Fellowships in American Art

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Location: Washington, DC, US
Format: Residential, full-time research fellowships
Research period: Between 1 June 2027 and 31 August 2028
Duration: One month–12 months, depending on the fellowship
Stipend: $5,000–$57,000, depending on the fellowship and career level
Application deadline: 15 October 2026 for the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program and Betsy James Wyeth Fellowship; 1 February 2027 for the Audrey Flack Short-Term Fellowship

The Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery invite applications to their fellowship programme, the oldest and largest programme of its kind dedicated to the study of American art.

Scholars from any discipline whose research engages with the art, craft and visual culture of the United States are encouraged to apply. The museum particularly welcomes research foregrounding new perspectives, materials and methodologies.

The residential fellowships support full-time research using the Smithsonian’s collections and resources. Applicants must identify a member of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s research staff to serve as their primary fellowship advisor.

Applicants whose first language is not English must be able to write and converse fluently in English. All application materials must be submitted in English, although international academic transcripts may be translated.

Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program

Eligibility: Graduate students, predoctoral researchers, postdoctoral researchers and senior scholars
Duration: Ten weeks for graduate students; three to 12 months for predoctoral, postdoctoral and senior fellows
Deadline: 15 October 2026

Stipends include:

• $10,000 for ten-week graduate student fellowships;
• $45,000 per year for predoctoral fellowships; and
• $57,000 per year for postdoctoral and senior fellowships.

Awards lasting less than 12 months are calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Predoctoral, postdoctoral and senior fellows may apply for a research allowance of up to $5,000 for short research trips. A travel allowance of $100–$1,000 is available to support relocation. Fellows in residence for more than three months may receive $100 per month towards a Smithsonian health insurance plan.

Applicants proposing a primary advisor at the Smithsonian American Art Museum will automatically be considered for its named fellowships:

• Will Barnet Foundation Fellowship: Supports one year of research relating to American modern art and its influence on later generations;
• Joe and Wanda Corn Fellowship: Supports research spanning American art and American history and is jointly hosted with the National Museum of American History;
• Douglass Foundation Fellowship in American Art: Provides one year of dissertation research at the museum;
• Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Fellowship: Supports research into modern and contemporary art through a 12-month predoctoral or nine-month postdoctoral or senior residency;
• Patricia and Phillip Frost Fellowship: Supports one year of research into American art and visual culture;
• George Gurney Fellowship: Supports a six-month research appointment in American sculpture;
• Virginia Mecklenburg Fellowship: Supports a six-month research appointment;
• Joshua C. Taylor Fellowship: An intermittently awarded fellowship established in memory of the museum’s former director and founder of the fellowship programme;
• William H. Truettner Fellowship: Provides six months of research;
• Windgate Foundation Fellowship: Supports a year of research into American craft; and
• Wyeth Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship: Supports the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation concerning American art.

The Wyeth Foundation for American Art also provides publishing grants of up to $5,000 to first-time authors who have previously held a Wyeth Fellowship.

Betsy James Wyeth Fellowship in Native American Art

Eligibility: Predoctoral researchers, postdoctoral researchers and senior scholars
Duration: 12 months at predoctoral level or nine months at postdoctoral or senior level
Stipend: $53,000
Deadline: 15 October 2026

This fellowship supports new scholarship on Native art of the United States that centres and elevates Indigenous methodologies, knowledge and communities.

It is jointly hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian, providing fellows with access to the collections and resources of both institutions.

The fellowship includes up to $5,000 for short research trips, a relocation allowance of $100–$1,000 and $100 per month towards health insurance costs.

The Wyeth Foundation for American Art also offers publishing grants of up to $5,000 to first-time authors who have held this fellowship.

Audrey Flack Short-Term Fellowship

Eligibility: Predoctoral researchers, postdoctoral researchers and senior scholars
Duration: One month
Residency period: Between 1 June 2027 and 31 May 2028
Stipend: $5,000
Deadline: 1 February 2027

The Audrey Flack Short-Term Fellowship supports onsite research at the Smithsonian American Art Museum for scholars whose personal circumstances prevent them from undertaking a longer residential fellowship.

Relevant circumstances may include financial constraints, employment conditions, caring responsibilities or other limitations.

The fellowship also provides a travel allowance of $100–$1,000 to support relocation.

Other Smithsonian Fellowship Programmes

The Smithsonian American Art Museum also hosts fellows appointed through:

• The Arts and Humanities Research Council–Smithsonian Fellowship Program;
• The Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellowship;
• Fulbright–Smithsonian Awards;
• The James Smithson Fellowship Program;
• The Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship; and
• The Smithsonian Postgraduate/Postdoctoral Fellowships in Conservation of Museum Collections Program.