Curatorial Fellow at MACLA

Organisation: MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
Location: San José, California, USA
Pay: $34.45 per hour
Duration: 10 months, totalling 935 hours
Hours: Approximately 15–25 hours per week during the academic year and 25–30 hours per week during summer
Format: Part-time, in person
Application deadline: Not specified

MACLA is offering a paid Curatorial Fellowship for someone interested in contemporary Chicanx and Latinx art and culture. Working with the Visual Arts Curator, the fellow will gain experience across exhibition research, planning, installation and public programming, as well as the day-to-day work of an arts organisation.

Based in downtown San José, MACLA is a contemporary arts space grounded in the Chicano/Latino experience. Its programme spans visual arts, performance, literature and youth arts education.

Fellowship activities

The fellow will contribute to the planning, research, installation and evaluation of exhibitions and related events. They will work on exhibition checklists, graphics, catalogues and documentation, and receive a Co-Curator credit for one exhibition.

The role also includes writing a curatorial statement or brochure, contributing to MACLA’s online archive and producing content for digital and printed use. The fellow will join the Visual Arts Curator on artist studio visits, visit local and regional arts organisations, and take part in a trip to a national Latinx arts institution.

Around a third of the fellowship will focus on gallery installation. Fellows are expected to assist with quarterly exhibition changeovers, including artwork handling, painting, using power tools and lifting objects weighing at least 30 pounds. The position also includes at least one gallery front-desk shift; the gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, noon–5 p.m.

Eligibility

Applicants need a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience; graduate students are preferred. Relevant fields include art history, visual culture, Latin American history, anthropology, sociology and Chicano/a/x studies. MACLA particularly welcomes applicants committed to working in arts and culture organisations.

The fellow must be able to work on site in San José and lift 30 pounds. MACLA does not provide travel or relocation funding. The role is contingent on continued support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Applications

• A cover letter explaining how your experience relates to the role and confirming your availability for the listed shifts.
• A résumé.
• An existing one- to two-page writing sample about an artist and their work.
• Contact details for three references, at least two of whom should be professional references.

Only complete applications will be considered. MACLA encourages candidates to apply even if they do not meet every qualification.