Category: Museum Anthropology Blog

The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts is looking for rising graduate students, emerging and in-service cultural professionals of Native American, Native Hawaiian or Alaska Native background to help them develop the knowledge, skills and networks necessary to become 21st-century community leaders who will shape museums and the nonprofit cultural sector.

Fellows develop their leadership potential through 10-week department positions within the museum. Placements allow participants to work directly with and be mentored by committed senior and mid-level PEM professionals. These positions provide Fellows with the ability to seek insights on the range of skills and experiences needed in positions of responsibility. Weekly workshops in key areas such as strategy, fundraising, communication and organizational politics, as well as select field trips, and substantive engagement in museum projects expand Fellows’ existing skill sets while cultivating their professional development needs.

Placements will be available across many departments at PEM, including Curatorial, Integrated Media, Creative Services, Collection Management, Exhibition Research and Publishing, and Marketing. Placements will be based on applicant’s academic and/or career goals, their application, the interview process and the match between Fellows’ interests and available projects.

More here.

Museological Review (MR) is a peer-reviewed journal, published annually by the PhD cohort of the School of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester, UK. 

The theme of Museological Review Issue 25 is ‘(Re)visiting Museums’. As museums around the world reopen their doors to visitors after the closures imposed by the spread of the pandemic, Museological Review Issue 25 invite submissions that reflect upon the alternative paths that opened up through the practical and theoretical challenges faced by museums in 2020. Now that museums are reopening, this is a great chance to revisit them with fresh eyes and consider how the museum sector is responding to worldwide events and navigating new ways to reach the audiences and negotiate relevance, even from a distance through times of crisis. 

We are now inviting Museum Studies scholars to engage with us as peer reviewers for Issue 25.

We are seeking scholars who received their PhD in Museum Studies or Cultural Heritage related topics, ideally within the last two years, or who have already submitted their thesis to serve as peer reviewers.

Application Deadline: 8th January 2021

More here.

The NAASA Program Committee (Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, chair; Amy Lonetree, Christina Burke, John Lukavic, Yatika Fields, Miranda Belarde-Lewis and Alexandra Nahgeahbow) invites formal proposals for organized sessions at the 2021 conference.

Proposed sessions may focus on a particular body of material and present perspectives for further understanding of a topic. We are open to receiving proposals in the fields of contemporary and traditional art, or interdisciplinary panels that encourage dialogue among artists, anthropologists, collectors, museum professionals and art historians. Standard-format sessions (90 minutes) should allow a maximum of four presentations, each no more than fifteen to twenty minutes in length. We welcome proposals for alternative- format sessions, such as roundtable discussions, interviews, film screenings, etc. NAASA welcomes and supports the participation of Afro-Indigenous, Afro-Caribbean and Black artists and scholars.

Session Organizers should send session abstracts of up to 200 words in length. Session abstracts must define the central issue clearly and identify intellectual focus of the session (theoretical, descriptive, historical, etc.), and indicate its organization (papers only, papers with discussant, roundtable, etc.).

Session Organizers are responsible for soliciting a core group of speakers for their sessions. It is not necessary to have all presenters confirmed at this time, however please note the names of potential speakers under consideration and their topics. Please bear in mind individual speakers can participate in one session only (though they may Chair one session and speak in another). Session Organizers should provide, or arrange for, opening remarks to the session and given the virtual format will be expected to run their sessions to the time allocated.

Session proposal abstracts must be received by January 18, 2021. Direct proposals by email to:tsinhnahjinnie@ucdavis.edu. Accepted session proposals will be announced in the March newsletter along with a call for individual papers for these and for Open Sessions. The Program Committee will organize individually volunteered papers into sessions related by topic, region, or methodology.

Via The New York Times, December 21, 2020

“After decades-long campaigns, a National Museum of the American Latino and a national museum of women’s history are finally on their way to becoming reality in Washington.

Both houses of Congress have voted to authorize the creation of the two museums as part of a $2.3-trillion year-end spending bill that legislators worked over the weekend to hammer out.

“A museum that highlights the contributions of Latinos and Latinas to our nation at a time when the pandemic has so disproportionately impacted our communities seems very fitting,” Estuardo Rodríguez, the president and chief executive of the nonprofit Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, said. “We are eager to see the bill pass.””

More here.

As an Assistant Professor in the Digital Technology and Culture (DTC) Program on the Tri-Cities campus the successful applicant will teach undergraduate courses within their area of expertise and within the core undergraduate course curriculum; aid in the management and development of collaborative practices, spaces, and projects that engage the university and other publics; be an active part of the DTC faculty; engage in creative production and/or conduct scholarly research in areas of expertise; and support current and emerging research, teaching, and creative activities in digital research on campus and within the region. The DTC program is committed to building a diverse faculty and to the retention of new faculty and as such the successful candidate will be provided with a faculty mentor within the College of Arts and Sciences and have access to university programs such as the External Mentor Program.

More here.

Via The Washington Post, December 23, 2020

“Officials at the Museum of the Bible said Wednesday they are considering suing D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) over the city’s latest round of coronavirus restrictions, saying they prevent the museum’s employees from exercising their religious freedom and its visitors from possibly having a religious experience.

The plan to pursue legal action comes after an order by Bowser on Dec. 18 said museums and indoor dining in the District must close from Dec. 23 to Jan. 15, 2021, which includes the season of Advent and Christmas, a normally busy time for the museum. In a letter to Bowser, museum officials argue that the city is violating the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by not allowing the museum to exercise religion.

The museum will close Wednesday to comply with the mayor’s orders while it explores legal options. Officials for the museum, which has nearly 400,000 square feet of space spread over seven floors, are asking that Bowser’s previous restrictions be reinstated, where 250 socially distanced people could be on one floor at a time.”

More here.

The Leigh and Mary Carter Director’s Research Fellowship provides art history graduates with an interest in pursuing a museum career the opportunity to assist the Director and (at his direction) members of the museum’s curatorial staff in scholarly, collection-, and/or exhibition-related research connected with projects undertaken by the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Fellow will receive work direction from the Director and/or the relevant curator and participate fully in the intellectual life of the institution. The incumbent will conduct in-depth art historical investigation connected with projects consistent with the museum’s long-standing reputation for scholarly inquiry and stature as a major international center for object-based study. 

The Leigh and Mary Carter Director’s Research Fellow will gain experience working with one of the finest collections and most accomplished curatorial teams in the country. Experience for a recent graduate or PhD candidate will include the opportunity to collaborate with museum professionals in the Director’s Office and Curatorial, Conservation, Library and Archives, Education, Exhibitions, and Design departments. The incumbent will also have the opportunity to hone their skills in research, writing, and public speaking.

The Fellowship is a two-year position, with an option for a third year of renewal. Candidates should be recent graduates of an accredited PhD program in art history or a related field, or PhD candidates who have completed their coursework and exams who are writing their dissertations. Approximately 80% of the fellow’s time will be dedicated to work in support of museum projects; the remaining 20% of the time can be spent on the fellow’s own research or dissertation. Candidates should demonstrate scholarly excellence and promise and a strong interest in pursuing a museum career. 

While all those with an interest in the position are encouraged to apply, fields of academic specialization closely related to current museum projects will be of particular interest. Candidates interested in the arts of Africa or candidates interested in photography are especially encouraged to apply for the next fellowship.

Arts of Africa: A candidate for African Arts would be primarily responsible for assisting with the early stage research and administrative work related to an upcoming exhibition on the artistic relationships between northern and eastern Africa and the Byzantine Empire circa 300 to 1500. The fellow would also conduct research into the CMA’s collection of Northern African textiles. Additionally, they will support the curator with general exhibition and departmental work. Potential candidates with backgrounds in historical African arts (c. 300–1900 CE), or the arts of northern and eastern Africa will be given special consideration. Candidates must have excellent reading skills in French and/or German. Knowledge of Arabic, Coptic, Amharic, Gǝ’ǝz, Tigrinya, Greek, or Old Nubian are a strong plus.

Photography: Candidates who specialize in the history of photography, with a particular interest in 19th-century European photography and/or photographs of India are of particular interest. The latter has been an area of focus for the museum in terms of collecting for several years, and the museum continues to collect robustly in this area, with the goal of planning for a future exhibition.

Applications, including a cover letter that addresses the candidate’s interest in the position and the relevance of their experience to the museum’s collection, a curriculum vita, the names of three professional references, and a writing sample should be submitted by March 1, 2021.

More here.

The Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame invites applications and nominations for the position of Associate Curator of Africa and the Americas.   Generally recognized as among the nation’s finest university art museums, the Snite holds one of the largest academic art collections.   Its collections of works from Africa and the Americas (Native, Mesoamerica) are highly regarded.   This is a particularly exciting moment for the museum as plans are underway for a new museum to open in autumn 2023; the new curator will play a significant and immediate role in the planning and installation of all collections in their portfolio.   The new curator should be a recognized specialist in one of the areas within their portfolio with strong working knowledge in the others.   An interest in contemporary work in their field in addition to historical traditions would be of interest but is not required.

Role and Responsibilities

The Associate Curator will report to the museum director. This individual will be a vital member of the curatorial team working with the Curator of European and American Art before 1900, the Curator of Photography, the Director (who also serves as the Curator of Sculpture and oversees Modern and Contemporary Art), and the Registrar. In addition, the Associate Curator will work closely with the Education Department (Academic and Public Programs) and the exhibitions and installations teams. In the context of a robust university system, the Associate Curator will be an important resource to faculty, students, and staff. This position is an academic appointment; presentation and teaching opportunities may avail themselves in consultation with the Director.

This position requires strong written and verbal communication skills, precise attention to detail, and the ability to communicate and work with both scholarly audiences and the general public. A demonstrated team player, the Associate Curator must be able to work independently and collaboratively with a small staff and vigorous work schedule under the guidance and approvals of the Director.  

More here.