The W&L Art Museum and Galleries invites applications for two inaugural curatorial fellowships: the Louise C. Herreshoff Curatorial Fellowship for American Art and the Euchlin D. Reeves Curatorial Fellowship in Ceramics. The two-year fellowships, with the possibility of a third-year renewal, are designed to support emerging curators and scholars while advancing the museum’s purpose, scholarship, and national impact.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs (ADCA), the curatorial fellows will support scholarly research on museum’s permanent collection of American art and decorative arts. The selected fellows will collaborate with the Collection and Curatorial team, along with members of the Washington and Lee campus community.

The fellows are integral members of the museum's staff whose work serves the museum's mission. The fellows will develop practical skills in all four areas of curatorial practice: research, installation and exhibition development, collections management and planning, and public engagement. The fellows will also participate fully in the intellectual life of the campus community.

The curatorial fellow must be in residence in Lexington, Virginia, during the fellowship period. Anticipated pay for this role is $62,000

Washington and Lee University actively promotes a dynamic and welcoming environment that allows students and employees of multiple backgrounds and perspectives to learn, work, and thrive together. Successful candidates will contribute to that environment and exhibit potential for excellence in their areas of expertise.

Visit jobs.wlu.edu to learn more about working at W&L, our benefits, community, and living in the area.

Essential Functions:

Contribute to knowledge about the collections and increase access to the collections through deep research and cataloging, including interdisciplinary interpretation and provenance research.
Research artists and artworks in the permanent collection, rectify outdated or inaccurate records, and write interpretive texts.
Mine the permanent collection for curatorial inspirations.
Assist the ADCA with formulating plans for continuing to grow and shape the American art collection.
In concert with Collection staff, assist with expanding physical and digital access to the art collection, establish priorities for storage and display, and work with contracted specialists to identify conservation needs and treatment.
Supervise interns and students.
Support the University’s teaching needs by facilitating direct engagement with the American art collection, including teaching or co-teaching courses, conducting gallery-based class visits, or leading object study sessions.
Develop and contribute to public and campus-based programs, lectures, and other special events, including programs for and with students and faculty, with particular attention to expanding and diversifying Museum audiences.
Represent the Museum and contribute to the field through participation in conferences, public lectures, publications, and institutional and scholarly partnerships.
Inspire researchers, scholars, and students beyond the southeast to engage with the Museum’s collections, exhibitions, events, and other activities.

Minimum Qualifications:

A master’s degree in art history, decorative arts, or other allied interdisciplinary humanities. Candidates with a doctoral degree must have been officially conferred within seven years of the start date of the fellowship.
Knowledge of museum ethics and the legal regulations governing collecting.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong interest in a curatorial career.
Commitment to fostering the appreciation of works of art in a museum context.
Demonstrated strength working collaboratively and in an innovative manner.