Kress Interpretive Fellowship [Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN]

Description

Samuel H. Kress Interpretive Fellowship at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is offering a unique fellowship opportunity for an individual who has completed a degree (B.A., M.A., or Ph. D.) in art history, studio art, art education, art conservation, or museum studies and who is pursuing or contemplating graduate study or professional placement in these or related fields. The Interpretive Fellowship will be for twelve months and is funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The Fellow will be closely mentored by Dr. Stanton Thomas, Curator of European and Decorative Art, in collaboration with Kathy Dumlao, Director of Education and Interpretation.

The fellowship program will focus on creating a comprehensive reinstallation plan for the Brooks’ collection of paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, with particular focus upon Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque pictures. This reinstallation plan also would include paintings from other donors, as well as decorative arts and sculpture. Woven into this reinstallation plan, and indeed forming the rationale for it, would be an underlying interpretive narrative. These materials in turn will help to shape the renovation and rehanging of the related areas of the museum, a project which is slated for 2017-2018. The project would be developed with the Curator of European Art and Decorative Art, who would guide the research of the fellow, help to develop the over-arching themes, and work closely on the proposed reinstallation. The fellow would work with both the Curator of European and Decorative Art and the Curator of Education and Interpretation on writing labels and interpretive panels to make these new narratives clear and accessible to our diverse audiences. In addition to developing a plan for reinstalling the collection and on interpretive materials for the galleries, the fellow would also collaborate with the education department to develop overarching themes into lesson plans for the museum’s school and public tour program, and to provide training on the objects and the new installation for volunteer docents. These materials would also form the basis for new interpretive information about the Kress collection and selected paintings for including in the audioguide.

The fellowship offers the opportunity to work with the staff of The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the largest and oldest fine arts museum in Tennessee (www.brooksmuseum.org). Its encyclopedic permanent collection of more than 9,000 works is the most comprehensive within a 500 mile radius. The Brooks’ rich holdings, ambitious exhibitions schedule, innovative educational initiatives, and energetic public programming reflect its century plus commitment to enriching and transforming lives. In this environment, the fellow will be able to hone their connoisseurship and interpretive skills, expand their network of colleagues, and gain practical experience in working within an active, inventive art museum.

Details:

Twelve month appointment, beginning Fall 2016.

$25,000 stipend, with additional funds available for related travel and/or research.

Application Procedure: Send cover letter, CV, names and contact information for 3 references, and 1-2 writing samples (not to exceed 1,500 words total) to: stanton.thomas@brooksmuseum.org.

Please direct related questions to this address as well.

Application Deadline: August 15, 2016