Andrew W. Mellon Post-doctoral Curatorial Fellowship in American Indian Art [Denver Art Museum, CO]

Description

Application deadline: 1 June 2016

Anticipated start date: 1 August 2016

The Denver Art Museum announces a new post-doctoral fellowship program funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This fellowship is intended to fill a need in the field of American Indian arts that will provide high-level curatorial experience, opportunities, and mentorship for individuals who seek a career as a museum curator specializing in American Indian arts beyond that included in their academic training.

As a leader in the field of American Indian arts, the Native Arts Department at the Denver Art Museum seeks outstanding post-doctoral applicants for a full-time, curatorial fellowship position within the Native Arts Department with a focus on American Indian arts. Successful candidates will have defended their dissertation and graduated with a Ph.D. in art history, anthropology, or a related field prior to the start date of this fellowship.

This formal fellowship program will provide a unique opportunity for qualified candidates to build experience working in a large world art museum alongside seasoned curators and with an exceptional collection. The program will afford fellows a well-rounded experience with mentoring supervision and professional collaboration with the Curator and Associate Curator of Native Arts.

A fellowship at the DAM is designed to familiarize candidates with curatorial responsibilities including exhibition development and display practices, collections-based research and publishing, museum administration, fundraising, and marketing and public relations. Moreover, the curatorial fellowship will expose the successful candidate to a broad range of professional experiences, such as:

·         Preparing six to eight gallery rotations or small exhibits per year.

·         Research and planning for temporary and traveling exhibitions.

·         Scholarly publication production.

·         Curatorial meetings that include all nine departments and their curators.

·         Native art collections building and care.

·         Collections research.

·         Conservation and collections assessments.

·         Visitor learning and engagement program planning.

·         Planning and support for the Native Arts Artist in Residence program and annual Friendship Powwow and American Indian Cultural Celebration.

·         Producing Blog posts, program descriptions, and content for press and marketing.

A Fellow is expected to promote the Native Arts Department through research, lectures, outreach, and professional publications. Fellows would also be encouraged to propose a research topic and work towards publishing that research. In addition to collections, fellows would also have access to the DAM’s deep archives and onsite library.

Fellowship terms of two years, with an option for a third year, include a stipend of $45,000 annually, statutory and health benefits, and allowance of $2,000 for travel and research expenses. Other benefits include paid time off (e.g. vacation, sick, holiday), free museum family membership, staff discounts at The Shops, and free or reduced admission to many ticketed museum events and partner institutions. The successful Fellow is expected to adhere to a 40-hour work week during the fellowship period. The fellowship is open to any qualified candidate pursuing a professional career in Native arts curatorial management and Native candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a clear commitment to the museum profession through academic preparation, museum or cultural center experience (paid or volunteer), experience working with exhibitions or collections of American Indian art, and a demonstrated knowledge of historical and/or contemporary American Indian arts. Sound work habits and organization, personal initiative, excellent written and verbal communication, along with ability to work in a dynamic museum environment are essential. Moderate to heavy lifting will be involved on occasion.  We are a museum that values interdepartmental collaboration. This is a value that we look for in all candidates.

Applications should include:

1.    A one-page cover letter describing the reason for your application and interest in this opportunity.

2.    Curriculum vitae (CV) or professional resume

3.    Two (2) letters of support from academic, professional, and/or community-based mentors.

4.    An essay of no more than 1,200 words describing:

a.    Candidate’s career goals for museum work

b.    What candidate hopes to gain from the fellowship experience

c.    What experience the candidate will bring into the fellowship

d.    A one-page proposal for a research topic

Applications will be accepted through 5:00 pm on June 1, 2016.

Note: relocation expenses are not available for this position.  The Denver Art Museum reserves the rights to discontinue the fellowship at any time if circumstances arise that are unfavorable.

It is the policy of the Denver Art Museum to prohibit discrimination against any person or organization based on age, race, sex, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, gender expression, ancestry, marital status, gender, veteran status, political service, affiliation or disability.