16 Visual Arts Scholarships (January 2026)

The purpose of the Predoctoral Fellowship Program is to support advanced graduate research in the history, theory and criticism of art, architecture and urbanism. Applicants for predoctoral fellowships must be nominated by the chair of the graduate department of art history or other appropriate departments. Applicants must have completed all departmental requirements, including course work, residency and general and preliminary examinations. Certification in two languages other than English is required. Applicants should submit nomination forms, supporting letters from two individuals and writing samples. There are various fellowships. The David E. Finley Fellowship requires applicants have a significant interest in curatorial work. The Paul Mellon Fellowship is for the completion of a doctoral dissertation in Western art. The Samuel H. Kress Fellowship is for the completion of a doctoral dissertation in European art on a topic before the early nineteenth century. The Wyeth Fellowship is for the completion of a doctoral dissertation that concerns aspects of art of the United States, including native and pre-Revolutionary America. The Ittleson Fellowship is for the completion of a doctoral dissertation in the visual arts in a field other than Western art. The Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship is for the completion of a doctoral dissertation in cross-cultural studies or in a field other than Western art through the twentieth century. The Robert H. and Clarice Smith Fellowship is for research on Northern European art between 1400 and 1700, intended for the advancement or completion of either a doctoral dissertation or a resulting publication. The Chester Dale Fellowships are for the advancement or completion of a doctoral dissertation in any area of Western art, with a preference for modern and contemporary topics. The Center offers a Paul Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship for recipients of the David E. Finley, Paul Mellon, Samuel H. Kress, Wyeth, Ittleson, Andrew W. Mellon and two-year Chester Dale fellowships if the dissertation has been accepted by June 1 of the residence year. Several candidates for each fellowship will be invited to Washington for interviews.

The purpose of the Jennifer Strietlemeier Memorial Scholarship is to support Indiana students pursuing the visual arts. Applicants must be residents of Bartholomew County who are interested in studying visual arts and can provide five examples of their independent work that are not classroom assignments and are properly labeled. Students must deliver original artwork to the Heritage Fund office and provide a recommendation from someone who is in the visual arts community and not related to the applicant. Selection us based on the strength of the overall application.

The purpose of the Alliance Recruitment Scholarship Program is to assist students pursuing a number of different fields. Applicants must be permanent residents of Australia, the U.S. or Canada and high school graduates currently enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students at an accredited university seeking a degree in human resources, gaming, marketing, accounting, graphic web design, mobile application development, visual arts, interior design, real estate, engineering or medicine. Students must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and finished at least one term of courses and have no gaps in their education.

The purpose of the Visiting Senior Fellowship Program is to award fellowships to scholars in visual arts. Applicants must have held their Ph.D. for five years or possess an equivalent record of professional accomplishment at the time of application. Applications are considered for research in the history, theory and criticism of the visual arts of any geographical area and of any period. Applicants must submit application forms, proposals, copies of a publication and two letters of recommendation. Fellowships are for full-time research, and scholars are expected to reside in Washington and to participate in the activities of the Center. Applications are also accepted from scholars in other disciplines whose work is related. The Center awards up to twelve short-term Paul Mellon and Ailsa Mellon Bruce Visiting Senior Fellowships. The deadlines are March 21 for the fellowship from September to February and September 21 for March through August.

The purpose of the Archibald Rutledge Scholarship Program is to support students who exhibit academic and artistic excellence. Applicants must be high school seniors in South Carolina public schools, have attended South Carolina public schools for the past two consecutive years and be U.S. citizens. There are five categories: creative writing, dance, music, theater and visual arts. For the creative writing category, a sonnet, lyric or narrative poem no longer than one page must be submitted. For the dance category, an original, short dance composition of three to ten minutes. For the music category, an original composition of three to ten minutes must be submitted. For the theater category, an original one-act play with a performing time of eight to fifteen minutes. For the visual arts category, an original visual composition must be submitted. Compositions are judged on creativity, originality and quality of expression and content.

The purpose of the Mark P. Tiner Scholarship is to support students from the Orange County area. Applicants must be graduating seniors of Santa Ana Unified, Anaheim Union, Placentia-Yorba Linda, or the Fullerton Joint Union school districts and intend on enrolling full-time at an accredited four-year college. Students must have unmet financial need and must have completed a minimum of 300 hours of community service over the last four years. A minimum GPA of 3.75 is required. Applicants must have been involved in visual arts, performing arts or sports during their senior year of high school.

The purpose of the Rhoda Lubalin Art Scholarship Fund is to assist students in the Berkshire Taconic area. Applicants must be graduating seniors of Webutuck Central School who intend to pursue the study of visual arts at a college or other educational institution. Students must show evidence of creativity and originality in their artwork. Applicants must present a portfolio of work, entirely original, which may include independent projects completed outside the classroom.

The purpose of the CTA Cesar E. Chavez and Dolores Huerta Education Award Program is to honor C sar Ch vez by rewarding students and teachers who follow his vision and guiding principles. A student or group of up to five students must submit an essay or visual piece under the supervision of a teacher or professor who is a member of the CTA. Students may be in kindergarten through high school or in community college. All works must focus on topics such as non-violence and their relationship to Ch vez's legacy. Visit the website for a complete list of topics and specific essay and visual arts submission requirements.

The purpose of the Jacob Snively Memorial Scholarship Fund is to assist students in the Pittsburgh area. Applicants must attend Avonworth High School as graduating seniors and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5. Students must plan to attend a two or four-year college or university and be someone with an appreciation of the arts (e.g. visual arts, creative writing, music, dance, etc.).

The purpose of the Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art is to support Ph.D. candidates working on art history dissertations. Applicants must be Ph.D. candidates in an art history department in the U.S. who are working on dissertations about American visual arts history. All the Ph.D. requirements should be met except the dissertation before taking the fellowship. Applicants should submit an application, a proposal, a bibliography, illustrations (optional), a publications list (optional), three reference letters and an official transcript of graduate record. The fellowship lasts for a year.

The purpose of the P. Buckley Moss Endowed Scholarship is to support students with learning disabilities to pursue visual arts education. Applicants must be graduating high school seniors with a language-related learning disability who are enrolling in an accredited two- or four-year college or university. Students must be pursuing a career in the visual arts and demonstrate financial need.

The purpose of the Henry Luce Foundation/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship in American Art History is to support Ph.D. art history students who've studied visual arts in U.S. history. Applicants must be Ph.D. art history candidates whose dissertation focuses on the history of visual arts in the United States. Dissertation proposals from 10 Ph.D. art history candidates that demonstrate topic relevance and the ability to advance art history are chosen for year-long fellowships to research and complete their dissertations.

The purpose of the Rising Bud Scholarship is to support female high school seniors pursuing a degree in an art field. Applicants must be female high-school seniors pursuing an undergraduate degree in art at a college or university in one of the following areas: applied arts (creative literature/writing, decorative art, design, fashion design, fine arts, graphic design or industrial design), cinematic arts (animation, audio/sound or film-making), performing arts (dance, music, step or theater) or visual arts (animation, architecture, audio/sound, ceramics, computer art, crafts, design, drawing, film-making, illustration, painting, photography, printmaking, video or visual communications). Students must be from a low income household earning a combined income that is less than $45,000 a year. A personal statement on a provided topic is required to be submitted.

The purpose of the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is to support research in the history, theory and criticism of the visual arts in any area represented in the collections of the National Gallery of Art. Applicants must have held their Ph.D. for five years or less at the time of application and must submit application forms, proposals for the topic of the predoctoral seminar and the university course, three letters of recommendation and publications. Fellows will be in residence at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts. During the first year, the fellow will carry out research and writing related to the publication of a dissertation or appropriate articles or book(s). In the second academic year, while continuing research and writing in residence, the fellow will be expected to teach one course (advanced undergraduate or graduate) by arrangement at a neighboring university.

The purpose of the AFSA/AAFSW Merit Awards is to recognize the academic and artistic achievements of high school seniors who are the children or dependents of Foreign Service employees. Applicants must be dependents of U.S. government Foreign Service employees who are members of AFSA or AAFSW. Students must be high school seniors with a minimum 2.0 GPA. Applicants can also submit an art entry under the categories of visual arts, musical arts, drama, dance or creative writing. Awards are based on GPA, SAT scores, a two-page essay, letters of recommendation and extra-curricular activities.

The purpose of the Charmayne Gooch Arts Scholarship Fund is to assist students in the Northern Colorado area. Applicants must be Larimer County students who have the potential to succeed but who may not have attained sufficient academic achievement to place them in a position to receive other scholarships like students with a disability or special needs. Students must benefit from training in art, writing, music, or visual arts.