Wieler-Mellon Fellow- Art of the Americas

The Walters Art Museum is among Americas most distinctive museums, forging connections between people and art from cultures around the world and spanning seven millennia. Located in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood, the Walters is free for all. The museum's campus includes five historic buildings and 36,000 art objects. The Walters Art Museum has a COVID-19 Vaccination Policy that requires all employees to be fully vaccinated per the CDC’s definition of full vaccination.

Today, the Walters serves Baltimore and Maryland by embracing its role as educator and storyteller, using the collection as a vehicle of knowledge and cultural expression to support learning, dialogue, and community engagement. The museum is committed to public education, offering essential programs that help people to connect art to their lives. The Walters Visitor Promise aligns staff and volunteers across the museum to preserve and share the works in our care for future generations, partner with communities, and create welcoming, accessible experiences for visitors. The museum offers challenging and creative work opportunities by promoting collaboration, teamwork, and a culture that celebrates the diversity and inclusion of all. In December 2020, the museum finalized a set of multiyear diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) goals in alignment with the museums Strategic Plan and grounded in the following commitments: expand the histories the museum examines and share; partner with our communities; and center equity, inclusion, and accountability in our culture and decision-making.

Overview of Role

The Walters Museum of Art is seeking qualified candidates for a postdoctoral curatorial fellowship funded by a generous permanent endowment made in 2008 by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Wieler Family Foundation to the Walters Art Museum and other supporters. This is a two-year fellowship, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. The fellowship provides exceptional curatorial training and supports scholarly research related to the collection of the Walters Art Museum, with access to the museum’s outstanding collections, archives, and research library. The Wieler-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow is fully integrated into the Curatorial Department of the Walters and works closely with the curatorial team as well as staff in the conservation, collections, installations, publications, and museum education departments. The fellow’s time will be divided between specific projects and general curatorial work within the department. The Wieler-Mellon Fellow takes part in the day-to-day work of the Walters Art Museum as well as in the scholarly research that undergirds the work of the institution.

Professional Development

Committed to the professional development of museum curators, the Walters Art Museum ensures that fellows develop skills and gain experience to further their museum career. During the period of the fellowship, the individual will build skills in working with collections databases, cataloging, research, label writing, participation in the planning and execution of exhibitions, and public programming. In consultation with the supervising curator, the fellow will potentially develop a concrete project, in year two, intended to complement personal research interests, while engaging in general curatorial activities. Every effort is made to expose and provide experience in all aspects of museum work, including but not limited to programming, project planning, fundraising, evaluation, and community input.

Project Focus

The main focus for the successful applicant will be to collaborate with the curator of the Art of the Americas on the first major installation of this art at the Walters Art Museum, projected to open at the Walters in the fall of 2024. The Mellon fellow will play a critical role in this work through extensive research, sometimes requiring offsite work. They will collaborate with their supervisor and museum colleagues to integrate their findings into public presentations, such as exhibitions, publications, and/or programs.

The successful applicant will research works in the collection and assist with writing and editing didactic materials for the installation. They will work closely with objects, connecting ancient works with modern-day concerns and issues. The Fellow will also help to further engagement with local Latino communities as well as external scholars. In addition, the fellow will work on cataloging for the collection databases, helping to further the goals of the Curatorial department and the museum, through collaboration with other departments, such as Conservation, Gallery Experience, Learning & Community Engagement, etc.

Fellowship Period

The fellowship lasts for two years, and can start as early as January 1, 2023, as agreed upon with the successful candidate. The fellowship may extend for a third year, by mutual agreement. This fellowship is based at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

Job Qualifications

Eligibility

Consideration will be given to candidates working in Ancient American art and visual culture, and who possess the desired scholarly background. A doctoral degree in art history or an equivalent field must have been officially conferred within 5 years prior to the start date of the fellowship. No other fellowship may be active at the start of this position. Applicants from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Desired Background

The Walters seeks an outstanding scholar with expertise in ancient American art and/or visual culture, from within the period ca. 1500 BCE – 1500 CE. For this fellowship, candidates with expertise in the history of the art and culture of the Andes and/or Central America are especially encouraged to apply. Candidates should have a working knowledge of the Spanish language, with fluency desired.

Funding

The fellow will receive an annual salary of $60,000 plus research and travel and/or conference expenses up to $5,000 per year, plus benefits.

Application Timeline and Procedures

All application materials listed below must be submitted online, in PDF format.

The application requires electronic submission of the following:

• Cover letter addressing the following:
  • • Your interest in the fellowship position.
    • A statement, not to exceed 1000 words, that specifies your areas of research and how you might apply your skills as a Wieler-Mellon Fellow at the Walters Art Museum.
    • List of references to be included in the letter.
• Full curriculum vitae of education and professional experience
• A writing sample, or chapter excerpted from completed dissertation.
• Three confidential letters of recommendation, which must include the applicant's name as well as the full title and contact information for the recommender. Please use the following naming convention for these files: "MellonPostDoc.FullNameCandidate.RecommendationLetter and send to hrhelpdesk@thewalters.org.

The Walters Art Museum provides an excellent comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, prescription, vision, subsidized transportation and parking, museum membership, short term disability, FSA (flexible spending account), 457b retirement, and free professional financial management counseling.

All employees must be legally authorized to work in the United States.