Curatorial Postdoctoral Fellowships, University of Notre Dame Modern and Contemporary Art

About the Fellowship

With funding provided by a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame invites applications for four postdoctoral research fellowships in its main curatorial areas: European and American Art before 1900, Indigenous Americas and Africa, International Modern and Contemporary Art, and Photographs. Fellows will be appointed for two years with the possibility of a one-year extension. Each fellow will work with a collection curator who will direct their research activity. Fellows are expected to be in residence at the University for the duration of the appointment, anticipated to run from September 28, 2026 through September 2028, in order to contribute to the community of scholars on campus.

The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art opened its new building in December 2023. With a collection of over 32,000 objects, it serves a campus with about 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty, in addition to diverse communities in northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan. Its holdings are increasingly recognized nationally and internationally for their breadth and quality.

Responsibilities

• Examine works and describe media, subject matter; update attributions; measure.
• Compile bibliographies, exhibition histories, and provenance.
• Update records in the museum's collections management database.
• Conduct in-depth research on selected works in the portfolio.
• Contribute as directed to the forthcoming selected works catalog.
• Upon request, meet with faculty and students to connect them with the collection.
• Be available for public programming (lectures, presentations, gallery talks, tours, panel discussions, etc.).

Qualifications

• PhD in art history (received within the last five years) from an accredited institution in the U.S. or Europe.
• Reading knowledge of at least two languages is suggested.
• Command of the art historical canon, especially from the late 19th century to the present.
• Familiarity with archival research.
• Interest in connoisseurship.
• Ability to communicate equally with multi-disciplinary academic and diverse general audiences with clarity and precision.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating efforts with staff in other departments.
• Experience working in museums with collections is desirable but not essential.
• Understanding of collections management databases a plus.
• Interest in and enthusiasm for museum work, with preference given to applicants intending to pursue a curatorial career.