The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded $2,073,000 to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which will use it to launch an undergraduate fellowship in tandem with the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
The Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship Program will provide 20 freshman or sophomore students with “specialized training in the curatorial field” over a series of summer internships, during which fellows will be assigned museum mentors and paid a stipend. The fellowships will follow Summer Academies, a one-week intensive whirlwind of museum training, at each museum over the course of the grant period.
By supporting aspiring curators from groups historically underrepresented at museums, the fellowship seeks to “make a critical impact on American art museums by developing gifted curators who are committed to engaging with the full spectrum of museum audiences.”
“We are grateful to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for funding such a visionary program that will provide students with meaningful formal experience in curatorial endeavors, mentoring, and exposure to professionals across wide areas of expertise, including conservation, education, and digital access,” stated Douglas Druick, president and director at the Art Institute of Chicago, in the release. “This initiative is critical to the vitality of museums and museum leadership around the country, and I look forward to supporting and encouraging young scholars here in Chicago as the program unfolds.”
