These scholarships are awarded for advanced training for gifted and talented high school students and middle school students with exceptional artistic promise. This program is named in honor of the late Willard A. Lockwood, longtime president of the arts council, under whose guidance it was developed. Applications are reviewed by the Summer Scholarship Committee and their recommendations are forward to the Talbot Arts Board for their final approval. Applications are accepted until May 21, 2025. Scholarship recipients will be notified in the first week of June. Program funds come from Talbot County and the towns of Easton, Oxford, and St. Michaels.

Scholarships for Gifted and Talented High School Students

This scholarship is awarded to gifted and talented high school students. To qualify, the student must complete the application and provide supporting documents.

Supporting Documents for High School Students

Samples are required for all high school the students applying for a scholarship and must be sent when the application is submitted. Examples include:

• dance reel

• writing samples

• vocal recording

• instrument recording

• reading from a play or musical

Showcase Your Best Self!

We ask you to provide a short video that can be recorded on a cell phone and uploaded with your application. Your video does not need to be perfect! Here are suggestions for producing your video.

• Be confident, clear and speak slowly.

• Prepare your answers in advance of recording.

• Silence your phone.

Please record your answers the following questions.

• Tell us about who you are as an (artist, actor, singer, dancer, and/or musician).

• Talk about your artistic accomplishments and any awards you have received.

• What groups you have participated in?

• What art experiences have been particularly meaningful?

• Who is your favorite artist?

• Explain how the scholarship will contribute to your artistic goals.

• Is there anything else you want us to know about you as an artist?

We require a letter from one arts educator who is an expert in the artistic area (other than the person providing the summer arts education) explaining why the student deserves selection. Applications must be complete. Missing information may disqualify a candidate for consideration.

Scholarships for Middle School Students with Exceptional Artistic Promise

The scholarship is awarded to middle school students with exceptional artistic promise interested in pursuing the arts. To qualify, the student must complete the application and provide supporting documents.

Supporting Documents for Middle School Students

We require a letter from one arts educator who is an expert in the artistic area (other than the person providing the summer arts education) explaining why the student deserves selection. Applications must be complete.

Showcase Your Best Self by forwarding a short video that can be recorded on a cell phone explaining why attending this program is important and upload it with your application. Your video does not need to be perfect! Here are suggestions for producing your video.

• Be confident, clear and speak slowly.

• Prepare your answers in advance of recording.

• Silence your phone.

Missing information may disqualify a candidate for consideration.

Application Process

A Zoom information seminar for the Summer 2025 Arts Scholarship program will be held in April 17, 2025 at 6 pm. Please register at talbotartsevents@gmail.com so we can forward the login information.

Applications for the Summer Arts Scholarship program will open on May 6 and close on May 21, 2025.

We are not able to accept applications beyond the cut-off date, May 21. 2025.

Tips for completing an online application:

We recommend reading through the application in advance. If you have applied in previous years, please note some of our requirements have been changed to include more information about the student applicant. Gather your information before beginning the application process. When you finish, a copy of your responses will be emailed to the address you provided. You will receive an email confirming we have received your application.

• Student applicants must be residents of Talbot County now enrolled in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades.

• Scholarships can be used for classes or private lessons, camps, workshops, and masterclasses.

• Eligible areas of study include animation, band, ceramics, dance, graphic design, filmmaking, music performance, songwriting, drawing, jewelry design, quilting, weaving and fiber arts, photography, painting, printmaking, sculpture, theatre, voice ,opera, or other areas of artistic interest.

• Since the program is talent-based and not need-based, no family financial data is involved.

• Applications must be complete. Missing information may disqualify a candidate for consideration.

Funding Criteria

The arts council is very committed to the spirit of these scholarships. Tuition costs may create a barrier to deserving students and their ability to participate in the arts. There is no specific dollar limit to individual scholarship requests. We award scholarships to eligible students based on the number of students in the applicant pool and the funding we have available. Over the past four years, students applying for scholarships have received up to received one hundred percent funding for programs of their choice. For more information, contact Joan Levy, Executive Director @ 410-245-5195, to discuss your questions.

Cherry Tree Young Writers Conference at Washington College

We work in partnership with the Cherry Tree Young Writers’ Conference at Washington College. Home to the famous Sophie Kerr Prize (the largest undergraduate writing program in the country), this program is available to rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Call 410-245-5195 or email jlevy@talbotarts.org for more information.

See videos of our Summer Arts Scholarship recipients

Final Report

Final reports for recipients of Summer Arts Scholarships awarded by the Talbot County Arts Council are given in the form of video presentations by the students. To learn about their summer experiences, you can watch the videos by clicking on the News and Media tab on this website.

Revised 7/29/2021