The Smithsonian's Fellowships in Museum Practice (FMP) program is a professional development opportunity for experienced museum practitioners, academics, and training providers. It was developed in response to an articulated need by the field for career development and renewal opportunities at advanced levels.

The program, unique in the museum profession worldwide, supports research about issues of theory and practice in education, curation, exhibition, administration and other museum functions and disciplines. It offers competitively selected individuals an opportunity to study a museological topic of their choice for up-to-six months in residence at the Smithsonian.

The purpose of the fellowships program is to serve as a catalyst for helping expand the intellectual resources and networking capacities of museums and their personnel - conditions necessary for fostering inspiration, innovation and ultimately, the production of new scholarship. It is not a training program or a collection survey tool.

Through self-designed programs of activities, interviews, readings and observations, fellows consult current museological scholarship while generating their own original research projects, interact with colleagues at the Smithsonian, and develop meaningful relationships within the broader Washington, DC cultural community. Participation in the program enables accomplished practitioners to reflect on their work, think creatively, and rejuvenate their talents and energy.

Residency arrangements are flexible. Individual schedules are structured to meet a fellow's employment situation and research objectives. Some people divide their time in Washington into two or more segments.

Fellows are expected to produce a document reflecting their work during the fellowship and to participate in forum discussions. Dissemination can be through a variety of formats such as journal articles, books, lectures, case studies, instructional materials, literature reviews and web sites.

Acknowledgement of the role of the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies in contributing to the resulting documentation is requested. A brief report describing the fellowship experience and its outcomes is due within six months after completing the fellowship.

The Award

One or more fellowships is awarded annually for a period of up to 6 months. An award consists of a stipend of $3,500 per month plus round-trip travel expenses between the recipient's home and Washington, D.C.  Funds to support participation in a relevant conference or seminar will be considered on a case-by-case basis. A fellow must be in residence at the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS) office for the majority of the fellowship period. SCEMS reserves the right to not award a fellowship in a year if the reviewers decide that none of the applications is suitable.

On occasion the program offers an award of merit to an applicant whose proposal is worthy of further study but is not sufficiently structured to meet the Fellowships in Museum Practice selection criteria.  In these cases, the applicant may be awarded funds to support the costs of a short-term professional visit to the SI.  Professional visits do not entitle a recipient to participation in SI sponsored forums or obligate him/her to submit a report of findings.

The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies (SCEMS) provides office space, advisory services and access to Smithsonian facilities, resources, staff and reference collections as well as informal forums in which to present work-in-progress.

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Eligibility

The program is open to mid- and senior-level museum personnel, researchers and training providers. 

All disciplines and functional areas of work in museums and allied cultural and educational organizations are eligible to apply.  Previous award recipients represent a range of functional areas including administration, collections care and study, and public programming.

To be considered for funding, applicants must be employed by a not-for-profit (50l-C-3) cultural or educational institution that deals directly with the public or be an independent scholar.  People who work in libraries and schools as well as museums and cultural centers have received fellowships.  International participation is welcome.  Participants must be fluent in spoken and written English.  Alumni include practitioners from Austria, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, China, Canada, England, Italy, India, Mexico, and New Zealand.

Not eligible for funds are requests to study in universities, colleges or continuing education programs, certificate or graduate programs, material culture or connoisseurship programs or that are part of an institutional project.  Smithsonian employees, current Smithsonian research associates, and individuals who perform Smithsonian Institution service contracts are not eligible.

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The Application Process

1. the title of the study
2. a discussion of the topic to be investigated including the thesis statement and key issues
3. a description of the nature and scope of the topic relative to the needs of museums and cultural institutions and an explanation of how this proposal will add knowledge to the topic
4. a plan of action including a description of the research methodology to be used and a list of preliminary questions to be explored
5. a review of existing literature specific to the study
6. a description of the format for disseminating the research and the rationale for the choice
7. a resume / curriculum vitae, not to exceed two pages
8. two letters of reference Letters of reference should be sent directly via e-mail to fmp@si.edu, fax 202.633.5489, or mailed separately to:
   
   Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies
   Fellowships in Museum Practice
   MRC 508, PO Box 37012
   Washington, DC 20013-7012

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the Fellowships in Museum Practice program (fmp@si.edu) prior to the submission of a proposal for advice and guidance in developing a grant request.  This service is offered because we know the development of a fellowship proposal requires significant expenditure of time and effort and that the nature of the program may not be clearly understood by some prospective applicants. Discussions early in the development process are intended to discourage inappropriate applications and strengthen those that have a likely prospect of funding. Preliminary inquiries are accepted up to one month prior to the application deadline.

Proposals for consideration should be submitted via email  to fmp@si.edu or by fax 202-633-5489.

Email is preferred. The deadline for submission is February 15. Receipt of proposals will be acknowledged. Late arrivals or proposals that do not conform to the requirements cannot be considered. Application materials cannot be returned. Do not include printed materials describing your institution.

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Selection Criteria

1. The range and depth of the applicant’s knowledge and experience about the topic
2. evidence of the applicant's ability to produce  quality work
3. the rationale and coherence of the proposed plan of action
4. the extent to which research on the topic would contribute to improved museum practices or  impact institutional decisions
5. the extent to which access to resources at the SI and in Washington, D.C. are needed to produce the product
6. the degree to which the proposal advances the fellowships program’s goals and priorities

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Application Deadline

Proposals are due February 15. If sent via regular mail, the postmark satisfies deadline date requirement. Awards are announced in the summer for fellowships beginning in October.

The mailing address is Fellowships in Museum Practice program :

Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies / Smithsonian Institution

 PO Box 37012 , MRC 508

Washington, DC 20013-7012

     The Fellowships in Museum Practice program is generously supported by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.

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Fellowships in Museum Practice Program Alumni

1993 - 2007

The fellowship reports which are highlighted in bold type, illustrate the diversity of museums and professional interest of the field.

Lucy B. Alexander   (Award of Merit) Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, St. Michaels, MD
"The Public / Private Partnership: Beyond Giving", 1997

Mary Alexander   Maryland Historical Trust, Crownsville, MD
“'Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Function of Museums' , a New Edition”, December 2005 and January 2006

Publication: Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums, Lanham, MD: Altamira Press, 2007

Nola Anderson   Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia
"An investigation into the use of archival film and photography in museum exhibitions", 1998

Maria Cristina Barbosa de Almeida   Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
"Possibilities and strategies for implementing the museum library into the activities of other museum departments", 1996 

Jennifer Anderson-Lawrence   Historic Hudson Valley,  Tarrytown, NY 
"The Nursery of Living Thought: The Role of Public Education at the National Museum of
American History", 1996 

Robert Baron New York State Council on the Arts, Folk Arts Program, New York, NY
"Curating the Intangible through Public Programs", 2007-8

David Butts   Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
"The changes that are occurring in decisions about collecting and the implications of those changes on collecting strategies and practices." 2001

Presentation: "From Consultation to Partnership: Maori Participation in Museum Governance" at The Museum: A World Forum, a conference at the University of Leicester, UK, April 26, 2006

Publications:
With Potaka, U. "NgaTtaonga Tuhono - Treasures that Bind People" in Te Ara: Journal of Museum Aotearoa, 2003.
"Maori and Museums: The Politics of Indigenous Recognition," in Museums, Society, Inequality, edited by R. Sandell, London: Routledge, 2002.
"Recent Constitutional Changes at Wanganui Regional Museum" with S. Dell and R. Wills in Te Ara: Journal of Museums Aotearoa, vol. 27, No. 2, 2002.
Butts, D. (2002). Maori and Museums: The politics of indigenous recognition. In R. Sandell (Ed.), Museums, Society, Inequality (pp. 225-243). London: Routledge.
Butts, D., Dell, S., & Wills, R. (2002). Recent Constitutional Changes at Wanganui Regional Museum. Te Ara: Journal of Museums Aotearoa, 27(2), 37-40.
Potaka, U. and D. Butts, (2003). Nga Taonga Tuhono – Treasures That Bind People. Te Ara: Journal of Museums Aotearoa.
Butts, D. (2003). Maori and Museums: The politics of Indigenous Recognition. PhD Thesis in Museum Studies, Massey University.
Butts, D. (2006). Māori Participation in Museum Governance. Te Putake 1: 39-44.
Butts, D. (2006). Museum Governance, indigenous recognition and (in)tolerant multiculturalism. New Zealand Sociology 21(1): 89-107.
Butts, D. (2007). Museums. In: Fields, A. and R. Young, (Eds.) Informing New Zealand: Libraries, Archives and Records. Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. Pp. 203-215
Butts, D. (2007). Māori, Museums and the Treaty of Waitangi: the changing politics of representation and control. In: Knell, S. et al. Museum Revolutions: how museums change and are changed. London: Routledge. Butts, D. (2007). Every Garment Tells a Story: Exploring Public Collections. In: Labrum, B. et al. (Eds.) Looking Flash: clothing in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Auckland University Press.

Julie K. Brown   Author and independent researcher, San Antonio, Texas 2003
"Making the ‘Speaking Picture': Displays for Health at International Expositions 1876-1904"

Pietro Cerreta  (Award of Merit) LeRuote Quadrate Calitri, ITALY
"Explorations into ways of combining science history and theory with hands-on museum exhibits effectively for a broad, general audience, and especially for school-age visitors." 2000 

Jean Cooper   The Natural History Museum,  London, England
"Access for all: Integrating accessible design into exhibition and educational programmed
development,"1998 

Joe Cox  The Conservancy of Southwest Florida  Naples, Florida
"The development and use of interdisciplinary handouts as an effective method of increasing retention in young museum visitors", 2000

Antonio Delgado  (Award of Merit) University Of New Mexico at Taos, Ranchos de Taos, NM 
"New Mexico's Moradas: Developing a Museum Policy Partnership with the Hispanic
Community," 1998  

Ann Elizabeth Denkler   Alexandria Archeology, Alexandria, VA 
"Interpreting Utopia Through Interactive Community Experiences in Greenbelt, Maryland", 1996

Publications:
"Dressing Many Parts: Curating a Community-Centered Exhibition on Ritual Clothing" in the Virginia Association of Museums News Magazine, 2002.
"Alexandria Archaeology Museum Celebrates Virginia Archaeology Month" in The Alexandria Guide: Celebrating the Arts in Alexandria, Vol. 18, No. 4, 2001.
"Handling Issues of Gender, Race, and Ethnicity: Constructing and Understanding an Interactive Exhibition on Domestic Technology in a Small Community Museum" in Current Trends in Visitor Behavior, May 1996.

Cheryl Fox   (Award of Merit) Maryland Museum of African American History and Culture Crownsville, MD 
"Ways in which museum exhibitions whose primary subject is a distinct cultural group, can attract broad audiences who are not members of that cultural group ." 2001

Rebecca A. Fuller  (Award of Merit) Independent Scholar, Winston-Salem, NC
"The Tactile Exhibit: Topics, Concepts and Techniques" 2005

Helen Glazer  Goucher College, Baltimore, MD 
"In Quest of Myth: A Prototype Multi-Museum Tour at the Smithsonian", 1995

Robert Goler    Arts Management Program, American Univeristy, Washington, DC
"Developing Pedagogical Tools For More Effective Interim Museum Directorships", 2004

Jessica S. Hall   Newseum, Washington, DC
"Telling Old Stories, New Ways: Using New Technology to Create Interactive Learning Experiences," 2004

Marjorie L. Harth   Montgomery Gallery, Pomona College, Claremont, CA 
"Old Traditions/New Obligations: Museums and the Management of Indigenous Collections", 1998

Publication: "Learning from Museums with Indigenous Collections: Beyond Repatriation" in Curator, Vol. 4, No. 4, 1999.

Sherry Hutt   (Award of Merit) Independent researcher and cultural resources educator, Phoenix, Arizona
"Legal Aspects of Ownership: Contrasting Cultural and Biological Collections" 2002

Publication: Series editor. Yearbooks of Cultural Property Law, Walnut Crek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2007.

Claudia Hernandez  The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY 
"Educational Outreach to Minority High School Youth Audiences through Museum- School Based Programming", 1998 

Nigel Holman   Farm and Ranch Heritage Foundation Las Cruces,NM
"The Curation and Use by Museums of 'Sensitive' Native American Photographic
Images: Stepping Back to Look at the Big Picture", 1995

Publications:
"Mission, Strategy, and the cost of Quality in Nonprofit Cultural and Arts Organizations" in D.H. Nagao (ed.) Proceedings of the Sixty-Third Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (CD). ISSN 1543-8643 (lead author with B. Daily and J. Weisinger), 2003.
Traditional History Study of Navajo National Monument: An Ethnographic Literature Review of Publications on Hopi, Zuni, and Navajo. Prepared for the National Park Service (with M. Norcini and L. Hieb), 2001.
"Photography as social and economic exchange: Understanding the challenges posed by photography of Zuni religious ceremonies" in American Indian Culture and Research Journal, Vol. 20, No. 3, 1996.
"Curating and controlling Zuni photographic images" in Curator, Vol. 39, No. 2, 1996

Charlie Keck   La Casa de la Ciencia, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico
"School and Outreach Programs: Effective Approaches in Science Museums", 1997 

Deborah E. Kmetz   State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 
"Seeing It With Your Own Eyes: The Nature of Visual Communication in History Exhibits", 1993 

Christina Kreps    University of Denver Museum Studies / Anthropology Denver, CO
"Bridging the Gaps: Participatory Approaches to Museum Development and Cultural Work", 1997

Publications:
"Non Western Models of Museums and Curation in Cross-cultural Perspectives" in A Companion to Museum Studies. Edited by S. Macdonald. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
Liberating Culture: Cross Cultural Perspectives on Museums, Curation, and Heritage Preservation London: Routledge, 2003.
"Curatorship as Social Practice" in Curator Vol. 4, No. 3, 2003.

Margaret A. Lindauer   Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
"Inside, Out, and Back Again: The Relationship of Museology and Curriculum Studies to Museum Education", 2004

Presentation: "After the Critiques: Applying Critical Pedagogy to Exhibition Development" at The Museum: A World Forum, a conference at the University of Leicester, UK, April 27, 2006.

Publication: "What to Ask and How to Answer: A Comparative Analysis of Methodologies and Philosophies of Summative Exhbit Evaluation" in Museums and Society, Vol. 3, No. 3, 2005.

Carol E. Mayer   British Columbia Museum of Anthropology and associate to the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 2003 "International Collaboration - Addressing the Legacy of Early Collecting Practices"

Publications:
"The Traveler and the Island Belle: Frank Burnett's Photography in the Pacific" in a special edition of the Journal of Pacific History, 2005
"Gladsome Moments: From the Museum to the Academy...and Back?" in Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship. Vol. 20, No. 2, 2005.
"Take out those Nasty Red Labels: Interventions as Agents of Change in a Teaching Museum" in Museum Anthorpology. Vol. 26, No. 2, 2003.
"University Museums: Distinct Sites of Intersection for Diverse Communities" in Museologia. Vol. 3, 2003.

D. Lynn McRainey   Chicago Historical Society   Chicago, IL 
"Interpreting History Through Interactive Experiences, 1995 

Presentations:
“Creating Connections to the City: Its Stories, People, and Places,” keynote presenter at the Museum and Gallery Services Queensland state conference (September 2007, Queensland, Australia)
“Creating Public Value: New Ways to Approach Program Design” and “Imagining the Possibilities” at the 2007 American Association of Museums annual meeting (May 2007, Chicago, IL)
“Rethinking History Exhibitions for Kids” at Rethinking Museums: An Interdisciplinary Academic Conference, University of Washington (May 2007, Seattle, WA)
“History a la Cart: Changing the Context of Teaching History” at the Fifth International Conference on Imagination and Education (July 2007, Vancouver, Canada).

Publications:
Editorial advisory board for the Journal of Museum Education and guest editor of the issue, The Field Trip: Enigma or Paradigm?
A House Divided: America in the Age of Lincoln, A Teacher's Handbook of Activities and Information

Susan Miner   Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, Wichita, KS
"A Learning Style Assessment at the National Zoo", 1993 

Teresa Morales   Programa de Museos Comunitarios y Ecomuseos  Oaxaca Mexico
"Cultural Appropriation and Community Museums", 1995

Publication: "Community Museums and Global Connections: the Union of Community Museums of Oaxaca" in Museum Frictions: Public Cultures/Global Transformation. Edited by Karp, Krantz, Szwaja, and Ybarra-Frausto. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2006.

Sarah A. Ogilvie  United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC
"Lessons Learned from Memorial Museums and Sites of Conscience: A Study of Best Practices and Guiding Principles", 2005

Segametsi C. Radise  Botswana National Museum, Gaborone, Botswana
"An Assessment of the Effectiveness of Educational Programs in Relation to the School Curriculum Needs", 2005

Stephanie Ratcliffe   Maryland Science Center, Baltimore, MD
"Kid Stops: Integrating parenting skills information into exhibits for the early childhood audience", 1993

Charles R. Regier   Kauffman Museum   North Newton, KS 
"An analysis for current approaches to traveling museum exhibitions and the development new
solutions for use in the production of such exhibits", 1994

Jessica Sack   (Award of Merit) Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut
"The Opportunities and Barriers for Teaching Teachers to use Museum Collections as Primary Sources", 2005

Richard P. Sandell   Leicester University, England "Museums and the Combating of Prejudice", 2004

Presentation:
"Museums and Disability Representation," a poster presentation with others at The Museum: A World Forum a conference at the University of Leicester, UK, April 25-27, 2006.
“Museums and the Representation of Sexual Minorities”, panel presentation at American Association of Museums Annual Conference, Boston, USA, 27 April – 1 May 2006.
“Museums and the Reframing of Difference” keynote presentation to the international conference, ‘Making Cultural Heritage Truly Inclusive’, National Museum of Finland, 11-12 October 2007.

Publication:
Museums, Prejudice and the Reframng of Differences, London and New York: Routledge, 2007.

Karin Wiltschke-Schrotta   Museum of Natural History   Vienna, Austria
"Issues related to the manner in which human remains are presented in museum exhibitions", 2000

Niyatee Shinde   Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Century Bhavan  Mumbai, INDIA
"The philosophies, methodologies, and practices across the spectrum of photographic collections in museums and archives, while identifying ways in which interdisciplinary access to photographs can be broaded." 2001

Cindi Steffan   Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature   Winnipeg, Canada
"An Examination of Best Practices in Alternative Work Models, Looking at Successful Implementation within the Museum Sector", 1997 

Martha Gutierrez Steinkamp   (Award of Merit) Resource Specialist   Ft. Lauderdale, FL
"In search of exchange: An analysis of the application of current museum theory – the development of participatory outreach programs and exhibits in culturally diverse communities" 2000

Barbara Cohen Stratyner   The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts NYC, NY
"An exploration of practices in the presentation of personal narratives and oral histories in
exhibitions intended to serve multi-generational and / or multi-cultural audiences", 2000

Andrew Jay Svedlow  Winthrop University,  Rock Hill, SC
"Life Long Learning and Museums: In Pursuit of Andragogy", 1994

Mac Swackhammer   Dawson City Museum and Historical Society Dawson City Yukon,Canada
"A Project to Examine and Compare Experiences with, and Attitudes toward, Repatriation of First Nations Material and Documentary Heritage, in some Canadian and United States Museums, with the intent to Develop Models for Repatriation Negotiations and Activities", 1997

Martin Tillett   Howard B. Owens Science Center, Lanham-Seabrook, MD
"The Development of Science Education Lessons about Maryland Dinosaurs", 1994

Stefan Toepler   George Mason University, Arlington, VA.
"Museum Merchandising: An Exploration of its Uses and Limitations", 2004

Publication: "Caveat Venditor? Museum Merchandising, Nonprofit Commercialization and the Case of the Metropolitan Museum in New York" in VOLUNTAS-International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofict Organizations 2006.

“The Role and Changing Face of Non-market Provision of Culture in the United States” in MUSEUM International  No. 232 (Vol. 58. No. 4, 2006). UNESCO 2006

Book review of Whose Muse? Art Museums and the Public Trust in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly  Sage Publications 2008. View Link

Lea Foster Warden Independent Researcher
IMPACT: The Traveling Exhibit Industry and Sustainability, February - April 2007

Peter H. Welsh  Arizona State University , Tempe , AZ
“Paradox in Museum Practice”, June – August 2006

Song Xiang-guang   Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology, Peking University
Beijing, People's Republic of China
"Museum Collection Management: An Applied Project Designed for the Arthur Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University", 1993

Tongyun Yin   Tsinghua University , Beijing , China
“Dynamic Intersection: Museums and the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage” December 2005 – March 2006

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