Milner Library at Illinois State University is accepting applications for the 2025 Circus and Allied Arts Collection Fellowship. This $1,500 award is available to scholars external to ISU who are interested in researching any topic that requires the onsite use of the Circus and Allied Arts Collection housed in Milner Library’s Special Collections.
The $1,500 Circus and Allied Arts Collection Fellowship is intended to support costs associated with the selected scholars’ proposed research project including, but not limited to, costs of travel, room and board, digital scans, and other expenses related to utilizing the Circus and Allied Arts Collection for research purposes.
“This is an exciting award because it will allow more researchers to be able to physically access and learn from the unique and significant materials we have under our care in the Circus and Allied Arts Collection,” said the head of Special Collections at Milner Library Maureen Brunsdale. “We look forward to welcoming those who want to learn more about this amazing amusement dedicated to ‘children of all ages.’”
Founded in 1955, the Circus and Allied Arts Collection was created initially to document the important relationship between Bloomington-Normal and circus acts throughout modern history. Bloomington was a popular winter training location for numerous aerialists such as The Flying Fishers, The Flying Wards, and The Concellos. Today, the collection is one of the largest collections of circus materials in the country. Items in the collection consist of materials such as books, correspondence, personal papers, periodical holdings, posters, prints, slides, advertising pieces, photographs, films, music scores and recordings, route books, and much more. The Circus and Allied Arts Collection also includes materials from related arts such as carnivals, carousels, Wild West shows, and vaudeville.
The Circus and Allied Arts Fellowship is open to all graduate students enrolled in an institution of higher education pursuing a degree at a master’s level or higher, all faculty members employed at an institution of higher education, or researchers or scholars who hold a master’s degree or higher and are currently employed in a cultural heritage institution (e.g., gallery, library, archives, or museum). Current Illinois State University students and faculty members as well as past Circus and Allied Arts fellows are not eligible for this award.
Please submit application materials by January 6, 2025, for onsite visits planned for spring or summer 2025. For more information about this award, contact Associate Dean for Information Assets Rachel Scott. For additional information on the Circus and Allied Arts Collection, contact the head of Special Collections Maureen Brunsdale.
