Churchill Weavers Fellowship 2017 at the Kentucky Historical Society, USA

Publish Date: Jan 11, 2017

Deadline: Sep 01, 2017

Churchill Weavers Fellowship 2017

The Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) houses and has made available for research one of the finest weaving archives in the nation—the Churchill Weavers collection. Churchill Weavers was a handweaving business that operated in Berea, Kentucky, from 1922 to 2007. The company was once considered America’s premier producer of luxury handwoven goods. 

The Churchill Weavers Fellowship provides opportunities for scholars to connect with this important archive. The collection is comprehensive and holds promise to enrich scholarship in labor history, the history of 20th century capitalism, technology and innovation in weaving and mass manufacturing, and in the history of Appalachia. Successful candidates will have the unique opportunity to explore this vast collection, which includes:

  • More than 30,000 fabric samples and finished pieces
  • Business, marketing and design records
  • Swatch books, weft write-ups, draft files and pattern books
  • Photographs, audiovisual materials and scrapbooks
  • Loom plans and blue prints
  • Oral histories
  • Looms, tools, signs, shuttles and other weaving equipment

Applications are welcome from humanities professionals, graduate students, and scholars working in related disciplines, as well as independent scholars and museum professionals. The fellowship is designed to assist researchers with travel and living expenses while using the Churchill Weavers collection. All applications are peer-reviewed by a panel of leading historians. Awards are based on the significance of the proposed research and on the anticipated time it will require in the collection. The stipends are for a maximum of four weeks and are pro-rated at $500/week. Application deadline is Sept. 1, 2017.

The fellow must make use of the Churchill Weavers collection during their visit, but will be given the option of exploring related collections at KHS. During the fellowship residency, the recipient will make an informal presentation at KHS based on the recipient’s work in the Churchill Weavers collection. A research report is due no later than a month after the end of the fellows’ residency in Frankfort. The research report is a three- to five-page narrative outlining work accomplished. KHS will also receive a copy of any publications aided by the fellowship. Fellowship recipients are strongly encouraged to submit an article-length manuscript for possible publication in The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society.

Fellowship applications are due at KHS by September 1, 2017, with grantees to be notified by October 15, 2017. Grantees will be required to provide their Social Security numbers for tax purposes. Because of state regulations, Kentucky state employees are not eligible for these fellowships. (Kentucky public school teachers and state university employees are eligible, however.) Fellowship recipients from the previous year are not eligible for fellowships in the same category.

How to Apply

Applications should be emailed (as a single Word or PDF document) to KHSFellowships@ky.gov. If you have questions, please contact KHS at the above email address or at 502-564-1792.

Applicants must submit a curriculum vitae or resume and a three- to five-page prospectus. Your prospectus should describe your current project and its significance, emphasizing how it would benefit from research at KHS. Include a project overview, theoretical perspectives, sources, methods, work completed to date, necessity of KHS collections research, and a bibliography.

In this description make sure to cover the following points:

  • What is the end-product of your project?
  • What aspects of the Churchill Weavers collection and other KHS collections or resources contribute to your project? How so?
  • What collections essential for your project are NOT at KHS?
  • How much time do you intend to spend at KHS?
  • What is the estimated timetable for your project?

Graduate and undergraduate students must include two letters of recommendation from faculty members familiar with their work and with the project being proposed. Independent scholars who do not have a curriculum vitae should provide a statement about their experience with historical research and publishing. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Louise Jones, louise.jones@ky.gov or 502-564-1792, ext. 4407, well in advance to become oriented with the Churchill Weavers business records and manuscript collection; applicants interested in the object collection should contact Deborah Van Horn, Deborah.vanhorn@ky.gov or 502-564-1792, ext. 4418. 

For more information please click "Further Official Information" below.

This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:

http://history.ky.gov/research-fellowships/

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Disciplines

History

Study Levels

Research

Opportunity Types

Fellowships

Eligible Countries

International

Host Countries

United States