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.
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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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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Fellowships are awarded through a competitive process.
To be considered for a fellowship, applicants should submit
a concise proposal (7 pages maximum not including resume
or letters of recommendation) containing:
- the title of the study
- a discussion of the topic to be investigated including
the thesis statement and key issues
- 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
- a plan of action including a description of the
research methodology to be used and a list of preliminary
questions to be explored
- a review of existing literature specific to the
study
- a description of the format for disseminating the
research and the rationale for the choice
- a resume / curriculum vitae, not to exceed two pages
- 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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Applications are evaluated on the following factors:
- The range and depth of the applicant’s knowledge
and experience about the topic
- evidence of the applicant's ability to produce
quality work
- the rationale and coherence of the proposed plan
of action
- the extent to which research on the topic would
contribute to improved museum practices or impact
institutional decisions
- the extent to which access to resources at the
SI and in Washington, D.C. are needed to produce the
product
- 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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