Category: Museum Anthropology Blog

Title: Schiller Family Curator of Indigenous American Art

State Role Title: VMFA Senior

Hiring Range: $90,000 – $100,000

Pay Band: UG

Agency: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Location: MAIN MUSEUM

Agency Website: https://vmfa.museum/about/jobs/

Recruitment Type: General Public – G

Job Duties

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) seeks a dynamic and energetic individual to become the inaugural Schiller Family Curator of Indigenous American Art. VMFA has a longstanding commitment to Virginia’s Indigenous American communities, and recently unveiled signage in the building and on our website acknowledging the presence of indigenous peoples on the land where the museum stands. The Schiller Family Curator of Indigenous American Art will help shape the museum’s commitment to Indigenous American art and will be responsible for acquisitions, community research, exhibitions, gallery displays, publications, public programs, and research related to VMFA’s growing collection of nearly 1,000 works of art. Reporting to the Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Art and Education, this position will also play a key role in the reinstallation of Indigenous American art in the new wing as part of the museum’s upcoming expansion and renovation project.

Specific responsibilities include: organize exhibitions with scholarly catalogues; build the Indigenous American Art collection through gifts and purchases; organize regular rotating art installations; contribute scholarship to the field in the form of publications and presentations at conferences; work across departments to achieve museum’s strategic plan; develop and regularly update the Indigenous American Art collection plan; engage with local and regional tribes for acquisitions, community outreach, and educational programming; update records in TMS; handle all loans from the collection; work with public, volunteers, and staff in program and educational training; work with American art curators on collaborative installations, exhibitions, and programs; and facilitate advancement initiatives, patron development, and grant-writing.

This position comes with a salary of competitive salary plus benefits and is supported by a restricted position gift, funded by the Schiller Family.

The anticipated hire date for this position is July 2024 or sooner.

This is a salaried, faculty, exempt position that offers Commonwealth of Virginia employee benefits such as 12 paid holidays, health benefits and more. VMFA staff also enjoy museum benefits like free admission to special exhibitions, previews of special exhibitions, employee pricing for select museum programs and classes, and discounts at Amuse Restaurant, Best Café, and VMFA Shop.

More here. 

The Department of Comparative Cultural Studies (https://nau.edu/ccs/) is seeking a pre-doctoral or post-doctoral fellow for 2024-2025 to teach Native American art history. A fellow earns a one-year salary of $54,000, teaches one class per semester, and then is eligible to transition into a full-salaried, tenure-track line as an assistant professor.
Applicants are encouraged to send a letter of interest and CV to:
Tom Patin, Professor, Art History, Northern Arizona University, tom.patin@nau.edu

More here. 

Position Summary

Responsible for organizing and curating the Department’s legacy collections of artifacts and human remains according to professional standards. Beyond organizing and improving the curation of the collections, the goal of the collection manager’s activities will be to gather information on the provenience of human remains and artifacts that will be used to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and ethical standards. The collections manager will be expected to work independently under the Chair of the Anthropology department or her designee.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Curation

• Creates an inventory of all cultural and human remains held by the Anthropology department.
• Creates a strong records management system by organizing and digitizing existing documentation and creating a database for these records.
• Implements state-of-the-art curation methods.
• Responsible for selecting and ordering conservation materials, and oversees the transfer of the collections to new curatorial facilities when necessary.

Research

• Responsible for basic provenience research, including ascertaining where, when, and how human remains and artifacts were collected.
• Ascertains whether human remains and artifacts are part of larger collections that are partially curated elsewhere and/or reconstruct the chain of custody for collections that were obtained from other institutions or entities.

Reporting

• Provides quarterly written updates about project progress to the Chair of Anthropology and the collections committee.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.A/M.S in Anthropology, Museum Studies, or related fields or previous experience working in museums or collection management.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Experience in curating human remains and cultural artifacts.
• Experience creating or maintaining databases in a museum context.
• Knowledge of laws and regulations governing archaeology and cultural heritage.
• Knowledge of Indigenous history and archaeology in the United States.
• Experience conducting independent research in archaeology or biological anthropology. ​

Required Qualifications

 

• B.A/B.S. degree in Anthropology, Museum Studies, or related fields.
• Demonstrated training and experience in creating or maintaining databases, curation, and human osteology.
• Understanding of how to respectfully handle ancestral remains and funerary objects, andknowledge of eastern North American archaeology and Indigenous history.

More here. 

Job Title

National Park Service Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow: African Americans in Pacific Maritime History

Employer

American Conservation Experience (ACE)

Department

EPIC Program, National Park Service (NPS) Division

Location:

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (SAFR), San Francisco, California. The Fellow will need to be on site at least part-time and should live within a reasonable commuting distance. A partially remote/teleworking arrangement is possible.

Status

Temporary, Full-time, Exempt

Term

Position is fully funded through August 31, 2026

Start Date

On or about August 26, 2024

Host Description

SAFR encompasses 50 acres on the city’s northern waterfront, in the Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood, and includes the Aquatic Park Historic District, a National Historic Landmark. It was founded in 1988, charged by Congress with preserving and interpreting “the history and achievements of seafaring Americans and of the Nation’s maritime heritage, especially on the Pacific Coast.” Because the Park’s resources are primarily non-military, interpretation at SAFR usually tends in the same direction.

The Park property includes historic ships and boats (six of which are National Historic Landmarks), museum and research collections, exhibition spaces, open spaces, and a large bathhouse built by the WPA for the people of San Francisco in 1939. Hyde Street Pier is home to two square-rigged sailing ships, two steam tugs, and a massive historic ferryboat, all preserved and floating on the water of San Francisco Bay. The Visitor Center, in a historic cannery building, provides a location for the exhibition of selections from SAFR’s museum collections. The Sala Burton Maritime Museum Building, a WPA gem built in the streamline moderne style, features its original maritime-themed murals and artwork by Hilaire Hiler, Sargent Johnson, Beniamino Bufano, and others. It serves also as an exhibition space and site for public events, including talks and monthly chantey sings. Open spaces include two small greenspace parks, a bocce ball court, and the tiny strip of sandy beach known as Aquatic Park.

The Park’s Maritime Research Center houses archival and research materials that make up the largest maritime research collection on the North American Pacific coast. SAFR’s museum collections include 48,000 items, ranging from buttons, medals, and scrimshaw to figureheads, ships’ engines, and small boats.

ACE is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing rewarding environmental service opportunities for young adults and emerging professionals of all backgrounds to explore and improve public lands while gaining practical professional experience. The EPIC NPS Division works alongside the National Park Service across the United States, from Alaska to Puerto Rico, to support the NPS in its mission to “preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations” while providing career promoting individual placement opportunities.

Position Description

San Francisco Maritime seeks a postdoctoral fellow to conduct research and contribute to interpretation in one or more of three areas of focus: histories related to African American maritime, waterfront, and/or shipyard workers in San Francisco and Marin County; African American experiences on the Pacific Ocean and their relationships to maritime communities along the North American Pacific coast (preferably focused on San Francisco and the SF Bay region); the place of maritime San Francisco in the history of 19th- and 20th-century Black emancipation, liberation, and uplift.

While a candidate with a Ph.D. in history or African American studies is an obvious fit for this position, SAFR welcomes applicants representing any humanities field. The Park is open to creative approaches to interpretive and educational products if the work is grounded in historically accurate research and scholarship. We also welcome, but do not require, interest in working with community groups and/or expertise and interest in digital humanities. Candidates who wish to incorporate SAFR’s museum collections into their work would be welcome to do so.

Each NPS Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow will complete work in four areas. Fellows will (1) perform project-based research; (2) share research results; (3) produce and substantially contribute to interpretive and educational products; and (4) pursue career-focused work.

• Project-Based Research: In Year One, under the guidance of the mentoring team, the Fellow will conduct research in relevant scholarly sources; visit and explore relevant archival and research collections in San Francisco and/or throughout the region; and conduct research that draws on the Fellow’s expertise and interests as well as selected Fellowship themes. This would be the time for Fellows with an interest in community outreach to initiate and begin to build relationships with relevant organizations.

At the end of Year One, the Fellow will consult with their mentorship team, as well as other subject matter experts as needed, to propose a project for their second year.

• Sharing Research Results: The Fellow will produce an annotated bibliography of scholarly and archival sources that they have consulted and, if they identify other scholarly, archival, and community sources for further study, will also write up a list of those resources as well. In consultation with NPS mentors, the Fellow will disseminate their research in other forms, which might include in-person workshops, digital publications, conference participation, academic publications, or other interpretive media.

During the first year, the Fellow will prepare and present an informal “work in progress” talk for SAFR Interpretation, Education, and Cultural Resources staff, volunteers, and interns. This talk would introduce staff to the Fellow’s disciplinary perspective and help us understand how that perspective shapes the Fellow’s research. The talk would also provide insight into the Fellow’s research, research process, and their preliminary findings and insights thus far. Our partners and others from nearby NPS units will be invited to attend. At the end of the first year, the Fellow will prepare and present a more formal, in-person presentation for all SAFR staff as well as those from nearby NPS units. The Fellow may also wish to give virtual, NPS-wide versions of their presentations.

The Fellow will be expected to develop and sustain connections with program-provided mentors and host staff, associated NPS staff, members of their Fellowship cohort, and other Fellows across the tenure of the program. In addition to being provided mentorship and support themselves, the Fellow will have the opportunity to mentor others and to enrich staff knowledge by organizing events such as virtual speaker series and presentations. Twice a year, the Fellow will participate with their cohort and other Fellows in a virtual conference for NPS staff and partners to provide updates about their research. The Fellow will be responsible for tracking and reporting accomplishments and for supplying copies of interpretive, educational, and research products to their host and to the National Coordinator.

• Interpretive and Educational Products: The fellow will work with mentors to plan and develop work that will help SAFR tell new stories that are relevant to the Park, its mission, its local communities, and visitors more broadly. Interpretive and educational projects might include, for example, a script for a guided interpretive tour or museum exhibit, a podcast, articles for NPS.gov, or other web-based digital product. Depending upon the Fellow’s field, interests, and expertise, products might also be more creative. They might include, just for example, a community-based art or photodocumentary project.
• Career-focused Research and Products: In consultation with their mentors, the Fellow will carry out a career-centered project. About 20 percent of the Fellowship will be dedicated to this scholarly work that advances the Fellow’s career path. The Fellow will have opportunities to meet with Park employees across Interpretation and Cultural Resources and to shadow them in their daily duties. There will also be opportunities to meet with regional Cultural Resources and Science staff.

Essential Responsibilities And Tasks

• Work with mentors to establish work plans and goals.
• Conduct background and original scholarly research relevant to this fellowship.
• Engage with Park staff in a reciprocal process of learning and sharing information and approaches to research and interpretive work.
• Develop and create products to share research process and findings with NPS staff and partners.
• Create work products that will educate and engage the public, in person and/or virtually.
• Write a summary of original research and create an organized database containing research notes and other research materials gathered.

Required Experience And Qualifications

• Must hold a PhD in any field of the humanities or humanistic social sciences. Scholars who received or will receive their PhD between May 1, 2019, and August 15, 2024, are eligible to apply. For more information on eligibility, visit the National Park Foundation’s NPS Mellon Humanities Postdoctoral Fellow page at https://www.nationalparks.org/nps-mellon-humanities-postdoctoral-fellowship.
• Subject matter expertise in African American history, maritime history, labor history, San Francisco/California/Pacific North American history, American Studies, public history, cultural anthropology, or related areas of specialization. The Park is open to creative approaches to interpretive and educational products as long as the work is grounded in historically accurate research and scholarship.
• Excellent research, writing, and communication skills for multiple audiences.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
• Skilled in project planning; able to navigate multiple, concurrent, ongoing tasks as needed.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Able to manage time in order to accomplish tasks and meet deadlines on schedule.
• Selective factors include the merit of scholarship, commitment to the public humanities, and capacity to complete research successfully.

More here. 

The Williams College Museum of Art seeks a Mellon Curatorial Fellow. Reporting to the Eugénie Prendergast Senior Curator of American and European Art, this is a full-time, three-year term position designed to provide growth and development for an outstanding emerging museum professional. The position offers in-depth curatorial and academic engagement experience and provides a professional bridge to long term museum careers to individuals from groups under-represented in the museum field.

The Mellon Fellow will serve as a critical member of an ambitious and collaborative curatorial and engagement team within a remarkable museum and college environment. The Williams College Museum of Art makes dynamic art experiences to inspire new thinking about art, museums, and the world—and it does so from within the nation’s top- ranked liberal arts college. A vibrant center for the arts at Williams, the Museum embodies the liberal arts’ ability to catalyze both creative and critical thinking. It is a vital hub for deep student learning and participation; for taking risks and testing creative, future forms of scholarship and teaching; and for boldly affirming the relevance of the history of art and the arts broadly. Visit our website: http://wcma.williams.edu .

The museum is dedicated to providing a robust experience for an emerging curator. The Fellow will participate in the full range of curatorial activities and contributes the museum’s efforts to diversify its collections, exhibitions, and programs to best reflect the curriculum and the student body. The Fellow will focus on a comprehensive assessment of WCMA’s collection, which will include advanced research into artists and provenance; examination of objects; the opportunity to work closely with conservators at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center as well as consulting curators and faculty; and an understanding of the theory and practice of deaccessioning and repatriation. This in-depth experience will ensure that the Fellow is mentored by all museum staff, including the deputy director for curatorial affairs, curators, engagement staff, and the museum director.

Williams College is committed to enriching its educational experience and its culture through the diversity of its faculty and staff. The Mellon Fellow serves as an essential partner in developing a genuinely inclusive museum for the college and as a model for the field.

This position requires fully in-person work. Remote work arrangements will not be available at this time.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the ongoing assessment, refinement, and strengthening of collections
• Undertake research on the collections and manage collection data.
• Undertake research and planning for exhibitions and acquisitions.
• Participate actively in all aspects of a dynamic museum program

Qualifications

• global studies, visual anthropology or related field.
• Deep interest in visual art and museum practice.
• Broad intellectual interests and commitment to art, learning, and the public
• Excellent communication skills, including verbal, written and visual presentation skills
• Experience working with objects in museums or the art market, and knowledge of TMS and/or Airtable preferred.
• A commitment to working as part of a collegial, dynamic team and to forming partnerships in the particular environment of a small liberal arts college

More here. 

Hours / Compensation: Up to 20 hours per week at $17 per hour

Organization: Hosanna Community House, Inc. (HCH) is an award-winning non-profit
organization responsible for two Freedmen’s Bureau Schools built in 1867 that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Hosanna School Museum and McComas Institute, as well as associated collections. Our mission is to collect, preserve and interpret the history of Harford County, Maryland, through the lens of the African American experience within national contexts.

Role: The Museum Grad intern/Museum Assistant will be responsible for supporting
programs and other activities that advance the HCH mission and community engagement of both museums. The intern is under the direct supervision of the Associate Director and indirectly, the Executive Director, to gain professional experience.

Qualifications:

Applicants must possess the following experience and skills:
• Have a Bachelor’s degree in History, Sociology, Anthropology, Museum Studies
or similar disciplines, and a Graduate degree in progress
• Research and/or experience areas of focus must be in African American History or
Studies and culture
• Have strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
• Have strong organizational skills
• Be proficient in the use of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint; and have basic
familiarity in the use of Excel. Some experience with Adobe Creative Suite or
Canva preferred.
• Be knowledgeable with the use of social media platforms (Facebook,
Instagram)

More here. 

The Princeton University Art Museum seeks a Curator of Provenance to lead provenance research and documentation efforts and ensure broad access to collecting histories. Reporting to the Chief Curator and working closely with the Director, Associate Director for Collections and Exhibitions, Manager of Art Information, and the Curatorial Department, the Curator of Provenance will lead the Museum’s work in provenance documentation, establishing methodologies, undertaking and supporting research, and coordinating research with curators. This is a full-time, three-year term position with the possibility of extension.

Researching and sharing collecting histories is critical to the Museum’s mission. The origins of Princeton’s collections date nearly to the University’s foundation, making Princeton one of the oldest collecting institutions in the United States. Today, the Museum’s collections number over 115,000 objects, ranging from ancient to contemporary art and spanning the globe. As the Museum prepares for a dramatically reconceived new building scheduled to open in 2025, transparency about collecting histories will be a fundamental aspect of the visitor experience in the galleries and online.

The Curator of Provenance will collaborate with curators, registrars, and outside experts to establish research priorities and research the collections-both works already in the collections and also prospective gifts and purchases, incoming loans, and proposed returns. They will work closely with colleagues in the Museum’s Art Information and Education Departments to shape the presentation of this information, ensuring accessibility. Working within a teaching museum, they will contribute to classroom discussions about legal and ethical issues in collecting and serve as a voice on campus for conversations about cultural property. More broadly, the Curator of Provenance will reinforce a culture of provenance research and publication, ensuring the Museum’s adherence to best practices for the ethical and operational considerations of cultural property.

The successful candidate will have at least four years of experience gathering and organizing provenance information in a collaborative environment, familiarity with cultural property laws and cultural heritage legislation, expert knowledge of provenance research resources, and a commitment to ethical collecting. Advanced knowledge of research methodologies and collections management databases is required, along with experience setting standards for presenting provenance information. Meaningful experience collaborating with a network of experts in the field is essential, as is a familiarity with processes of transfer, return, and repatriation. MA in art history or a related field preferred. The Art Museum curatorial salary range for a full curator is $100,000-$130,000.

More here. 

The African Critical Inquiry Programme invites proposals from scholars and/or practitioners in public cultural institutions in South Africa to organise a workshop to take place in 2025. The African Critical Inquiry Programme (ACIP) seeks to advance inquiry and debate about the roles and practice of public culture, public cultural institutions, and public scholarship in shaping identities and society in Africa. The ACIP is committed to collaboration between scholars and the makers of culture/ history, and to fostering inquiry into the politics of knowledge production, the relationships between the colonial/apartheid and the postcolonial/postapartheid, and the importance of critical pluralism as against nationalist discourse. ACIP is a partnership between the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape and the Laney Graduate School of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). ACIP Workshops are intended as annual occasions to identify and address critical themes, fundamental questions, and pressing practical issues concerning public culture. For instance, Workshops might focus on particular questions and issues related to publics, visuality, museums and exhibitions, art, performance, representational forms, or institutional forms from diverse methodological, practical, and theoretical vantage points. They might examine forms and practices of public scholarship and the theories, histories, and systems of thought that shape and illuminate public culture and public scholarship. Workshops should encourage comparative, interdisciplinary, and cross-institutional interchange and reflection that bring into conversation public scholarship in Africa, creative cultural production, and critical theory. Workshop budgets will vary depending on proposed plans; the maximum award is ZAR 75,000.

More here.

The African Critical Inquiry Programme is pleased to announce the 2024 Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards to support African doctoral students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are enrolled at South African universities and conducting dissertation research on relevant topics. Grant amounts vary depending on research plans, with a maximum award of ZAR 50,000.

The African Critical Inquiry Programme (ACIP) seeks to advance inquiry and debate about the roles and practice of public culture, public cultural institutions, and public scholarship in shaping identities and society in Africa. The ACIP is committed to collaboration between scholars and the makers of culture/history, and to fostering inquiry into the politics of knowledge production, the relationships between the colonial/apartheid and the postcolonial/postapartheid, and the importance of critical pluralism as against nationalist discourse. ACIP is a partnership between the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape and the Laney Graduate School of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).

ELIGIBILITY: The Ivan Karp Doctoral Research Awards are open to African postgraduate students (regardless of citizenship) in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. Applicants must be currently registered in a Ph.D. programme in a South African university and be working on topics related to ACIP’s focus. Awards will support doctoral research projects focused on topics such as institutions of public culture, particular aspects of museums and exhibitions, forms and practices of public scholarship, culture and communication, and the theories, histories, and systems of thought that shape and illuminate public culture and public scholarship. Applicants must submit a dissertation proposal that has been approved by their institution to confirm the award; this must be completed before they begin ACIP-supported on-site research or by December 2024, whichever comes first.

APPLICATION PROCESS: Awards are open to proposals working with a range of methodologies in the humanities and humanistic social sciences, including research in archives and collections, fieldwork, interviews, surveys, and quantitative data collection. Applicants are expected to write in clear, intelligible prose for a selection committee that is multi-disciplinary and cross-regional. Proposals should show thorough knowledge of the major concepts, theories, and methods in the applicant’s discipline and in other related fields and include a bibliography relevant to the research. Applicants should specify why an extended period of on-site research is essential to successfully complete the proposed doctoral dissertation. Guidance and advice on how to write a good proposal and budget can be found in the Resources section of the ACIP website (http://www.graduateschool.emory.edu/about/special/acip.html) or here: http://www.ssrc.org/publications/view/the-art-of-writing-proposals/.

To apply, eligible applicants should submit the following as a single file attachment with documents in the order listed:

completed cover sheet (form below and online at the end of application information at http://www.graduateschool.emory.edu/about/special/acip.html, under ACIP Opportunities)

abstract of the proposed research project (250 words maximum)

research proposal outlining the project’s goals, central questions, significance, and relevance for ACIP’s central concerns. Proposals should include a clearly formulated, realistic research design and plan of work responsive to the project’s theoretical and methodological concerns. Applicants should provide evidence of appropriate training to undertake the proposed research, including the language fluency necessary for the project. Proposals should be no longer than 1800 words; they should be double spaced, with 2.5 cm margins and a font no smaller than 11 point. Applications that do not follow these format guidelines will not be considered.

bibliography of up to two additional pages

project budget listing project expenses to be supported by the award. Your budget should justify both items listed and amounts requested (i.e. indicate what the amounts are based on)

your curriculum vitae

current academic transcript and proof of registration at your current institution

two referee letters; one of these must be from your supervisor. Your referees should comment specifically on your proposed project, its quality and significance, and your qualifications for undertaking it. They should also evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your project and how you and your work would benefit from receiving the research award. Referee letters should be submitted directly to the Selection Committee.

More here.

The University of Illinois History department seeks to recruit a PhD student for a special fellowship and research program under the rubric of “Indigenous Midwest.” The successful applicant(s) will enroll in the regular PhD program in history at U of I, pursuing a dissertation in some subject broadly connected to the rubric of Indigenous Midwest.

The student(s) will also join several ongoing research and outreach initiatives with faculty at the U of I. Reclaiming Stories is a collaborative project with the Peoria and Miami Tribes, focusing on the study and revitalization of hide art painting, in partnership with the musée du quai Branly in Paris. A related project on the history of Indigenous travelers in Paris is in development. This graduate student will also join an ongoing effort by U of I faculty to create resources to support Illinois teachers in carrying out Illinois’s new HB 1633.

This PhD position will feature a guarantee of full funding, much of which will come in the form of graduate assistantships to work on the projects mentioned above. The student will also follow the normal curriculum at U of I for a PhD, benefiting from the excellent resources and faculty of this leading history program. Key history faculty supporting this position are Jacki Rand, Rosalyn LaPier, Dave Beck, and Bob Morrissey.

To apply, please submit an application here, and mention in your personal statement that you are interested in this special opportunity. Questions should be directed to Bob Morrissey (rmorriss @ illinois.edu).

We are especially interested in applicants who:

• Have demonstrated interest in midwestern and Indigenous history
• Have French language skills or an interest in learning French
• Are interested in public humanities and community-engagement

More here.