The Society of Architectural Historians’ prestigious H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship will be offered for 2015 and will allow a recent graduate or emerging scholar to study by travel for one year. The fellowship is not for the purpose of doing research for an advanced academic degree. Instead, Professor Brooks intended the recipient to study by travel and contemplation while observing, reading, writing, or sketching.
The goals are to provide an opportunity for a recent graduate with an advanced degree or an emerging scholar to:
see and experience architecture and landscapes firsthand
think about their profession deeply
acquire knowledge useful for the recipient’s future work, contribution to their profession, and contribution to society
The fellowship recipient may travel to any country or countries during the one-year period. This fellowship is funded completely by the Society of Architectural Historians’ H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship Fund.
THE AWARD
In 2015 the Brooks Fellowship will be $50,000 and will cover expenses incurred by the Brooks Fellow for one year of travel. The award is non-renewable and award amounts may vary in future years. SAH suggests that if additional financial support is needed to cover other related expenses, that the applicants contact their respective university/college, academic advisor, department head, employer or outside foundations to investigate the financial opportunities afforded them. The Award will be paid in quarterly installments.
SCHEDULE
- April 1, 2015 Application Period Opens
- October 1, 2015 Application Period Closes at 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time
- October 2–November 15, 2015 Jury Deliberations
- December 2015 Award Announced
- January 1, 2016 Travel may begin as soon as this date
CRITERIA
The H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship is open to a scholar who will earn a PhD or advanced terminal degree in the first half of 2015 (by June 30, 2015) or an emerging scholar who was awarded a PhD or advanced terminal degree in 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 or 2010 in a field related to the built environment.
Such degrees include PhDs in the history, theory or criticism of architecture, landscape architecture, or urbanism; historic preservation; the practice of architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning; or other fields of advanced study related to the built environment including an MArch, MUP, MLA or a master's in a historic preservation program.
Priority will be given to those whose chosen profession is relevant to the interests and objectives of the Society of Architectural Historians, i.e., the history of the built environment, historic preservation, conservation, and social implications of architecture, landscape architecture, and urbanism. The fellowship is intended to be a special honor for the recipient and is to be awarded to a truly outstanding candidate, based on distinguished academic achievement, leadership potential, personal motivation, and promise. This is an international fellowship so candidates from any country may apply. All applicants must be current members of the Society of Architectural Historians. The Brooks Fellowship will be selected by the H. Allen Brooks Travelling Fellowship Committee which is appointed by the president of SAH.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The Brooks Fellowship recipient will be expected to keep an online journal by posting at least once per month to the SAH Blog. The blog posts will document the fellow’s travels in text and images, including photographs, video, drawings, or other media. (See past recipient blog posts here.) This record will be used by the SAH office to approve payment distribution. One payment of $12,000 will be made at the beginning of the fellowship, and three subsequent payments of $12,000 each will made throughout the year. A final payment of $2,000 will be made upon the submission of an SAH Newsletter article reflecting upon the fellowship recipient’s travel (see below).
Fellowship recipients will write a summary article for the SAH Newsletter (1,000-2,000 words) that documents their travel, explains how the fellowship contributed to the recipient’s understanding of the built environment, and details how they anticipate the fellowship will influence their future work. While travelling or shortly thereafter, the fellowship recipient also will be expected to upload images to SAHARA, the SAH shared image archive. The recommended number of images to upload is 500. Upon their return, fellowship recipients will make themselves available to their local SAH chapter, should the chapter wish to hear a presentation about the fellowship year.
APPLICATION DETAILS
The application deadline is October 1, 2015. Applicants must be current members of SAH. Join or renew by clicking here. To apply, follow the instructions at the top of this page. In the application you will be asked to provide:
- A statement (in English, 1000 words max) that details:
- The applicant’s academic and career goals
- What the applicant hopes to achieve intellectually during the Fellowship period
- How this Fellowship will advance the applicant’s academic interests and will make a difference in their professional work
- A travel proposal outlining travel sites and buildings or landscapes in those sites. Submitting a Google map outlining the sites would be a plus.
- A proposed budget for the fellowship year
- A two-page writing sample
- Proof of terminal degree and date (photocopy of diploma), see above criteria
- Curriculum vitae (5 pages maximum)
- Five representative photographs taken by the applicant (low resolution)
Also required are: Two recommendations submitted by October 1, 2015. Recommendations should be submitted by thesis advisors or individuals who can critically assess the applicant’s academic and/or professional work. Recommenders will be asked to assess the applicant’s intellectual curiosity, scholarly ability, and potential to benefit from the fellowship. They will also be asked to provide evidence of applicant’s distinguished academic achievement, leadership potential, and personal motivation.