Our Fellowship Program

The Fellowship Program is NIAUSI’s major effort. Italy's central role in the development of Western culture provides a singular setting for recipients to participate in this rich tradition by studying continuity and change in Italian architecture, culture, art, and history. In turn, we believe the professional growth our Fellows experience during their time in Italy positively influences the Pacific Northwest’s built environment.

Although our 2009 Fellows have already been selected, during the summer of 2009 NIAUSI will be announcing the 2010 Fellowship application process for Fellowship residencies for spring/summer/fall of 2010.  For those 2010 Fellowships, NIAUSI will be offering one Fellowship for a residency of two months, and several Fellowships for one month residencies at it's Civita Insititue, located in Civita di Bagnoregio, a unique and rustic hill town near Orvieto, approximately 100 kilometers north of Rome. Since its inception, NIAUSI has awarded more than 30 Fellowships and will continue to build this important professional, academic, and intercultural link between the Pacific Northwest and Italy.

Fellowship Information and Applicant Qualifications

These Fellowships offer residency in the Italian hill town of Civita di Bagnoregio for active design professionals practicing in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho and the province of British Columbia. Applicants for the Two Month Fellowship must have completed seven years of work in their field and must plan to return to the Pacific Northwest upon completion of the Fellowship. Applicants for the One Month Fellowship must have completed a minimum of two years of work in their field. Board members of NIAUSI and their families are not eligible.

An integral part of NIAUSI's mission is to promote public discussion of issues related to the built environment. To that end, the following requirements are required of all NIAUSI Fellows:

- Prior to departure, meet with the NIAUSI Board to discuss the proposed project and attend an orientation session.

- Upon return, make a presentation to the Board, reporting on the experience and the project.

- Participate in at least one NIAUSI sponsored public presentation in Seattle.

- In conjunction with the public presentation, prepare an article suitable for publication, organize an exhibition, or provide other publicly accessible documentation as appropriate to the project.

- Contribute digital images or other materials representative of the Fellow's work for permanent inclusion in the NIAUSI archives.

- NIAUSI strongly urges Fellows to study the Italian language prior to departure.

Program Location, Accommodation, and Funding

The Two Month Fellowship covers the costs of restricted coach-class airfare, a $1,500 stipend, and lodging for two months at the Civita Institute to be taken at a mutually agreeable time from April through mid-November. All Fellowships awarded must be completed during the applicable calendar year. No extensions will be granted.

Recipients of the One Month Fellowship will receive lodging for one month to be taken at a mutually agreeable time from April through mid-November, but will be responsible for their own financial support, including travel to and from Civita. Accommodation in Civita di Bagnoregio are in small, separate guest houses made available to NIAUSI by the late Astra Zarina and her husband, Tony Costa Heywood. Each dwelling is suitable for one person, though it may be possible to accommodate spouses/partners by prior arrangement. Note that summers can be quite hot and the dwellings are not air conditioned. Both the late Professor Emerita Zarina and Mr. Heywood are architects. Professor Zarina directed and taught the University of Washington's Architecture in Rome Program from 1979 to 1999 and the Italian Hilltown Program from 1975 to 2002.

Fellows will have access to a comprehensive library of materials related to Civita and other Italian hill towns, as well as general material on architecture and urbanism.

Civita di Bagnoregio is located on a promontory, accessible only by a pedestrian bridge, 2 km by foot or public minibus from the town of Bagnoregio. While some services (restaurants, etc.) are available in Civita, grocery stores, post office, bank, public transportation, and other services are readily available in Bagnoregio. It should be noted that there are no handicap accessible facilities available in Civita.

Application Requirements

The NIAUSI Fellowship provides an opportunity for the recipient to undertake a project related to current or anticipated professional work. An applicant's proposed project should:

- Respond to NIAUSI's philosophy and mission

- Focus on aspects of the built environment

- Show relevance to design issues in the Pacific Northwest

- Submit application online or by mail

- Provide contact information for three references

- Provide 10 images, a link to a video, or a CD or DVD with samples of your work

Evaluation of Proposals

Proposals will be evaluated by an independent jury, consisting of four Northwest design professionals not affiliated with NIAUSI and one NIAUSI Board member. The jury will be selected from the following professions: architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, urban planning/design, graphic design, or visual arts. The jury will select finalists for presentation to the NIAUSI Board, which will then choose the Fellows. The Board expressly reserves the right to not offer awards should no suitable proposals be submitted. Final determinations regarding exact dates, length of stay and accommodations will be made by the NIAUSI Board based on funds and availability. The decision of the Board is final. The following criteria will be used in the selection process:

- Focus of research and proposed methodology

- Relationship of project to issues of design and the built environment specific to the Pacific Northwest

- Proposed methods of presenting and sharing work upon returnRealistic scope and time line

- Relevance of applicant's current or previous work and potential for professional development

- Education and professional experience

- Research/publication experience

- Organization and presentation of proposal

For the One Month Fellowships, the jury will take into account the relative experience of the applicant and adjust their criteria accordingly. It is the intention of the One Month program to encourage applicants of varying experience levels; therefore, more weight will be given to the relationship of the applicant's proposal to professional goals.

NIAUSI maintains a website at www.northwestinstitute.com. For additional information please contact us via our NIAUSI email contact address or telephone Herschel Parnes at (206) 728-0602.

Application Period for 2009 Closed

The application period for the 2009 NIAUSI Fellowships is now closed.  In the summer of 2009 we will be distributing information via our email address group and our web site regarding the 2010 Fellowship program and application process.  Please contact us if you are not on our email list or to recommend others to be added to our list.  We thank you for your interest in our programs.