Interdisciplinary Fellow (Visual Arts)

Job Title: Interdisciplinary Fellow, Visual Arts
Reports To: Curator of Visual Arts

Overview and Background:

This interdisciplinary fellowship provides in-depth training for emerging curators and scholars interested in the rise of interdisciplinary innovation and performance-based contemporary practice in museums and art centers. Providing solid experience in both practical and theoretical aspects of this relatively new field, this fellowship supports the Walker’s goal to encourage greater leadership in this area, and to develop a new generation of curatorial and scholarly talent engaged with the challenges and evolving standards for commissioning, documenting, archiving, developing and presenting interdisciplinary work across gallery, stage, and site.

The Interdisciplinary Fellow (Visual Arts) will work on focused projects dedicated to the research, documentation, preservation, and archival work related to performance and interdisciplinary work at the Walker. In particular, the Fellow will support the further development of new systems for presenting and displaying materials from the Walker Archives and permanent collection; develop new scholarship around the Walker’s own history in this arena; develop new models for future presentations; and provide curatorial support for upcoming cross-disciplinary projects.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

• Conduct in-depth research into selected key works in the Walker’s permanent collection and history of 250+ performance-based commissions, which merit further scholarship and reconfiguration in modeling the interdisciplinary.
• Work with Walker staff across departments to develop new models for ways that past works can inform new approaches to the development and commissioning of cross-platform work.
• Assist curators in all phases of exhibition and commission development for projects related to the initiative, including: correspondence with artists; research; writing interpretive exhibition texts; securing rights for images and digital assets; and development of public programs related to select presentations across gallery, stage, and site.
• Work with Walker staff across departments to co-ordinate the production of a new volume of the Living Collections Catalogue, a dynamic online publication that explores aspects of the Walker’s collections and broader art historical themes related to interdisciplinary practice.
• Author original scholarship related to the Interdisciplinary Initiative to be published online, work with Walker staff across Visual Arts and Performing Arts to commission external authors.
• Assist with other departmental activities including acquisitions research, preparation for presentations, leading tours, and further access to Walker archival material and collections.
• Documentation: Work collaboratively with curatorial staff from Visual Arts and Performing Arts, as well as Web/Design, to oversee heightened forms of documentation that respond to newly commissioned projects within the initiative.
• Evaluation: Work collaboratively with curatorial staff from Visual and Performing Arts to shape and contribute to the evaluation strategies and process for the Interdisciplinary Initiative, creating questionnaires and reaching out to colleagues in the field.

Schedule and Compensation:

Full-time with one-day a week release, exempt; from October 2018 – December 31, 2019; $35,000 – 40,000/year dependent on experience with excellent benefits package, Walker membership and discounts, and the opportunity to work alongside talented individuals as well as support some remarkable artists, events, and programming.

Qualified Applicants Have:

Advanced degree such as an M.A. (PhD degree preferred) in art history, museum studies, performance studies, or a related field (e.g. history, cultural studies, curatorial studies.) Excellent verbal and written communication skills and familiarity with modern and contemporary performing and visual art required; foreign language skills (written and verbal) are desirable.

Please Note: international candidates must secure at their expense and be in possession of a valid US work visa for entire Fellowship duration.

For Consideration:

Please include complete applications materials* as MS Word or PDF attachments when applying directly at walkerart.hiringthing.com.

*Application materials should include the following or they will be considered incomplete:

• Letter of interest
• Resume/CV
• Names of 3 references with contact information
• 2 writing samples: one sample under 10 pages, and one short text written to a general audience.

Application deadline Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with priority given to applications received by Monday, August 31, 2018. We respectfully ask that there be no phone calls or follow-up emails.

The Walker is committed to being an inclusive workplace as well as increasing diversity in our workforce. This position will remain open until filled and until a diverse and qualified pool of candidates is identified. In the Walker’s terms, diversity refers to a wide spectrum of people of color, people with disabilities, age, gender, and other classifications.

We are an EOE/AA employer dedicated to fair and inclusive employment practices for all individuals.