The Madelyn Moeller Research Fellowship in Southern Material Culture

Offered by MESDA and designed to promote use of the Library and Research Center in the interpretation of early southern material culture.

MESDA is the only museum in the nation dedicated to exhibiting and researching the regional decorative arts of the early American South. The Research Center is a growing archive of visual material and documentary evidence relating not only to the decorative arts but also to southern socioeconomic history through 1821.

The Madelyn Moeller Research Fellowship will provide travel funds, from within the continental United States, to Winston-Salem, along with housing in Winston-Salem for researchers. Fellowships are open to academic, museum and independent scholars. Graduate students are encouraged to apply. Preference will be given to those whose projects have potential for publication in the Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts. Recipients will be expected to participate in MESDA staff discussion meetings. Funding does not include field research expenses.

Applications should include a resume, cover letter, a description of the research project (no more than 3 pages), two letters of recommendation, and the preferred dates for residence. Applications are accepted year-round. Notification will be given about one month after receipt.

Please address inquiries and applications to:
Director of the Research Center, Research Center, Old Salem Museums & Gardens, 924 South Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 or call (336) 721-7379.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens Architectural Fellowship

Old Salem Museums & Gardens offers fellowships to support new scholarship in the study of antebellum southern architecture. The fellowship is directed toward post-graduate young or new scholars in the field of architectural history.

Eligible projects can cover a variety of research activities; examples include architectural surveys, historic structure reports, and biographies. Research on vernacular and less-documented building types are encouraged. The principal time period to be covered under this fellowship program shall be prior to 1860. Although it is acknowledged that certain studies, especially biographies, may well extend beyond that cutoff date, the primary focus of work funded under this program should be in the pre-1860 period. The geographical areas of eligibility are Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louisiana.

Fellowship recipients are expected to produce a final project. The final product will include a report of findings based on the research activities funded. A copy of the completed report, with other types of research materials (e.g. phos and drawings), will be submitted by the scholar for inclusion in the museum's Library and Research Center. Acknowledgment of the fellowship will be made in any publication or presentation of the information acquired as a result of the fellowship.

Applications can be submitted at any time. An initial telephone inquiry is recommended to review specifics of the project and funding.

Applicants must submit the following:

• A project summary, which should include a budget with the basis for fellowship amount requested and a description of the final product.
  
  
• Evidence of research abilities.
  
  
• A letter of recommendation.

Generally fellowships are awarded for one to six months. Stipends will vary based on the project but typically range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Funding will normally only cover part of the total project, other sources of funding are strongly encouraged. Fellowships are taxable according to IRS rules.

Submit application materials to:

John Larson , Vice President of Restoration, Old Salem Museums & Gardens, 600 South Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 or call (336) 721-7300, fax (336) 721-7335.