Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship Program | USA

Application deadline: March 1, 2018

The Andrew W. Mellon Summer Academy and Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship Program at LACMA

Program Overview

The Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship Program aims to make a critical impact on American art museums by expanding the diversity of their curatorial staff through developing gifted curators who are committed to engaging with the full spectrum of museum audiences. In July 2015, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation published a report, Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey that addresses the need for this program in more detail. The program, which provides specialized training in the curatorial field for students across the United States from diverse backgrounds, is being implemented at six partnering institutions: the Art Institute of Chicago; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); the Museum of Fine Arts Houston; the Nelson- Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Who is eligible to apply?

1) Individuals from historically underrepresented groups in the curatorial field;
2) Undergraduates currently enrolled at a university, college or community college;
3) Undergraduates who, if selected as a fellow, can commit to two years in the program with graduation planned for May 2020 or a later date. (Typically a current freshman or sophomore and/or a nontraditional student with two years of undergraduate study remaining); and
4) Individuals who are eligible to work in the United States.

The program is organized around two components: the Summer Academy and the Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship Program.

Students must first apply to a Summer Academy, to be held at each of the six partner museums. Summer Academies are one-week immersion programs designed to provide a rich experience in the museum environment and expose the participants to career options related to art and art history. Each Summer Academy will include workshops, tours, field trips and networking events with museum professionals.

Fifteen students will be selected to participate in LACMA’s 2018 Summer Academy during the week of June 18. Upon the completion of each Summer Academy, two participants will be selected as fellows.

Fellows will participate in the Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship Program throughout their undergraduate career with the goal of entry into a graduate program. The two-year fellowships will provide students with hands-on experience inside a museum setting, working with curators and staff on exhibitions, collections and programs. Fellows will be matched with a museum mentor/curator who will work to enrich the academic experience and to increase exposure to the museum context while broadening a fellow’s understanding of art and art history. Fellowships include part-time engagement during the academic school year followed by full-time engagement over the summer at a partner museum. Fellows receive a yearly stipend of $10,000.

For more information, please visit: http://www.lacma.org/mellonfellowships