystal Bridges Farmhouse, within easy walking distance from the Museum via wooded trails and approximately 1.5 miles from downtown Bentonville. Scholars have private bed- and bathrooms in the house, and share comfortable indoor and outdoor common spaces including an expansive yard, patio, and swimming pool.
The program is open to scholars holding a PhD (or equivalent) as well as to PhD candidates. Applicants may be affiliated with a university, museum, or independent. Scholars will be selected on the basis of their potential to advance understanding of American art and to intersect meaningfully with aspects of Crystal Bridges’ collections, architecture, or landscape. Projects with a synthetic, interdisciplinary focus that seek to expand boundaries of research or traditional categories of investigation are particularly encouraged. Up to three Scholars may be in residence at a time, with terms ranging from six weeks to nine months. In addition to housing, Scholars are provided office or carrel space in the curatorial wing of Crystal Bridges’ Library. Stipends vary depending on the duration of residency, ranging from $15,000 to $30,000 per semester. Additional funds for research travel during the residency period are available upon application.
Further information about the Tyson Scholars Program, application instructions, and application form can be found at http://crystalbridges.org/tyson-scholars. Applicants are advised to contact Crystal Bridges’ curators and librarians for specific details about the Museum’s collections related to their research. The application deadline for any proposed length of term during the 2017–2018 academic year is January 13, 2017.
About Crystal Bridges:
Opened to the public on November 11, 2011, Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 by philanthropist Alice Walton. The Museum takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building design by architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, a restaurant, museum store, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. Sculpture and walking trails link the Museum’s 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas.
Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection spans five centuries of American art ranging from the Colonial era to the current day. It has particular strengths in colonial through early twentieth century painting and a growing collection of post-war and contemporary art in all media. Crystal Bridges’ research library consists of approximately 60,000 volumes as well as significant manuscript and ephemera holdings. The library also houses a comprehensive collection of American color-plate books from the nineteenth century.
