Fellowship Opportunity: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Pre-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow, Portland Art Museum

The Portland Art Museum, Oregon seeks an outstanding advanced doctoral candidate who wishes to pursue a curatorial career in Native American art. This unique opportunity would allow a pre-doctoral candidate to do original research with world-class objects working closely with the Curator of Native American Art. The Fellow will be responsible for collection-related research and scholarship and will have the opportunity to meet with scholars, museum curators, and Native communities across the United States to create a new vocabulary for understanding Native American arts research.

The Fellow will assist in organizing a collection-based exhibition, collecting Native oral histories, and developing new modes of interpretation. A fifteen month appointment, the Fellow will be exposed to all aspects of curatorial operations and participate in internal and external communications on a daily basis, fully integrated into curatorial and exposed to the full range of curatorial work. The individual will work directly with the Curator of Native American Art, Deana Dartt (Chumash), Ph.D. who will serve as supervisor and mentor throughout the term of the fellowship. The Fellow also has the opportunity to undertake an independent project in consultation with the supervising curator. Applicants must be within the final two years of completing their dissertation. Applicants pursuing a degree in art history are especially encouraged to apply. 

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Pre-Doctoral Curatorial Fellow is a full-time exempt employee of The Portland Art Museum. The position starts in Winter 2016. The Fellow will receive an annual salary of $42,500, plus research and travel expenses related to Museum activities, and benefits. A modest relocation stipend may be available. Benefits are effective first of the month following 30-days of full-time employment and include medical and dental, paid time off (vacation, sick, holiday, jury duty, bereavement), long-term disability and AD&D, and a variety of perks such as free Museum admission, Gift Shop discounts, and screenings at the NW Film Center. Please see our website for more details.

This is a fifteen month fellowship. In rare instances, the Museum will consider an application for renewal. The Museum reserves the right to discontinue the fellowship at any time if circumstances arise that are unfavorable.

To apply online click here.