Paid Fellowships
Gain valuable experience.
In 2015, an industry study revealed overwhelming homogeneity in the art museum field. The Phillips Collection fellowship program promotes greater equity and diversity, enhancing the museum experience and better serving our community while providing sustained opportunities for positive growth.
Following the year-long fellowship, the Phillips will continue to engage the fellows through alumni activities, including continued mentoring and networking to ensure lasting impact and sustained professional relationships.
ELIGIBILITY
All are welcome to apply for the fellowship program. Successful applicants will demonstrate how they will contribute to the diversity of the institution, including identifying with an ethnic, gender, or ability group that is underrepresented, or having overcome a disadvantage or other impediment to success in the museum field.
ELIGIBLE FIELDS OF STUDY*
- Art History
- Anthropology
- History
- Art and Design
- Music
- Arts Management
- Education
- Communications
- Business
- Digital Humanities
- *Other relevant fields may also be considered
REQUIREMENTS
Ideal candidates include students currently enrolled in undergraduate studies at a university within the Greater Washington, DC, Metropolitan Area. Fellows are generally selected in the spring of their junior year after their majors have been declared. In a few cases, fellows may be selected in their senior year, as a graduate student, or as a recent graduate.
The following criteria are evaluated in the selecting of participants for the fellowship program:
- Academic promise (minimum of a 2.5 GPA);
- Demonstrated interest and commitment to pursue a career in the museum field, whether with coursework or professional experience;
- Application materials which include resume, cover letter, transcripts, FAFSA document, writing sample, project proposal, and 2 letters of reference;
- Availability for, and commitment to, engaged participation in all aspects of the fellowship program, including attendance at conferences and meetings;
- Status as a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
2023-24 Fellowship Program
The Phillips Collection Fellow will work between the Community Engagement and Marketing & Communications departments to encourage cross-departmental communication and build and cultivate audiences through authentic and critical programming and targeted affinity marketing. These efforts include creating and implementing a programmatic or marketing strategy and enhancing audience engagement through written blogs, hands-on activities, and interviews. The fellow will also lead an audit of sources and media for audience engagement.
The Makeba Clay Diversity Fellow will work closely with the Curatorial and DEAI departments. In 2021, as The Phillips Collection celebrated its centennial, the museum engaged in a period of reflection that encouraged thoughtful considerations on how we move into the future. To that end, The Phillips Collection Institutional History Project (IHP) was launched; the Makeba Clay Diversity Fellow will support the continued advancement of this project. The fellow will build on and add to the research and critical thinking about the museum’s history, including the philosophical underpinnings and aesthetic vision of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips. The fellow will also compile data on artist demographics to inform an institution-wide ongoing project.
The Souls Grown Deep Intern will work within our Conservation department assisting Phillips Collection conservators and collections managers in caring for works of art for a period of 10 months. The Mellon Foundation’s pioneering study on the challenges of diversifying museum staff pointed to the need to support students at the undergraduate level to encourage the pursuit of graduate education. The Souls Grown Deep Internship offers an avenue for students of color to develop a professional museum background in our emerging field through a number of arenas: curatorial, registration, conservation, education, or administration.
Applications for the 2023-24 fellows have closed. Please check back for 2024-25 opportunities.
The Phillips Collection is an equal opportunity employer of qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. All employment decisions and personnel actions are conducted without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic disposition or carrier status, marital status, veteran status, personal appearance, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other category protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
