Curatorial Fellow in Native History

JOB TITLE : Curatorial Fellow in Native History

DEPARTMENT : Museum

REPORTS TO : Vice President & Chief Curator

ABOUT THE NEW YORK HISTORICAL

New York's first museum, The New York Historical is a leading cultural institution documenting over 400 years of American history through a peerless collection of art, documents, and artifacts. Our offerings span groundbreaking exhibitions; acclaimed educational programs for teachers and students nationwide; and thought-provoking conversations among leading scholars, journalists, and thinkers about the past, present, and future of the American experiment. The New York Historical is a museum of museums and a collection of collections. We are home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women's History, the Reiss Family Graduate Institute for Constitutional History, the Dorothy Tapper Goldman Center for Teaching Democracy, the DiMenna Children's History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. We elevate the perspectives and scholarship that define the United States' democratic heritage and challenge us all to shape our ongoing history for the better.

JOB SUMMARY

The New York Historical is offering a curatorial fellowship funded by the Terra Foundation for an aspiring or early-career Native museum professional. The Fellow in this position will be tasked with project research, as well as developing and leading community engagement strategies for an upcoming exhibition which will focus on Gayetwahgeh (Cornplanter), Sagoyewatha (Red Jacket), and the early North American visual and material culture of diplomacy in which they engaged.

During their tenure, the Fellow will-

Conduct in-depth research on objects on the preliminary checklist

Explore potential additions to the checklist, including loans from other institutions and individuals

Identify contemporary Indigenous creatives to potentially involve in the project

Conduct outreach with Haudenosaunee communities, particularly the Seneca Nation.

The Fellow will work closely with the Vice President & Chief Curator, Assistant Curator of Decorative Arts and Material Culture, and Assistant Curator of History Exhibitions and Academic Engagement. The Fellow will be fully integrated in the NYH Museum department and learn, through direct engagement, about the inner workings of a mid-size museum. The position is hybrid in-office and remote.

QUALIFICATIONS

Qualified applicants must be aspiring or early-career Native museum professionals. Candidates should have the following qualities-

Expertise in Indigenous and early American cultural histories

Documented proficiency in conducting archival and oral history research

Familiarity with community-based outreach and organizing

Excellent writing and organizational skills

Experience with curatorial practices in a museum setting is a plus.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

To apply, the following must be submitted :

A cover letter outlining how your work intersects with the project as stated above

Curriculum vitae (C.V.)

2 letters of recommendation (One must be from a professional contact, such as a professor or employer)

5-10 page writing sample, which may be truncated from a longer work

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The fellowship carries a salary of $60,000, plus benefits.

Applications for this position will be accepted until the position is filled.

The New York Historical is an Equal Opportunity Employer.