The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) seeks an outstanding emerging scholar of American art for a curatorial fellowship funded by the Henry Luce Foundation. Applicant must have a solid grounding within the broad field of American art with knowledge of art of the late eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth century, but will specialize in one or more areas within that field. The preferred areas of specialization include, but are not limited to the arts of the American Shakers and early American folk art. This is a temporary (Not-To-Exceed 2 years), part-time (30 hours per week) Trust fund IS-09 Curator (Luce Curatorial Fellow) position in the Curatorial Department. This position will support the reconceptualization and reinstallation of museum’s historic, first- and second-floor permanent collection galleries, a project that is currently underway and slated for completion in 2026. As part of this overarching initiative, the fellow will have the additional opportunity to work under the guidance of SAAM’s curator of folk and self-taught art to reenvision and rehang the museum’s American Shaker and early American folk art galleries. The position carries a starting salary of $51,305 plus benefits. The announcement opened June 11 and will close on July 11.

All interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Applicants are invited to thoroughly read the full vacancy announcement to ensure that they provide all that is requested in their applications packages so that they are not accidentally screened out.    

Applicants should be as detailed as possible in their resumes when describing their responsibilities and be sure to include the beginning and ending dates of employment for each job listed on their resume (at a minimum month and year), as well as the work schedule for each position (full-time = 40 hours per week, part time = less than 40 hours).  Lastly, applicants should ensure that their resumes include all that is required/referenced in the Duties and Responsibilities & Qualification Requirements sections of the announcement. 

The link to the announcement for this position is included below.  This announcement is open to all candidates eligible to work in the United States. 

Trust Fund Announcement: https://trustcareers.si.edu/en/postings/9c3c1b2c-61db-4d91-9faf-1cfb21f9ca3f  

Please email SAAMFellowships@si.edu with any questions regarding this message. Include at least one contact email.