Program

The Fellowship Program will not be held in 2023.
Program to Resume for Summer 2024.

Fellows spend a period of three summer months living in Virginia- visiting, researching, and documenting their respective historic site. Each Fellow’s three-month schedule is unique, based on his or her school calendar. During their time in Virginia, Fellows shall be considered full-time, and shall not take on outside work or significant school projects. While Fellows are expected to work independently, they will be supervised by the landscape architect for the GCV, and will meet with him periodically to discuss their progress.

Mid-way through the summer, Fellows will present their initial findings to the GCV Fellowship Committee for feedback. At the end of the three-month period, Fellows deliver a final presentation at their respective historic site to a much broader audience. By this time, Fellows are expected to have completed their research and be well on their way to a rough draft, at a minimum. If necessary, Fellows may complete the final report and measured drawings in the few months following their time in Virginia.

Each Fellow’s final report, including measured drawings and written history, is archived into the ongoing collections of the Garden Club of Virginia, and online here via www.scribd.com. All reports remain copyrighted to the Garden Club of Virginia.

The GCV encourages Fellows to visit other significant gardens and landscapes within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The GCV will assist in arranging such visits during the Fellowship.

“When I discovered that GCV’s 2013 William D. Rieley Fellowship would provide an opportunity to research and document the Reynolds Homestead, a National Historic Landmark property, I knew that it would be a perfect segue from graduate school to the professional world…Upon completing my fellowship, presenting my findings, and submitting my report, I was offered a position in Washington, D.C. with The Cultural Landscape Foundation, a non-profit that promotes the study and stewardship of historic landscapes.”

Matthew Traucht
2013 Rieley Fellow, Reynolds Homestead