Application deadline: Rolling review beginning 26 January 2026
Role: Curatorial Fellow in Photography
Institution: Harvard Art Museums, Harvard University
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (on site)
Term: Full-time, fixed-term appointment (2 years)
Dates: 8 September 2026 – 31 August 2028
Compensation: $60,000 annual salary, plus benefits and travel funding eligibility
Working language: English
Position Overview
Harvard Art Museums invites applications for the John R. and Barbara Robinson Family Curatorial Fellow in Photography, a full-time curatorial fellowship designed to support those at the beginning of their professional museum careers in art history and related fields.
The fellowship offers in-depth experience in curatorial research, scholarship, exhibition planning, and collection development within a university museum context. Fellows work closely with curators and museum staff across departments and contribute to exhibitions, publications, teaching, and public programming.
Key Responsibilities
- Assist the Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography in research, interpretation, scholarship, display, and exhibition planning related to the photography and time-based media collections.
- Support collection strategy and acquisitions in collaboration with conservation and modern and contemporary art teams.
- Play a major role in developing a scholarly exhibition on the history, aesthetics, and ethics of flash illumination in photography, including research, checklist development, acquisitions, publications, and public programming.
- Research and prepare interpretive materials such as wall labels, exhibition texts, and curatorial documentation.
- Support curatorial activities including provenance research, database cataloguing, loan correspondence, and donor-related research.
- Contribute to interdisciplinary teaching initiatives and public engagement activities.
- Supervise students or temporary staff as required.
Qualifications
Required:
- MA in Art History or a related field.
Preferred:
- PhD with an emphasis on the history of photography.
- Background in early photography, with interest in 20th-century and contemporary global practices.
- Reading knowledge of a foreign language.
- Museum or related professional experience.
- Interest in expanding and rethinking canonical photographic histories.
- Strong organizational, interpersonal, and written communication skills, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
Candidates from diverse backgrounds and career paths are encouraged to apply, including those transitioning fields or re-entering the workforce.
Appointment Details
- Duration: Two-year fixed-term position.
- Work schedule: 35 hours per week, primarily on site in Cambridge, with occasional work at a second facility in Somerville, Massachusetts.
- Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and professional development support.
How to Apply
Applicants should submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae (CV) through the online application system. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning 26 January 2026 and will continue until the position is filled.
Shortlisted candidates may be asked to provide two letters of recommendation and additional materials such as writing samples.
