The American Oriental Society awards the annual Louise Wallace Hackney Fellowship for the Study of Chinese Art. This fellowship covers a period of 12 months, extending from July 1st of the year of the award until June 30th of the following year, and the stipends are dispensed in monthly payments during this period. In exceptional circumstances payments may be combined to cover the initial costs of travel or research materials. These special arrangements can be agreed upon in consultation with the Office of the Secretary-Treasurer of the Society.
This award in the amount of $8,000 (eight thousand dollars) is open to post-doctoral as well as doctoral students. It is conceived to permit the study of Chinese art, with special relation to painting and its reflection of Chinese culture, and to permit the translation into English of works upon said subject for the purpose of furthering a better understanding of Chinese painting in the United States. The Fellowship shall permit travel by those to whom an award is given, if such travel is possible. This award is open only to individuals who are citizens of the United States; while it is possible to apply for a renewal of this grant, it may not be done in consecutive years. In no case shall a fellowship be awarded to scholars of well-recognized standing, but shall be given to either men or women who show aptitude for promise in said field of learning. The aim of the Hackney Fellowship is to remind scholars that Chinese art, like all art, is not a disembodied creation, but the outgrowth of the life and culture from which it has sprung, and it is requested that scholars give special attention to this approach in their study.
Applicants for the fellowship should have completed three years of study of the Chinese language or its equivalent and should be able to demonstrate that they have already committed themselves to the serious study of this area of oriental art. All applicants should submit the following materials in duplicate: (1) a transcript of their undergraduate and graduate course work; (2) a statement of personal finances; (3) a three- or four-page summary of the proposed project to be undertaken during the year of the fellowship award, appended with a financial statement explaining expenses involved in this study; and (4) no less than three letters of recommendation. Any scholarly papers or published materials in the area of Chinese painting are welcome along with the other application materials.
The closing date for the application is March 1st; awards will be announced near the end of April. Winning candidates are selected by two committees of specialists in the field.
Fellowship Awardees:
2019 Cathy M. Zhu, Columbia University
2017 Fletcher J. Coleman, Harvard University
Applications should be sent by regular mail to:
Hackney Fellowship
American Oriental Society
Hatcher Graduate Library
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1190
Email the AOS Secretary-Treasurer with any questions.