The Chairs Award

The Chairs Award is given to one graduating senior each year in order to support an art-making project that requires travel (either in the U.S. or abroad). This award replaces the previous travel award, the F. Grainger Marburg Traveling Scholarship. To be considered for the Chairs Award, a student must be nominated by his or her Department Chair and present a proposal that indicates the special need to travel in order to pursue the work of interest.  The maximum amount of the award is $2,500. Department Chairs may provide advice to students on the development of applications and budgets.

Selection Criteria

• Quality of artwork
• Merit of the proposed project
• Academic record

Restrictions/Qualifications

• The applicant must be a graduating senior. (Graduating in the Fall, Spring, or Summer semester.)
• There is no specific GPA requirement.
• The award is intended to fund travel for one individual only. (Travel related expenses such as language lessons and guides are acceptable.)
• If students choose to work on a joint project, they may apply under the name of only one student. If chosen, only that student will be named the Chairs Award recipient, but the funds can be used for multiple students.
• The award is not intended for students to travel to their home town.
• The award cannot be used toward an existing MICA travel program, such as study abroad.
• The award must be used within two years of graduation from MICA.
• December graduates are eligible to apply for the award in the academic year in which they graduate.
• The student who is awarded the Chairs Award may also receive other awards in the same year, e.g., Fulbright or Departmental Awards.

Nominations

Nominations are made by the Department Chairs in March through April and are based on the student's outstanding studio work and academic record.  These students should also have a keen interest in traveling to make artwork in another region, either in the U.S. or overseas, and the potential for the experience to positively impact their art.

Applications

Nominated students will be notified by their Department Chair and by an email from the Undergraduate Studies department explaining the rules for application.

Online applications must include:

• A brief narrative about the direction of the student's work and how travel to a specific location is necessary to support it.
• An itinerary and an itemized budget with amounts for travel, lodging, food, etc.
• An application portfolio containing one of the four following options:
  • An upload of one .pdf file containing 10 digital images (each image 800x800 pixels max). May include captions describing the work's title, size, date, and medium
  • An upload of no more than 3 minutes of video, animation, audio or interactive work (.mov, .mp3 or .mp4 formatted)
  • An upload of a .pdf file containing a link to a webpage or interactive artwork of the students' design.
  • [Art History or HMST majors only] An upload of a .pdf document of between 900-1250 words (3-4 pages) in length. Maybe one paper, a few smaller works combined into one document, or an excerpt from a larger work. Acceptable art historical writing may be (but not limited to): exhibitions reviews, short research papers, essays, or formal analyses. Acceptable humanistic studies writing may be (but not limited to): book reviews, short research papers, essays, formal analyses or original creative writing.