As a leader in research in the visual arts, the National Gallery of Canada offers annual financial assistance to researchers whose work includes a particular interest and advancement through the Gallery's Collection, including those of the Library and Archives. Those who are interested in a National Gallery of Canada fellowship award for the 2007-08 year have until 30 April 2007 to submit their applications.

The National Gallery's Research Fellowship Program encourages and supports advanced research in the categories of Canadian Art, European Art, Modern Art, Art Conservation, and the History of Photography. All awards were increased to a maximum of $30,000 with the 2006-07 competition, and the 2007-08 fellowships are being offered in the field of Canadian Art.

"To ensure progress in the knowledge of art history and to continue verifying authenticity, origin, quality and historic importance of works in the Collection, the National Gallery of Canada encourages all research. It's for this reason that we are so proud to offer annual research grants, through our Research Fellowship Program, to provide the opportunity for applicants to further develop their research in the field of visual arts", explained Pierre Theberge, Director of the National Gallery of Canada.

For the 2006-07 academic year, six recipients have received a Research Fellowship award. Three fellowships were awarded in the field of Canadian Art.

Dr. Dominic Hardy of Montreal, Quebec, will examine the National Gallery of Canada's programme of acquisitions and exhibitions of caricature, emphasizing the extensive work carried out by the NGC in this area over nearly a century. Dr. Hardy has held curatorial, education administration and teaching positions in Canadian art galleries and universities and has been actively involved in numerous arts organizations. He has completed his Ph.D. in Art History at Concordia University.

The second Fellowship in Canadian Art has been awarded to William Wood of Vancouver, British Columbia. His research will focus on the history of contemporary art in Canada from a broader critical, theoretical and  social perspective. He will investigate fictional strategies in video in Toronto from 1975 to 1985, examining in particular a series of works by Vera Frenkel, General Idea, John Massey and Tom Sherman. A writer and scholar, Mr. Wood is also a former editor of Vanguard magazine and has held teaching positions at a number of Canadian universities.

The third Fellowship in Canadian Art has been awarded to Kirsten Olds of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is investigating artists' collectives in the 1970s and during her residency at the National Gallery, she focused her research on the General Idea Collection presently on loan to the National Gallery. She holds a Master's in Art History from the University of Michigan, where she is currently a Ph.D. candidate. She has extensive teaching and curatorial experience.

Dr. Georgiana Stanciù of Trenton, Ontario, is the recipient of a Fellowship in European Art. A recognized authority in the field of Spanish art, Dr. Stanciù is particularly interested in the Spanish Art collection of the National Gallery, and is studying the evolution of Canadian interest in that area. Dr. Stanciù has extensive experience as an art curator, having worked at the Museum of Fine Arts of Romania and other museums. She has recently been appointed curator for the Royal Canadian Forces Memorial Museum in Trenton. She has completed her Ph.D. in Art History at the University of Montreal.

Dr. Phillip Prodger of Gainesville, Florida, is the recipient of a Lisette Model/Joseph G. Blum Fellowship in the History of Photography. Dr. Prodger is particularly interested in nineteenth-century photography and during his residency at the National Gallery of Canada, he will examine the history of focus from the nineteenth century to the present, using original works in the Gallery's collections, and contemporaneous accounts found in the Library and Archives. An independent curator, writer and accomplished researcher, Dr. Prodger has held curatorial positions at several museums around the world. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, England.

Ainsley Walton of Ottawa has been awarded the Claudia De Hueck Fellowship in Art Conservation. She has held positions in conservation at Library and Archives Canada and the Archives of Manitoba. During her residency at the National Gallery, she is conducting research focused on the preservation of the National Gallery's collections of time-based mediafilm, video, sound works, as well as "new media" works based on electronic or digital platforms. Ms. Walton has a Master's in Art Conservation from Queen's University.

For information concerning the Research Fellowship Program of the National Gallery of Canada, please consult the National Gallery website or contact Jonathan Franklin, Chief, Library, Archives and Research Fellowship Program, T 613-990-0590, F 613-990-6190, fellowships@gallery.ca

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