The National Gallery of Art hosts a postdoctoral curatorial fellowship endowed by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and is accepting applications now through May 1, 2023, for fall 2023. This is a two-year fellowship with the possibility of renewal for a third year. The fellowship provides curatorial training and supports scholarly research related to the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The fellow is fully integrated in a curatorial department with duties, privileges, and status equivalent to those of an assistant curator. Time is divided between assigned projects and general curatorial work within the department, including research on the collection and new acquisitions, work on the presentation and interpretation of the collection, participation in aspects of special exhibition and publishing projects, and opportunities to give public lectures.

Through weekly gatherings and discussions, the fellow takes part in research sharing and sessions that explore the inner workings of the National Gallery. The fellow takes part in departmental and curatorial-wide meetings and has opportunities to work with departments across the National Gallery.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate scholarly excellence and promise in addition to a strong interest in a museum career. Applications are requested from scholars whose interests and areas of expertise align with National Gallery of Art collections and programs. Specifically, the fellow will be a full participant in the preparation of one of the three exhibition projects and departments listed below, including developing exhibition frameworks, creating the object checklists, determining lay-outs, preparation of exhibition interpretation, writing for the exhibition catalog and/or contributing written content for web-based platforms, and where possible, contributing to in-person public programming for audiences in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area as well as virtual programming for nationwide audiences. Cover letters and statements must specify which project is most aligned with the applicant’s scholarly expertise and interests.

Prints and Drawings Fellowship:
In 2026, the National Gallery of Art will recognize the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America with an exhibition of works on paper that explores what it means to be of the nation and for the people. The exhibition might consider and complicate ideas of freedom, independence, nationhood, inclusion and exclusion, and identity against the backdrop of 250 years of U.S. history. The fellow will work closely with the curators and advisory group in developing topics for thematic sections of the exhibition and innovative approaches to interpretation, conducting research, producing checklists and website content and as well as ideas for related programming. The fellow will also be fully integrated in the day-to-day life of the Division of Prints and Drawings and will contribute to educational programs in the Division’s two study rooms.

Fellowship Period
The fellow must be in residence at the National Gallery of Art during the fellowship period, which lasts for two years, with the possibility of a third year, starting in the fall, 2023.

Eligibility
Consideration is given to candidates working in fields represented by the Gallery’s permanent collection of European and American art, as well as candidates with special research focuses on African American art or art of the African diaspora, Latinx art and art history, and Native American art history. The doctoral degree in art history (or the equivalent in countries outside the United States) must be or have been officially conferred within five years (preferably three years) of the start date of the fellowship. Applicants from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. This is an international program. If you have questions about your eligibility, please write to AWMCuratorialPostdocFellowship@nga.gov.

For more details and how to apply, please visit external link.