Art historians, get ready to pack your bags. On Monday afternoon, the CAA (College Art Association of America) announced it had received a groundbreaking $1 million gift, earmarked exclusively to fund travel and scholarship for art history professors and their students to visit important art shows.
The gift, which was donated anonymously, will establish the Fund for Travel to Special Exhibitions. The fund will offer grants of up to $10,000 per project to be used for shows directly related to class content. The grants will be applicable to exhibitions covering all eras, artists, and periods of art history.
“This incredibly generous gift will not only support art history scholars and students for years to come, it is a powerful message to the visual arts field that their work is as important as ever,” Hunter O’Hanian, CAA’s executive director, said in a release. “The new Fund also reinforces CAA as the preeminent organization supporting and advancing professionals in the visual arts and design.”
Hunter O’Hanian. Courtesy of CAA.
The grant program will be used to increase firsthand exposure to museums. It will support travel, lodging, and admission fees for students and their teachers seeking to attend special exhibits in the United States and abroad. A jury selected by CAA will administer the gifts.
The application process will open in the fall of 2018. All grant criteria and information will be listed on the CAA website.