Jeanne Watson Bursary funding
Supporting Young Professionals of Historic House Museums to attend DEMHIST Conferences and Courses
The Jeanne Watson Bursary is limited to a maximum of €1.000 per applicant annually.
Who was Jeanne Watson?
Jeanne Watson (1929-2015) served ICOM and ICDAD for almost twenty years. She became one of the driving forces in advocating a separate international committee for historic house museums (DEMHIST). Jeanne was active in the campaign which led to the recognition of DEMHIST as a full ICOM International Committee. In 1999, she became a founding Councillor of the Executive Board of DEMHIST. From that time to 2012, Jeanne Watson was indefatigable in promoting the growth of DEMHIST and the success of its annual conferences. She capped her extensive service to DEMHIST by serving two terms as Vice-Chair of the DEMHIST Executive Board. A journalist by early profession, Jeanne Watson entered the museum field in 1973 when she became a docent and then curator of the Martin Mitchell House Museum in Naperville, Illinois. During her career she served different Museums and Historic Houses in Illinois and New Jersey and was an active member of AAM, the American Alliance of Museums. Volunteer work in museums was a matter close to Jeanne’s heart.
In 2015, as a memorial to Jeanne, her husband William Watson (1927-2016) bequeathed a bursary.
Requirements for Application
The applicant shall not be older than 40 and shall have worked in a historic house museum for at least 2 years or shall have completed at least two years of studies on historic house museums or a combination of both. The applicant shall be DEMHIST members (i.e. ICOM member including the voting membership of one International Committee with preference DEMHIST). The applicant shall be obliged to submit a report or article within in a month after having attended the conference or course.
The Jeanne Watson Bursary is exclusive and cannot be combined with an ICOM Grant.
Application Procedure
The official application form including a short cv, a statement of justification for the need of financial support and motivation letter along with a letter of recommendation shall be submitted in one of the official ICOM languages (English, French or Spanish) before the given deadline. Once accepted the Chair of the DEMHIST Committee will provide an official invitation in order to apply for a visa if required, and will inform about further procedure.