Garden and Landscape Studies

The Garden and Landscape Studies program was established in 1972 to support advanced scholarship in garden history and landscape architecture, encompassing the study of culturally and artistically significant landscapes around the world from ancient times to the present. The program seeks to deepen the understanding of landscape and gardens as a field of knowledge and research and as a practice carried out by landscape architects, landscape artists, and gardeners. The program provides support for research and organizes public programs and scholarly events, publications, and art installations.

Image: Brian Palmer, 2017–2018 Project Grant

Community

Staff in Garden and Landscape Studies

Senior Fellows

Fellows and Visiting Scholars

Project Grants

Newsletter

Fellowships and Awards

Support comes in many forms through a variety of our programs, tailored to fit the individual needs of senior scholars, midcareer researchers, dissertation writers, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates.

Fellowship Opportunities

Research Fellowships are available to scholars with a terminal degree (Fellowships); to degree candidates who have fulfilled all preliminary requirements for a terminal degree (Junior Fellowships). Mellon Fellowships in Urban Landscape Studies and Mellon Summer Fellowships in Urban Humanities are for scholars holding a terminal degree or degree candidates who at the time of application have fulfilled all preliminary requirements for a PhD or appropriate final degree.

Short-Term Opportunities

Several opportunities are available to students and scholars at all levels, ranging from symposia travel awards, 2–4 week predoctoral residencies, one-month research awards, and summer workshops in Garden and Landscape Studies.

Project Grants

Garden and Landscape grants are intended to support primary research of a specific site. Project grants may be used for a broad array of projects including field research, site analysis, botanical surveys, heritage conservation and restoration planning, with the goal of promoting the preservation and understanding of historic gardens and other significant designed landscapes.

Scholarly Activities

Garden and Landscape Studies offers a range of scholarly programming, including annual symposia and colloquia, public lectures, and workshops. View upcoming and past activities, and watch recordings of selected recent events.

May 12, 2023 - May 13, 2023

Environmental Histories of the Black Atlantic World: Landscape Histories of the African Diaspora

Call for Papers: Dumbarton Oaks Garden and Landscape Studies Symposium in partnership with the Mellon Initiative in Urban Landscape Studies, Washington, DC

A Century in the Gardens

The Garden Centennial recognizes a century of stewardship and preservation of the Dumbarton Oaks Gardens through celebrations and exhibits. We will explore the different ways the gardens and landscape as a work of art has been utilized, with thoughts on the next hundred years. Using digitally accessible materials, curatorial newsletters, and in-person exhibitions, the Garden Centennial commemorates one of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

Learn More about the Centennial

A Virtual Walk through the Gardens

Writing the Gardens

Mellon Initiative in Urban Landscape Studies

Two grants from the Mellon Foundation have supported an interdisciplinary program in urban landscape studies. The second, received in 2019, expands the program to focus on “Democracy and the Urban Landscape: Race, Identity, and Difference.”

Learn more about the Mellon Initiative

Awards and Opportunities

Semester-long fellowships support both research and teaching projects, and provide additional opportunities for field research funding. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students may also apply for funding to attend the annual Garden and Landscape Studies colloquium.

People and Scholarship

Academic events, such as the Mellon Midday Dialogues, create a framework for interactions among the fellows as well as the humanities scholars at Dumbarton Oaks and neighboring academic institution.

Public Outreach

A series of public programs, including lectures, colloquia, workshops, and exhibitions, are aimed at disseminating the initiative’s work nationally and internationally.