Richard Martin Exhibition Award Grant

The Richard Martin Exhibition Award, established in 2002, honors exceptional costume exhibitions presented by various institutions and students. It showcases innovation and excellence in costume presentation, enhancing the experience for both students and the public. Awards are granted annually, with categories for large, small, and student-led exhibitions. Winners receive a certificate, a travel stipend, and an invitation to present at the CSA National Symposium, celebrating Richard Martin's legacy in costume curation.

Richard Martin Exhibition Awards recognize outstanding costume exhibitions presented by small and large institutions and by student members. Award-winning exhibitions demonstrate excellence and innovation in the interpretation and presentation of costume, providing a transforming experience to both students of costume and the public. Up to three awards are given annually to exhibitions of differing sizes and funding:
Large exhibition: defined as having a budget over $100,000 Small exhibition: defined as having a budget of $100,000 or less. Student-led or student-driven exhibition: defined as an exhibition led or driven by student(s). The exhibition may or may not have a professional or faculty mentor.
The award winners each receive a certificate. A representative of each award-winning exhibition is invited to speak at the CSA National Symposium the following year and receives a $900 travel stipend and day-of-presentation registration fee, also funded by the CSA Endowment, to help defray travel and symposium expenses.
Richard Martin Exhibition Awards, first given in 2002, are named for Richard Martin (1947-1999), curator of costumes at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Fashion Institute of Technology. An outstanding scholar, lecturer, author, and the curator of many critically acclaimed costume exhibitions, Richard Martin was a Fellow of the Costume Society of America, and served on its Board of Directors, as editor of CSA’s scholarly journal Dress, and as president of the Mid-Atlantic Regio

Eligibility

To be eligible for an award an exhibition must:be mounted at a museum, historical society,
historic house, academic department within an institution of higher
learning, or at a site where museum standards are appliedat least sixty percent of the objects on display must be costumehave at least one person on the exhibition team who is a CSA memberhave been presented in the fifteen months prior to October 15, 2024
You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member.

Ineligibility

the curator must not have received the award in the past three years