Anawalt Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Study of Textiles or Regional Dress [Fowler Museum at UCLA]

The Fowler Museum at UCLA invites applications for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the study of textiles or regional dress. The one-year Fellowship will begin Sept. 1, 2015, and may be extended for a second year at the discretion of the Fowler Museum. The position is open to candidates who have obtained their doctorate within the past six years in art history, anthropology, or another appropriate field. The Fellowship provides unparalleled access to the Fowler Museum’s renowned textile collections and mentorship by experienced Fowler Museum staff. We seek applicants with significant research potential whose proposed project will make use of the Museum’s collections and reflect the Fowler’s geographical collecting priorities (Africa and its diasporas, Asia, the Pacific, and the ancient or indigenous Americas).

The Fellow will be based in the Fowler Museum’s Richard and Patricia Anawalt Center for the Study of Regional Dress (CSRD). Office space will be provided and the Fellow will be granted the same UCLA library and research privileges as Fowler Museum curators. The Fellow will be expected to coordinate the activities of the CSRD, including responding to scholarly research inquiries and requests, coordinating with Fowler Museum staff members on textile-related projects, and liaising with the Fowler Museum Textile Council and with members of the Fowler’s general textile audience as needed.

The Fellow will be encouraged to teach one undergraduate class for one of the three quarters of the academic year, the subject to be based on the Fellow’s area of textile specialization and/or based on the Fowler’s textile holdings. The class is taught as a weekly 3-hour seminar and is offered under the auspices of UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures. It is taught in the CSRD and will be limited to twenty students in order to provide access to selected items drawn from the Museum’s textile collections (to be selected by the Fellow).

The Fellow will be expected to define and develop her or his own research priorities and objectives, which may culminate in a publication and potentially may be considered as an exhibition, depending on its scale and ambition. Given the limited timeframe of the Fellowship period, the Fowler can only agree to consider an exhibition proposal for one of its smaller changing spaces, and the exhibition could be presented outside the timeframe of the Fellowship period. The Fellow will be invited to work within the Museum’s exhibition development process in order to propose and execute a realistic plan should this aspect of the Fellowship be desirable.

Applicants should submit a letter of no more than three pages detailing: 1) the research project they hope to pursue at the Fowler Museum and the significance of this project to their career path; and 2) the course (or courses) they would propose to teach at the undergraduate level. Should a candidate have a proposal in mind for a potential exhibition drawing upon Fowler Museum collections, please explain it briefly (not required).

Please also submit a C.V. and the names and addresses (including e-mail addresses) of three references. Submissions must be received no later than May 15, 2015 at the following address:

Textile Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship

Sophie Livsey, Executive Assistant

Fowler Museum at UCLA

P.O. Box 951549

Los Angeles CA 90095-1549

The annual salary range for this is between $42,840 – $52,116, depending on experience.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal residents in possession of an appropriate visa.

The University of California is an equal opportunity employer.