CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

The Center for Advanced Study of the Visual Arts

Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Due 15 October 2023

The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA) at the National Gallery of Art is a research institute that fosters the study of the production, use, and cultural meaning of art, artifacts, architecture, and urbanism, from prehistoric times to the present. The resident community of scholars includes the Kress-Beinecke Professor, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor, the Edmond J. Safra Visiting Professor, and the A.W. Mellon Lecturer in the Fine Arts as well as approximately 18 fellows at any one time, including pre- and postdoctoral fellows, senior and visiting senior fellows, and research associates.

The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (the Center) and the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) jointly offer, on a biennial basis, up to two postdoctoral fellowships for two consecutive years each. Fellows will work with curators, conservators, and educators at the National Gallery of Art and the YCBA to learn about the curation, conservation, presentation, and interpretation of the museums’ historical, pre-20th-century collections. During the first year, each fellow will reside in Washington, DC, or New Haven, and will have the opportunity to contribute to the development of a curatorial project at one of the two museums. During the second year, each fellow will switch locations and will devote the second year of their fellowship to research in support of a curatorial project at the other host museum.

Fields of Study

The Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship supports research for recent or soon-to-be PhDs in the history, theory, and criticism of modern and contemporary visual arts who are from historically marginalized or disadvantaged groups (for example, applicants from groups historically underrepresented in the field, first-generation college graduates or doctorate holders, or applicants from economically disadvantaged backgrounds) and who seek to expand their ability to serve as curators and scholars in fields beyond those for which they received (or are about to receive) their doctoral degrees.

Residency

When the fellows are in residence at the Center, they will participate fully in the activities of the Center. The fellows will be provided with housing in an apartment near the National Gallery of Art, subject to availability, and with a shared study at the museum. The fellows will have access to the notable resources represented by the art collections, library, and image collections of the National Gallery of Art, as well as to the Library of Congress and other specialized research libraries and collections in the Washington, DC, area.

When the fellows are in residence at the YCBA, they will participate fully in the activities of the YCBA and have full access to the YCBA’s collections. The fellows will have use of workstations in the Reference Library at the YCBA, borrowing privileges for Yale’s libraries, and access to Yale’s extensive special collections. The fellows will be provided with funding for housing, to be obtained by each fellow.

Eligibility and Selection

Applicants for 2024–2026 must have received their PhD between November 1, 2018, and November 1, 2023, and must have less than three years of previous postdoctoral experience. Applicants must submit a fully completed application by the deadline. Applications are reviewed by an external selection committee composed of curators and scholars in the history of art and related disciplines.

Support

The Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship award is $65,000 per year, subject to all applicable federal and state taxes. Each fellow shall also receive allowances for travel, in addition to an allowance for housing while in residence at the YCBA. At the Center, housing near the National Gallery of Art will be provided, subject to availability.

Applications

Candidates for the Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship must complete an online application that includes a copy of a published or unpublished article or chapter of a book, as well as a statement concerning the ways in which the candidate would benefit from this fellowship, including a statement as to why the candidate believes they are a part of a historically marginalized or disadvantaged group, to be submitted on or before October 15, 2023. Three letters of recommendation in support of the application are also required. After a preliminary selection, several candidates will be invited to interview in early 2024. The Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship typically cannot be deferred or renewed.

Recipients of a Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship may apply for a different Center senior or visiting senior fellowship no earlier than five years after the completion of the fellowship. Individuals may not apply for other Center fellowships while an application for a Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship is pending or once a Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship has been awarded. Similarly, recipients of a Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship may apply for a different YCBA fellowship no earlier than five years after the completion of the Center/YCBA Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Award Period: September 2024–August 2026

Deadline: October 15, 2023

To apply, go to https://casva.onlineapplicationportal.com/