Student Grants > Summer Creative Scholarships

Summer Creative Scholarships

Announcing the Kaspar T. Locher Summer Creative Scholarships Competition

Proposal Overview

Four $1750 scholarships to support independent work in creative writing, visual arts, theater, dance and music will be awarded again this year. Recipients will present the results of their summer projects next fall. If your questions about the scholarship are not answered by the responses to the frequently asked questions below, contact Michael Knutson via email (knutsonm@reed.edu), 503/777-7204 (extension 7204), or at his office, Art 205.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all Reed students, except graduating seniors.

Timeline

Application materials should be submitted to Michael Knutson by Monday, March 23.

Requirements

The application must include the following:

  1. A 500-750 word description of your proposed project and an additional 500 word statement on your previous work and experiences that has prepared you for carrying out this project.
  2. At least two recommendations from persons, one of them a member of the Reed faculty, who can comment on the merits of your project and your ability to carry it out.
  3. Examples of previous work you have done within the area of your proposal. Your name should appear on all original work, slides, videos and manuscripts. Slides and other photo documentation should be submitted in plastic slide sheets.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who is eligible?
    All students, except graduating seniors (seniors who are finishing this spring), may apply. It is expected that recipients be in residence in the fall after the funded summer in order to present their work.
  • In-person interviews are conducted for the second stage of the selection process, so whether or not the applicant is in residence at the time, she or he must be available for them.
  • Students who expect to transfer from Reed next year should not apply.

  • Should one be a major in one of the arts to qualify for a scholarship?
    Awards are based on the quality of the proposal and evidence that the student is able to carry it out. Over the years scholarships have been awarded almost equally to majors in the arts and non-majors.

  • How do recipients of the scholarship present what they have accomplished over the summer?
    On an evening in mid fall they exhibit, give a reading or perform their work in Vollum lounge or the Studio Art gallery, or in another location on campus. Dance compositions have been performed in the Winter Dance Concert in December.

  • What kinds of proposals are funded?
    Scholarships have been awarded for work in the visuals arts (painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, artist books, photography, film, video, installation, performance art), creative writing (poetry, short and long fiction, non fiction), and composition and performance in dance, theater and music.

  • Who are the members of the selection committee?
    The committee is composed of representative faculty in the departments of Art,Music, Theater, Dance, and English/Creative Writing.

  • How may the scholarship money be spent?
    It may be used to "buy time" for creative work that might otherwise be spent in summer employment, for the purchase of art supplies and other materials relating to the project, for rental of equipment, for professional services related to the project, on travel for creative research, and for participation in summer art workshops (ie: programs that do not involve academic credit). Regarding the latter, it is expected that the projects be essentially extra- curricular, independent work, and should not be done within a structured course here or elsewhere.

  • Is there an application form?
    No. The application consists of:
    1. A 500 word project proposal and accompanying statement relating how your previous experience has prepared you for the project and how it can be completed over the summer.
    2. Examples of previous work: a selection of poems or stories, drama or film scripts, musical scores, audio or video tapes, or slides. Your name should be on all submitted work, and slides should be presented in plastic slide sheets. The amount of submitted work varies across disciplines, but the usual number of submissions per application are 10 or so poems, a couple of short stories, up to 20 slides of visual work, etc. Large scale original work (paintings, photographs, sculpture, etc.) can also be submitted, and left at Michael Knutson's office.
    3. Two confidential letters of reference, at least one of which is from a Reed faculty member. These letters may be submitted with the application or sent directly to Michael Knutson. You may ask Locher committee members to write for you or to read your proposal before you submit it , but for reasons of equity you should not ask them to help you formulate it.

  • Are there examples of previous proposals that one might consult?
    No. Simply write a proposal that suits your interests and abilities, and that leaps off the page as the best of all possible creative ways to spend the summer.

  • When will the scholarship recipients be determined?
    Application files are circulated among committee members over a period of a couple of weeks after the application deadline. The committee then decides which applicants to meet for personal interviews. The awards will be announced around the twelfth week of the semester.