The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) and the Department of Art History and Art at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) recognize that the growth of visionary and effective museum and academic leaders does not stop at graduation. Indeed, critical skills such as project management, effective administration, goal-setting, and professional accountability are often not integrated into graduate experiences. The Mellon Foundation is generously supporting a Postdoctoral Fellowship. Through this position, the Joint Program between the CMA and CWRU will help to create a more holistic continuum of education that better prepares future academic and museum administrative leaders early in their careers. By working closely with leadership, staff, and faculty at the CMA and CWRU, the postdoctoral fellow will learn the academic and administrative intricacies of both museum and academic environments.

The fellow will play a key role as a member of the joint CMA/CWRU team planning the biennial Keithley symposium, named in honor of Nancy and Joe Keithley; assist faculty, curators, and students to develop CMA collections-based projects related to their Mellon coursework at CWRU; and coordinate the new short-term Mellon Visiting Fellowship for artists, scholars, or other thought leaders at CMA, among other activities. Work will include engagement with communities of color and other groups who may feel less connected to art museums from a public humanities viewpoint, according to which the agency and authority of the community is acknowledged.

The fellowship is designed to help the fellow to craft plans for personal and professional development and growth, including through executive leadership coaching from the CWRU Weatherhead School of Management. Through these experiences, the postdoctoral fellow will play a significant role in shaping the future of the CMA/CWRU partnership and obtain grounding for a successful career in museums and/or academic institutions. The fellow will report to both the Curator of Greek and Roman Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, who serves on the Joint Program Committee and the Keithley Symposium Planning Committee, and to the Chair, Department of Art History and Art at Case Western Reserve University. They may also work with curators, educators, and faculty in other areas of specialization, pending mutual interest.

Applicants should be recent PhD graduates who received their PhD no earlier than five years prior to the application deadline in art history or a related field, with demonstrated interests in the intersections of museums and academic institutions.