Curatorial Research Residency (2026–27)
Paul Mellon Centre × Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation
Location: N/A (applicants must be based in the UK)
Fee: Curatorial research fee of £4,000. Research expenses of up to £2,000
Contract Type: Freelance
Hours: N/A
Closing Date: 10 am Wednesday 22 April 2026
Interview Date: Interviews will be held w/c 11 May 2026 online
Start Date: Monday 1 June
About the Role
The Paul Mellon Centre (PMC) and the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation invite applications for a Curatorial Research Residency to take place during 2026–27.
This Residency will support an early-career researcher with a strong interest in Scottish art to undertake in-depth curatorial research on a work, or group of works, from the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation’s collection. The successful applicant will make significant use of the PMC’s Archives & Library during their research, as well as the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation’s collection and network, and be given academic and curatorial support from both institutions. They will then develop a proposal for a display suitable for the PMC’s Display Room.
It is anticipated that the residency will require approximately 15–18 days of work. How this time is distributed across the residency period is flexible and can be agreed with the Centre and the Fleming-Wyfold team, depending on the successful candidate’s approach to the project. Some time will be spent working with the PMC Archives & Library, though this need not follow a fixed weekly pattern.
If the proposal is approved, the Curatorial Resident will then be involved in installing the display at the PMC in early January 2027.
Why This Role, Why Now?
The Residency is designed to foster original research, ambitious curatorial thinking and new interpretative approaches to Scottish art within broader British and international contexts.
Who We Are
This Residency is based in a partnership between the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art (PMC) and the Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation. The PMC is a research centre and educational charity which supports the generation of ideas and promotes the sharing of knowledge about British art to create better understandings of the past, present and potential futures. The Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation is endowed to care for and enhance its collection, and to promote an understanding and awareness of Scottish art and creativity.
Who We Need
The Residency is open to early-career researchers and curators with a demonstrable interest in, and commitment to, Scottish art. Applicants may come from academic, museum or independent curatorial backgrounds.
This is explicitly intended to be a developmental early-career opportunity, to extend and deepen experience of research on collections, and translation of that research into a display geared towards a broad audience.
