MESDA Summer Institute: The Fall Line
June 1–June 26, 2026 Winston-Salem, NCThe MESDA Summer Institute is a rigorous multi-disciplinary decorative arts and material culture field school for graduate students, museum professionals, makers, and independent scholars. The 2026 MESDA Summer Institute will use decorative arts and material culture of the Fall Line region–where the Piedmont and Coastal Plain meet–as its laboratory. Summer Institute Fellows spend a month working closely with MESDA’s unparalleled collection and research resources. Using primary-sources and object-based analysis fellows gain experience with decorative arts across a range of media and learn how to create compelling object- and place-based narratives. The curriculum includes lectures and collection studies with leading curators and scholars, hands-on workshops with master craftspeople, and an intensive week-long study through the Fall Line.
Now in its 50th year, the MESDA Summer Institute is offered in partnership with Wake Forest University. Successful fellows earn three graduate credits through the Wake Forest University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
Participants are eligible for full fellowships that cover the entire cost of the course, including tuition, housing, and the study trip.
Applications will be available in mid-November and will be due March 1, 2026.
 Curriculum (Coming Soon!) |
 Fellowships |
 About the Institute |
For more information please contact the Institute Director, MESDA Curator Lea C. Lane at [email protected].
Support the MESDA Summer Institute
The Frank L. Horton Fellowship Fund provides critical support to MESDA’s Summer Institute for Early Southern Decorative Arts and Material Culture. Please click here to contribute to the Frank L. Horton Fellowship Fund.