Category: Museum Anthropology Blog

We are grateful to CMA member, former CMA Board member, and former AAA Executive Board member Dr. Corinne A. Kratz for her philanthropy, support, and most of all, entrusting our section as the convenor and host of an annual workshop on museum practice, methods and mentoring coordinated with the annual AAA meetings.

CMA Board announces the appointment of Sowparnika Balaswaminathan to fill the recent vacant Board Member at Large seat and Alice Stevenson as co-editor of the CMA’s journal Museum Anthropology.

Sowparnika Balaswaminathan is Assistant Professor, Religions and Cultures at Concordia University. Alice Stevenson is Associate Professor in Museum Studies, Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

The School for Advanced Research is currently accepting applications for our 2022-2023 Resident Scholar Fellowships. Resident scholar fellowships are awarded annually by the School for Advanced Research (SAR) to up to six scholars who have completed their research and who need time to prepare manuscripts or dissertations on topics important to the understanding of humankind. Resident scholars may approach their research from the perspective of anthropology or from related fields such as history and sociology. Scholars from the humanities and social sciences are encouraged to apply.

• Weatherhead Fellowship: https://sarweb.org/scholars/resident/weatherhead-fellowship/
• Paloheimo Foundation Fellowship: https://sarweb.org/scholars/resident/paloheimo-foundation-fellowship/
• Katrin H. Lamon Fellowship: https://sarweb.org/scholars/resident/katrin-h-lamon-fellowship/
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in Latino Studies: https://sarweb.org/scholars/resident/mellon-foundation-fellowship-latino-studies/
• Wenner-Gren Fellowship in Anthropology and Black Experiences: https://sarweb.org/scholars/resident/wenner-gren-fellowship-anthropology-and-black-experiences/

Resident scholars are provided with an office, low-cost housing, a stipend (amount varies according to award), library assistance, and other benefits. Fellowships involve a nine-month tenure, from September 1 through May 31.

Applications are accepted through the first Monday in November to be considered for tenure beginning September 1 of the following year. Awards are announced in March.

Hello CMA Members! Check out this great opportunity during the AAA meetings in Seattle in November!

On Thursday, 10 November 2022, from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM PST, we are pleased to invite you to a FREE afternoon at the Burke Museum, featuring Tiny Talks by Curators and a chance to visit the galleries.

The Council for Museum Anthropology organized this in partnership with the Anthropology of Tourism Interest Group, the Association of Senior Anthropologists, and staff at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.

Spots are limited, and pre-registration is required!! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tiny-talks-at-the-burke-museum-tickets-416866648367

Attendees will be able to access the galleries beginning at 2 pm; Tiny Talks will start at 3 pm. Then – stay on, and enjoy CMA & ATIG’s Awards Ceremony and Reception at the Burke from 5-7 pm.

CMA Student Travel Award

The CMA Student Travel Awards are designed to support graduate student travel to the annual AAA meeting to present papers and/or posters. Students and recent graduate degree recipients (those who have defended within the year of the award) are eligible to apply. Each year, CMA will award two prizes of $1000 each.

Application packets (maximum 5 pages) must include: a brief letter indicating the applicant’s student status and explaining how this project reflects the student’s graduate work; a copy of the abstract for the proposed paper or poster (and for the session in which they will be presenting, if known); and a letter of endorsement from an academic advisor at the student’s most recent institution of study.

Evaluation Criteria: 1) Creativity: Is the paper or poster a unique and novel contribution to museum anthropology? 2) Commitment: Does the student demonstrate a commitment to the field of museum anthropology 3) Impact: Does the paper or poster have the potential to develop into a work that could more broadly impact the field of museum anthropology?

Student Travel Award recipients will be presented with a check for $1000 and a certificate of the award.

Applicants do not need to be members of CMA to receive the award. Please submit applications as digital data (Word documents, pdf files and/or jpg files), sent via email to arrive on or before the deadline). Email application packet to:council.museumanth@gmail.com

The Field Museum is a not-for-profit organization located on the Museum Campus of Chicago. Since the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, we have conducted research across all seven continents and accumulated a collection of over 40 million specimens and artifacts.

The Field Museum is in search of two Early Career Fellows for North American Anthropology to join our team!

This paid, one-year Fellowship is designed to provide students with lived Native American cultural experience who are interested in careers in museum collections management, registration, conservation, or curation, with an opportunity to work directly with the Native North American collections at the Field Museum. Fellows will be provided mentorship by staff on pursuing a career with a focus of their choosing in museums and will be introduced to other professionals in the field.

The Fellows will be working on-site at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, and will spend time working on the following topics in collaboration with Native community members, the Field’s Conservation Cultural Liaison and Collections Managers, and other staff in the Conservation, Registration, Curation, and Repatriation sections.

Fellows will gain experience in managing and preserving items in museum collections. Particular focus of the Fellowships will be connecting descendant communities, scholars, and members of the public to the collections. These connections may be made in visits and tours (both virtual and in-person), online outreach, and special events, both in the Museum’s collections areas and in public. Successful candidates will gain both practical and theoretical knowledge of current museum practice and will help improve the Museum’s cultural competence in the care of Native American collections. Support will be provided for relocation expenses, conference travel expenses, and for moving forward in a museum career after the Fellowship has ended. They may participate in other duties outlined below.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Researching item provenience,
• Identifying and documenting item construction methods and materials,
• Written and photographic documentation,
• Providing guidance, or obtaining guidance where applicable, on culturally appropriate descriptions of items, their materials, and their provenience.
• Assisting with research into and responding to inquiries about the collections.
• Collection management, housing, and storage,
• Preventive conservation
• Testing of display case and item materials.
• Exhibitions and loans
• Use of Collections Management database systems.
• Participation in training workshops

Qualifications:

• Native American candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this Fellowship. Qualified applicants should be recent graduates with an interest in a career in museums, lived Indigenous experience, and demonstrable cultural competencies, as well as the ability to work with a diversity of Native American communities strongly preferred
• High frequency of strenuous activity lifting heavy items, moving carts, using box cutters, hot melt glue guns, and sewing machines to construct collections storage trays, etc. Ability to work alone or in a team situation required. Must be able to work with collections and records for long hours
• Successful candidates will have excellent verbal and written communication skills

Dear CMA colleagues and friends,

We are thrilled to share with you that the Council for Museum Anthropology will launch the annual Ivan Karp Workshops in Museum Anthropology, thanks to a generous tribute gift by CMA member, former CMA Board member, and former AAA Executive Board member Dr. Corinne A. Kratz.

The Ivan Karp Workshops will focus on changing themes and issues relating to research, practice, and methods in museum anthropology; particular aspects of and current questions and issues related to museum and heritage work; and the theories, histories, and systems of thought that shape and illuminate museum anthropology and public scholarship generally. This very generous gift provides practical training for museum practice, methods, and mentoring.

The first workshop will occur during the 2022 AAA’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 9 in Seattle, WA. Created in partnership with the Wing Luke Museum, the inaugural workshop will explore their highly-lauded community-based exhibition model and the ways in which they support their communities. Limited to 16 participants, details regarding registration will be forthcoming.

Please join us in celebrating this tremendous opportunity!

Council for Museum Anthropology Board

The Museum of Modern Art is currently accepting applications for a Program Coordinator. In collaboration with the Director of Special Events and Affiliate Programs and the Council’s Leadership, the Program Coordinator is responsible for the administration, event planning, revenue and membership growth of the Black Arts Council, a key donor group at MoMA.

Responsibilities

• Manages overall program administration and serves as the primary staff liaison for The Black Arts Council (BAC), a dues-paying group of approximately 140 members with a mission to foster a greater appreciation for art and artists of the African diaspora and to amplify Black perspectives through the Museum’s program and initiatives.
• Expands the volume, breadth, and depth of new members to the BAC. Oversees and markets BAC membership through active recruitment and retention efforts. Processes membership applications and renewals, and maintains membership database, confidential donor files, and departmental records.
• Drafts and manages the communications strategy for the group, including invitation mailings, weekly newsletters, annual giving renewals, letters of thanks/acknowledgements of gifts and benefit fulfillment.
• Works directly with the BAC Co-Chairs and Executive Committee to plan fundraising strategies, set revenue goals, meeting agendas, and ensures that the robust annual calendar of activities (20+ exclusive events per year) serve the mission and the financial goals of the Council.
• Independently creates, produces, and hosts all BAC events throughout the year; oversees all details including invitations, production, catering, security, and budgets.
• Responsible for fundraising strategy and goals for annual Black Arts Council benefit. Works with the Department of Special Events to coordinate all aspects of the event, including securing honorees, co-chairs and performers.
• Assists in the continued growth and management of the Black Arts Council Endowments, which provide crucial support to the Museums exhibitions, education programs and acquisitions by Black artists.
• Develops and oversees BAC annual budget. Processes invoices and tracks expenses. Ensures that funds received are directed to the appropriate Museum accounts.
• Serves as liaison between BAC members and the Museum staff, including the curatorial teams and the Departments of Membership, Development, and Special Events, among others.
• Provides outreach support to Human Resources in the selection process of the 12-month Black Arts Council diversity intern funded by the BAC.
• Performs any other duties reasonably related to the functions described above.

Via The Washington Post, August 27, 2022