This two-semester, fully funded, post-baccalaureate fellowship program is designed to help talented students from groups traditionally underrepresented in the History of Art and Architecture, including first-generation graduate students and those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, to bridge the gap between an undergraduate degree and a graduate training program.
Fellows enjoy financial support (including tuition and stipend) and mentoring by both faculty and graduate students as they prepare themselves for a successful program of doctoral studies. In addition to strong research experiences, Fellows will receive professional guidance and focused support for the graduate school application process. This is a great opportunity for recent college graduates, those who seek to change careers, and other applicants who have completed an undergraduate degree and are highly motivated and show strong academic promise, but are not quite ready to apply to a doctoral program in their field of interest.
In the History of Art and Architecture (HAA) Department, Hot Metal Bridge Fellows enroll in graduate seminars, take part in our research constellations, and are integrated into other aspects of university life alongside other graduate students, while also receiving personalized mentoring on their applications to PhD programs. Applications for the program are coordinated through the Graduate School of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. For more information visit the Hot Metal Bridge Post-Bac Program.
Past Fellows in the Department of History of Art and Architecture:
2021-22
Mara Hassan
Mara joined our department with an undergraduate degree in art history and queer studies from the University of California Los Angeles, after initial studies at the College of the Desert. At Pitt, she progressed her research on queer and transgender art and subjectivity. Upon completing the Hot Metal Bridge program, Mara entered the PhD program in the Department of Art and Art History at Stanford University.
Tiffany Sims
Tiffany joined our department from the University of Florida, after initial studies at Broward College. At Pitt, she advanced her research on black diasporic art and curatorial practice. Upon completing the Hot Metal Bridge program, Tiffany was appointed Margaret Powell Curatorial Fellow at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
2020-21
Kale Doyen
Kale Doyen joined our department with an undergraduate degree in art history and museum studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago. At Pitt, she advanced her research on the politics of representation of the U.S landscape, focusing on Black and Latinx artists. Upon completing the Hot Metal Bridge program, Kale was admitted to the PhD program in our Department.
2019-20
Janina Lopez
Janina Lopez joined our department with an undergraduate degree in art history from California State University, Sacramento. At Pitt, she advanced her research on contemporary Latinx art and art of the Chicano movement. Upon completing the Hot Metal Bridge program, Janina was admitted to the PhD program in our Department.
2018-19
Leslie Rose
Leslie Rose joined the Hot Metal Bridge program after completing an undergraduate degree in History of Art and Architecture and Museum Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. As a Hot Metal Bridge fellow, she advanced her research on the politics of museum displays of African art. Upon completing her fellowship, Leslie was admitted to the Master of Arts Program in African Studies at Yale University. Leslie then accepted a position at the Sandy Spring Museum in Arlington, Virginia.