The Garden Luminarts Fellowship

The Architecture Fellowship of the Luminarts Cultural Foundation

Taylor Schmidt, Fifth-Year Student

My name is Taylor Schmidt, and I am 5th year architecture student from the Chicagoland area. The Architecture Fellowship of the Luminarts Cultural Foundation—which was first brought to my attention while I was working in Chicago two years ago—is awarded in conjunction with the Chicago- Midwest Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. The submission process includes a resume, a portfolio, and a career statement. In the statement, you need to outline your objectives in the realm of architecture, discuss how becoming a Fellow would support those objectives, and demonstrate how you envision your talents impacting the greater Chicago community. To be eligible, you must live or work within 150 miles of the Chicago loop and be between the age of 18-30; the age range is intentional as one of the focuses of the Luminarts Foundation focuses on cultivating Chicago’s vibrant art communities by supporting exemplary young artists. The fellows of the foundation include singers, dancers, musicians, and painters among others.

In my Career Statement, I touched on my self-directed, ongoing research project about the Prussian Architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. I am interested in how his design process was altered due to the architectural travels he embarked on. Schinkel was able to leave a lasting impression on the city of Berlin; his built work still influences the cityscape today. Understanding how a great architect was able to learn from the past, bring depth to his city’s landscape, and add new light to the architecture of his city is forever relevant. I look to make a similar contribution to the architecture of Chicago. As a fellow, I am able to apply for further grants that facilitate my research endeavors,with the promise that I will contribute to the greater Chicago community.