Millard Meiss Publication Fund

Millard Meiss Publication Fund. It is a grant program administered by the College Art Association to support the publication of scholarly books in the history of Western art. Established in 1975 through a bequest from the renowned art historian Millard Meiss, the fund provides financial subsidies to university presses and other academic publishers to offset the high costs of producing richly illustrated art historical volumes. Its mission is to ensure that significant, peer-reviewed research, particularly those requiring extensive visual documentation, can reach the public and academic community.

History and establishment

The fund was created following the 1975 death of Millard Meiss, a preeminent scholar of Italian Renaissance and Early Netherlandish painting. A longtime professor at Columbia University and Princeton University, Meiss was also a former president of the College Art Association. His bequest to the association specifically aimed to address the financial challenges facing scholarly publishing in the visual arts. The establishment of the fund coincided with a period of rising production costs for art books, which often require high-quality color reproductions and specialized printing. The inaugural grants were awarded in the late 1970s, establishing a model that has supported hundreds of titles over subsequent decades. The program honors Meiss's own contributions to the field, including his seminal work on the Limbourg brothers and the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.

Purpose and scope

The primary purpose is to subsidize the publication of book-length scholarly manuscripts in the history of Western art, from antiquity to the modern era. It specifically targets works that necessitate costly elements like photography rights, color plates, and complex design, which might otherwise be deemed prohibitively expensive by academic publishers. The scope encompasses a wide range of topics, including painting, sculpture, architecture, drawing, and printmaking, as well as related studies in theory and criticism. While focused on Western art, supported projects often involve comparative studies or examine influences from other traditions. The fund does not typically support exhibition catalogues, journals, or works of creative writing, maintaining a strict focus on original, peer-reviewed monographs and critical editions.

Application and selection process

Applications are submitted by the acquiring editor of a university press or a qualified scholarly press, not by the author directly. The publisher must demonstrate that the manuscript has already undergone successful peer review and has been formally accepted for publication. A detailed application includes the full manuscript, a production budget highlighting costs for illustrations and rights, and strong supporting letters from the field's experts. A rotating committee of distinguished scholars, appointed by the College Art Association, reviews all submissions. This jury, composed of specialists from various sub-fields of art history, evaluates the project's intellectual significance, methodological rigor, and the necessity of the requested subsidy. Decisions are made competitively, with grants awarded once or twice annually.

Notable publications supported

The fund has been instrumental in the publication of many landmark studies that have shaped art historical discourse. Early supported titles include major works on Baroque art and Medieval manuscript illumination. Notable examples from recent decades encompass award-winning monographs on artists like Francisco de Goya, Édouard Manet, and Jackson Pollock. It has also supported groundbreaking thematic studies, such as examinations of gender in Renaissance art, the archaeology of Ancient Roman sites, and the global networks of Modernism. Many recipients have gone on to win prestigious awards, including the Charles Rufus Morey Book Award and the Robert Motherwell Book Award, further validating the fund's role in identifying and fostering exceptional scholarship.

Administration and governance

The program is administered by the professional staff of the College Art Association from its headquarters in New York City. Oversight and grant selection are the responsibility of the Millard Meiss Publication Fund Committee, a standing committee of the association's Board of Directors. The committee chair, often a senior scholar from an institution like the Institute for Advanced Study or Harvard University, works with CAA staff to manage the application cycle and disbursement of funds. Financial governance and investment of the endowment are handled by the association's finance committee, ensuring the fund's long-term sustainability. The program operates in conjunction with other CAA grant initiatives, such as the Samuel H. Kress Foundation-sponsored fellowships, to broadly support the field's ecosystem.

Category:Art history Category:Academic publishing Category:College Art Association Category:Scholarly grants