Proposal Overview
In 2025-26, the Kaspar T. Locher Summer Creative Scholarships provides four awards of $2,500 each to support independent summer work in Creative Writing, Dance, Music, Studio Art, and Theatre.
Application Deadline
Application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be submitted to Charlie Wilcox cwilcox@reed.edu by March 20, 2026 at noon. The committee is not able to consider late applications.
Eligibility
The competition is open to all current Reed students, except graduating seniors. This is open to both Arts and Creative Writing minors and majors, and non-minors/majors. This grant is not salary replacement and is intended to supplement other summer work.
Selection Criteria
These are the criteria used by the selection committee to evaluate proposals:
- Is this an original/new idea?
- Is there a high stakes question at the center of the project?
- Is this proposal seeking to develop new work (as opposed to continuing existing work)?
- Is this project feasible in terms of time, money, and skill?
- Does this project develop the artist’s practice?
- Does this project display artistic curiosity?
How to Apply
All application materials need to be submitted by email to Charlie Wilcox (cwilcox@reed.edu) by the application deadline. The application must include the following:
- A 500–750 word description of your proposed project and an additional 500 word statement on your previous work and experiences that have prepared you for carrying out this project. Submit the proposal and statement as a single PDF document.
- One letter of recommendation from a Reed faculty member who can comment on the merits of your project and your ability to carry it out. This letter should be sent via email to Charlie Wilcox with your name in the subject heading.
- Four to six examples of your previous artistic work in your application area. You may submit pdfs, links, and/or images, etc…
- If your project is dependent on using space on campus (for example, a Theatre rehearsal room), you must contact the department before submitting your application to confirm that space is available, and you should include this evidence (an email from the department chair or staff production manager) in your application.
Please indicate in your proposal if you would be willing to have your proposal (with your name redacted) shared as an example with future applicants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Kaspar T. Locher?
Kaspar T. Locher was a literary scholar and professor of Humanities and German at 糖心vlog视频 for nearly 50 years. Locher was born in St. Gall, Switzerland, on December 15, 1920, and came to the U.S. in 1946 under the auspices of the Institute of International Education after studying medicine at the University of Geneva and literature at the University of Zurich. He received a Ph.D. in comparative literature in 1949 from the University of Chicago. He taught there and at Vanderbilt University before coming to Reed as an instructor in German. Locher wrote a number of books and articles on German literature that were published in the U.S., Germany, and Switzerland. He received research and travel grants from the American Philosophical Society, the American Council of Learned Societies, and other institutions. He was visiting professor of German at the University of Washington in 1963 and at the University of Oregon in 1978. He was granted emeritus status at Reed in 1988. Locher, an active supporter of the arts in Portland, collected numerous works by Northwest artists. Locher established the summer creative scholarship competition in the late 1980s and chaired the selection committee until shortly before his death in 1998.
Should one be a major in one of the arts to qualify for a scholarship?
These awards are open to any student in the college who is not a graduating senior. Historically, these awards have gone to both majors and non-majors.
What kinds of proposals are funded?
Scholarships have been awarded for work in Studio Art (painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, artist books, photography, film, video, installation, performance art), Creative Writing (poetry, short and long fiction, non fiction), Dance (choreography, performance), Theatre (playwriting, directing, acting, performance) and Music (composition, performance).
What do awardees need to do at the end of the award?
We ask that each winner submit a version of their completed project to the Locher committee for our archive. We encourage awardees to work with their respective areas to showcase their work on campus (readings, displays, performances, etc…)
Who are the members of the selection committee?
The committee is composed of representative faculty in the departments of Art, Music, Theatre, Dance, and English/Creative Writing.
For 2025–26 the committee is:
- Kate Bredeson, Theatre (chair)
- Daniel Duford, Art
- Novuyo Tshuma, Creative Writing
- Minh Tran, Dance
How may the scholarship money be spent?
Options include:
- Supplies, equipment, materials
- Equipment rental
- Travel
- Workshops (non-credit bearing) to support the project
- Stipends for your time producing the work
How many examples of work should I submit?
Four to six examples of your previous artistic work in your application area. You may submit pdfs, links, and/or images, etc…
Can this award be combined with another award?
This award may not be combined with any other award from the URC or the CLBR for the same project. Small department awards of under $1000, such as the Adler or the Eddings, may be combined with the Locher.
May I ask a member of the Locher committee to write a recommendation for me?
You may ask Locher committee members to write for you, and may discuss your ideas for a proposal with them, but you should not ask them to help you formulate it.
Are there examples of previous proposals that one might consult?
We are working on this for next year.
Please indicate in your proposal if you would be willing to have your proposal (with your name redacted) shared with future applicants.
When will the scholarship recipients be determined?
The awards will be announced in mid–April. The committee will notify both recipients and those who did not receive awards.
For further questions, please contact Charlie Wilcox at cwilcox@reed.edu.