What Can You Do at Winterthur?

Fellows can utilize the 20,000 American and European imprints, 3,000 record groups of manuscripts, as well as trade catalogues, ephemera, photographs, and archives of the Winterthur Library, an independent, world-class research collection. They can also examine Winterthur Museum’s expansive object collections of more than 90,000 artifacts that help us broadly understand four centuries of everyday life in America in a global context. They can look at these collections with specialists and experts and consult with conservators and scientific staff to request testing to better understand objects and interpret them at a chemical level. They can explore 7,500 plant specimens and more than 1,000 acres of landscape and gardens, using these spaces and materials for research, or for respite and recharging. Fellowship privileges and policies can be found here.

Winterthur Research Fellowship staff are eager to talk with you about potential projects and your application. Please contact Catharine Dann Roeber and Jackie Killian with any questions.

Applications are due January 15. Applications will be made available online beginning November 1, 2022.

Selected fellows will be notified by April 1, 2023 for residencies beginning June 1, 2023, through December 31, 2024.

Fellowships

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship
    NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship (paused for 2023; to be offered again in 2024)
    Winterthur Postdoctoral Fellowship (offered annually)
  • Dissertation Fellowship
  • Short-Term Fellowship
  • Maker-Creator Fellowship
  • Remote Fellowship

Fellowship Requirements

  • Fellows are asked to participate in research colloquia during their tenure.
  • Fellows will be asked to give at least one presentation, workshop, or other public presentation, as well as compose one social media post about their research. We prefer this requirement to be completed during the residency, but will work with fellows to schedule this at a mutually agreeable time after the fellowship is completed.
  • Fellows cannot accept teaching assignments or undertaking any other major activities during their fellowship tenure.
  • Residential fellowships require that fellows be on-site at Winterthur at least four days per week in order to fulfill the fellowship. Remote fellows are expected to spend the equivalent time dedicated to their projects.
  • Fellows may hold non-Winterthur fellowships or grants during the fellowship tenure including sabbaticals and grants from their own institutions so long as they do not conflict with their ability to meet the requirements of the Winterthur fellowship.
  • When offered, the NEH-supported fellowship has its own requirements; please consult that fellowship for specific stipulations.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Winterthur Postdoctoral Fellowship
Stipend: $4,500 per month.

Applicants at any level or rank who have completed their Ph.D. by the start of their residency may apply for a four-month fellowship to pursue advanced research or revise research for publication.

NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship
Stipend: $5,000 per month.

To be offered again in 2024

The NEH Postdoctoral Fellowship supports residence at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library for a duration of four or eight months as a junior or senior scholar whose project holds the potential for wider impact upon the humanities, rooted in research using Winterthur’s collections.

Dissertation Fellowship

Stipend: $2,000 per month

Doctoral candidates conducting research or writing a dissertation receive four to nine month fellowships.

Short-Term Fellowship

Stipend: $2,000 per month

Open to independent or institutional researchers and scholars of all levels, including graduate students. Applicants may apply for fellowship periods ranging from two to six weeks.

Applicants need not apply for a named fellowship, but we do periodically designate the following awards:

  • Faith Andrews Fellowships for the study of Shaker life and material culture
  • William Seale Fellowship for research related to architectural, landscape and gardens, and White House/Presidential history.

“I spent particular time with needlework made by Black women and girls, focusing on the Sarah Harris sampler and Ann Plato’s work that’s been expertly addressed by Kris Cnossen [Winterthur-University of Delaware Art Conservation Program, class of 2022]. I was lucky enough to spend time with Kris in the textile conservation lab and benefitted greatly from the opportunity to both view the piece up close and talk with Kris about their work…”

Mariah Kupfner, Assistant Professor of American Studies and Public Heritage at Penn State Harrisburg, Short-Term Fellow 2020-21

Maker-Creator Fellowship

Stipend: $2,000 per month

WHAT WILL YOU CREATE AT WINTERTHUR?

Our two to six week research fellowships are designed for artistic and creative professionals to examine, study, and immerse themselves in Winterthur’s vast collections to inspire production of new work. Past fellows have utilized the museum’s landscape, gardens, museum collections, and library for inspiration, precedent, instruction, and material for their creations.

Studio space is not currently available, but program staff are available to talk through your needs to see what is possible in order to accommodate some on-site making.  See our Current and Past Research Fellows page for a list of all Maker-Creator Fellowship recipients. The Winterthur Fellows’ Projects page has more information on the range of creative projects shaped by experiences at Winterthur.

Directions to apply can be found here. Maker-Creator Fellowship applicants will need to supply work samples in addition to the application form, essay, bibliography, CV, and letters of reference required for the other fellowships.

“My…time researching in the Winterthur collections was foundational to the new creative works I am about to begin work on… My immediate plans include an artist’s book with text and image, and a new series of mixed media, two-dimensional works.”

Sue Johnson, artist, Maker-Creator Fellow, 2021-22

Remote Fellowship

First created to maintain vital access to collections for fellows during the pandemic, we recognize that other obligations and limits to budgets and time can be barriers to residential research. A limited number of remote fellowships will be offered each year. Research Fellowship Program staff are happy to discuss remote possibilities with you. Reach out to Catharine Dann Roeber or Jackie Killian before you apply for this option.

“[Winterthur staff] did an incredible job with planning my fellowship and assisting me with finding people and resources that could guide my study… [They] pointed me towards seminal information for this last chapter of my dissertation which has enhanced the chapter greatly.”

Camille Davis, Ph.D. Candidate, Southern Methodist University, 2020-21 Fellow

Affiliated Researchers

We reserve a limited number of spaces for Affiliated Researchers who can provide their own financial support to be in residence. This group can include fellows eligible for any other fellowship opportunity listed above.