Creative Arts Fellowship

Overview - Who can apply - Selection criteria
 

Overview

The Honors College Creative Arts Fellowship supports students producing a piece of creative work under the mentorship of a faculty member or subject-matter expert. Fellows get the opportunity to engage with other artists and methods across disciplines. 

The fellowship lasts 2 terms, spring and summer (January - August):

• Spring - work part-time (~5 hours/week) on your individual project, while enrolled in a bi-weekly for-credit seminar of interactive workshops that cover a variety of creative topics and methods
• Summer - work on your creative projects full-time (~30 hours/week), while meeting bi-weekly to discuss your work with your Fellow group.
• Fall - After the Fellowship, you will present your finished product via public exhibition or event

Fellows will be awarded a stipend of $4,000: $500 dispersed in the spring, and $3,500 in the summer. Work you produce during the fellowship will remain your property.

The workshops

Tuesdays from 3:00 - 4:15 p.m. (1 credit.) 
The exact fellowship curriculum is tailored to each fellow group, but spring sessions will explore broad creative themes and guest speakers from various backgrounds. Fellowship recipients will also work with another fellowship recipient to create and prepare their own workshop that explores an interdisciplinary, creative topic and educates others about their work.

Who can apply?

Applicants must: 

• Have completed at least 24 credits and be registered as a full-time undergraduate student on Pitt's Oakland campus during the spring and summer semester of the fellowship. Please note, students graduating in April are not eligible for the fellowship. Students must be enrolled through at least the fall semester following the summer program. In some cases, students graduating in summer may be eligible but must provide a justification for consideration.
• Identify a Fellowship mentor — either a faculty member or experienced subject-matter expert in your area of interest.
• Live in Pittsburgh during the summer term. Some work may require time outside the city, but it should be limited and explained in your proposal. If your work requires time outside the city, please speak with the fellowship director before applying.

Students from any discipline are encouraged to apply, but students not majoring or minoring in a creative discipline should seek out a mentor (or an additional mentor) in a creative field. 

Selection Criteria

It is an expectation of the fellowship that you will present a final piece of work via exhibition or other public presentation format. You must also be willing to share your work with audiences within and outside of the Honors College. 

Fellowship applications should include the following: 

• Academic record
• Quality of the project proposal
• Originality and promise of the proposed project. This section should include:
  • A draft timeline for the project and its completion
  • An explanation of the project's purpose or your personal motivation
• Previous creative work that demonstrates promise in your ability to carry out your proposed project
• Your interest in participating in a creative fellowship with students outside your own discipline
• A letter of recommendation from your mentor

We are interested in a a variety of proposals and interdisciplinary projects from creative fields will get special consideration. 

Creative Arts Fellows share about their work with peers from different backgrounds. You should write your proposal for a broad, non-expert audience (plain language, with minimal jargon.)
 

Apply now »

You will be notified about the decision within about 35 days of the application deadline.