BGC Fields of the Future Fellowship applications for the Spring 2027 semester are now open; applications are due Friday May 1, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.
Bard Graduate Center (BGC) is pleased to continue the Fields of the Future fellowship and mentorship program for Spring 2027 (February 15 - June 15, 2027) in partnership with Sylvester Manor, a historic district of national significance on the New York and National Registers of Historic Places. Located on land that has been home for millennia to the Indigenous Manhansett People, Sylvester Manor is the most intact remnant of a former slaveholding plantation north of Virginia. The 236-acre site passed through eleven generations of Sylvester descendants, from 1652 until 2014, when heirs gifted it to the nonprofit Sylvester Manor organization. Over the past 374 years, Sylvester Manor has been a provisioning plantation, an Enlightenment-era farm, and a pioneering food industrialist’s summer estate. Today, it includes the 1737 Manor House, a restored nineteenth-century windmill, an Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground, and a working farm, with educational and cultural arts programs open to all. Sylvester Manor’s collections contain artifacts that reflect all eras of the estate and that represent the occupation of this land by the Sylvester family, ancestors, descendants, as well as individuals who worked on the property. For more information, visit www.sylvestermanor.org.
For the Spring 2027 fellowship, the Fields of the Future fellow will research aspects of Sylvester Manor’s extensive and diverse collection of decorative art objects—ceramics, silver, textiles, and more—that reflect the Manor’s complex place in the wider Atlantic world. This work will culminate in a presentation at a convening of the Manor’s research partners in early June 2027. The fellow will be supported by BGC & Sylvester Manor research staff, with opportunities to utilize collections at Bard Graduate Center, Sylvester Manor, and elsewhere in New York City, as needed. Learn more about BGC’s research collections at www.bgc.bard.edu/library. The Fields of the Future fellowship aims to help promote diversity and inclusion in the advanced study of the material world. It reflects our commitment to explore and expand the sources, techniques, voices, and questions of interdisciplinary humanities scholarship from different perspectives. Please note that we prioritize applicants who have not yet held a BGC fellowship with us before. Scholars should have university, museum, or independent backgrounds and possess a PhD or equivalent professional experience.
Bard Graduate Center (BGC) is pleased to continue the Fields of the Future fellowship and mentorship program for Spring 2027 (February 15 - June 15, 2027) in partnership with Sylvester Manor, a historic district of national significance on the New York and National Registers of Historic Places. Located on land that has been home for millennia to the Indigenous Manhansett People, Sylvester Manor is the most intact remnant of a former slaveholding plantation north of Virginia. The 236-acre site passed through eleven generations of Sylvester descendants, from 1652 until 2014, when heirs gifted it to the nonprofit Sylvester Manor organization. Over the past 374 years, Sylvester Manor has been a provisioning plantation, an Enlightenment-era farm, and a pioneering food industrialist’s summer estate. Today, it includes the 1737 Manor House, a restored nineteenth-century windmill, an Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground, and a working farm, with educational and cultural arts programs open to all. Sylvester Manor’s collections contain artifacts that reflect all eras of the estate and that represent the occupation of this land by the Sylvester family, ancestors, descendants, as well as individuals who worked on the property. For more information, visit www.sylvestermanor.org.
For the Spring 2027 fellowship, the Fields of the Future fellow will research aspects of Sylvester Manor’s extensive and diverse collection of decorative art objects—ceramics, silver, textiles, and more—that reflect the Manor’s complex place in the wider Atlantic world. This work will culminate in a presentation at a convening of the Manor’s research partners in early June 2027. The fellow will be supported by BGC & Sylvester Manor research staff, with opportunities to utilize collections at Bard Graduate Center, Sylvester Manor, and elsewhere in New York City, as needed. Learn more about BGC’s research collections at www.bgc.bard.edu/library. The Fields of the Future fellowship aims to help promote diversity and inclusion in the advanced study of the material world. It reflects our commitment to explore and expand the sources, techniques, voices, and questions of interdisciplinary humanities scholarship from different perspectives. Please note that we prioritize applicants who have not yet held a BGC fellowship with us before. Scholars should have university, museum, or independent backgrounds and possess a PhD or equivalent professional experience.
To Apply
Fill out the BGC Fields of the Future Fellowship application form*, and upload your supplementary materials directly into the form. All supplementary materials should be saved as a single PDF file, with the filename following this format: “Your Last Name_FotF_Application.” The single PDF file of supplementary materials should include: (1) a cover letter introducing your research and interest in the fellowship; (2) three object studies (more details below) demonstrating how you would approach Sylvester Manor’s collection; (3) your CV; (4) a publication or academic writing sample of approximately twenty to thirty pages; (5) the names and contact information for two references. Letters of recommendation are not required.
For the object studies, please choose three objects from Sylvester Manor’s collection catalog (linked below). Write 300 words for each object, explaining what draws you to it, what questions you have, and how you would go about studying the object. The three objects do not need to be connected to one another. Please also include a photo of the object and the accession number in each object study.
Click here to explore the Sylvester Manor collection catalog: https://sylvestermanor.catalogaccess.com/authorization
For the object studies, please choose three objects from Sylvester Manor’s collection catalog (linked below). Write 300 words for each object, explaining what draws you to it, what questions you have, and how you would go about studying the object. The three objects do not need to be connected to one another. Please also include a photo of the object and the accession number in each object study.
Click here to explore the Sylvester Manor collection catalog: https://sylvestermanor.catalogaccess.com/authorization
*A Google account is required to submit your application through the linked form. If you do not have a Google account, please email [email protected] to submit your application.
All materials must be received by Friday May 1, 2026 at 11:59pm EST. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Details
The stipend rate is $3,500 per month. The fellowship duration is February 15, 2027 through June 15, 2027, with exact dates to be finalized. Fellows will be provided a shared, open workspace in the Bard Graduate Center Research Center at 38 West 86th Street in New York City and accommodation at Bard Hall, our residential facility located at 410 West 58th Street.
We do not reimburse fellows for travel, relocation, housing outside of what is provided at Bard Hall, or visa-related costs in connection with this fellowship award. Please note that the fellowship stipend and the value of the provided housing may be subject to taxes for both US citizens and non-US citizens in accordance with US tax code.
We do not reimburse fellows for travel, relocation, housing outside of what is provided at Bard Hall, or visa-related costs in connection with this fellowship award. Please note that the fellowship stipend and the value of the provided housing may be subject to taxes for both US citizens and non-US citizens in accordance with US tax code.
Questions
Email [email protected].
