Whitworth Curatorial Fellow at the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, UK

Organisation: Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester
Location: Manchester, UK
Salary: £27,319 per annum
Contract: Full-time (35 hours per week), fixed-term for 18 months
Working arrangement: Hybrid working may be considered
Eligibility: Applicants based in Northern England with the right to work in the UK
Application deadline: 1 November 2026

The Whitworth Art Gallery is seeking a Curatorial Fellow for an 18-month paid traineeship supported by the Frieze x Deutsche Bank Emerging Curators Fellowship. The programme aims to widen access to curatorial careers in the visual arts and support the professional development of an emerging curator.

The Whitworth particularly encourages applications from people from Global Majority backgrounds, who remain underrepresented in the UK cultural sector, alongside others from backgrounds underrepresented in museums and galleries.

About the Role

The Fellowship will focus on the Whitworth’s Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection, the only significant collection of its kind held by a UK institution. Comprising more than 1,200 works by over 120 artists, the collection includes work by artists who developed their practices outside formal art education and gallery structures, including neurodivergent and working-class artists.

Building on previous research, the Fellow will explore the collection’s artists and histories, examining questions of terminology, representation and community engagement.

Key responsibilities and opportunities include:

• Conducting research into the Musgrave Kinley Outsider Art Collection.
• Contributing to the interpretation and development of a planned exhibition.
• Exploring how artists’ voices and perspectives can inform the documentation, display and presentation of their work.
• Gaining practical curatorial experience within the Whitworth’s Collections and Exhibitions Team.
• Working across the gallery’s historic, modern and contemporary art, textiles and wallpaper collections.
• Collaborating with colleagues on the Whitworth’s transcultural programme.

Eligibility and Requirements

The Fellowship is designed for individuals with a genuine interest in the visual arts, a willingness to learn and a desire to develop a long-term career as a curator.

Applicants must:

• Be based in Northern England, including Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Northumberland and other eligible northern counties.
• Be UK nationals or already have the right to work in the UK.
• Demonstrate an interest in developing their curatorial knowledge and practical experience.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

The University of Manchester offers benefits including a pension scheme, annual leave, additional paid closure over Christmas, and employee health and wellbeing services.

Application deadline: 1 November 2026, midnight (UK time).

Image: Courtesy of the Whitworth Art Gallery.