Mellon Fellowships

Andrew W. Mellon Advanced Training Fellowships in Ethnographic and
Archaeological Object and Textile Conservation

The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) is offering four
fellowships in ethnographic and archaeological object and textile
conservation, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  These
one-year fellowships commence in the fall of 2000 and include a
stipend in the high $20's with $3000 for travel and research plus
medical insurance and benefits. Fellows will work on the
Conservation Department's major projects and research related to the
collections. The current projects are the on-going move of over
800,000 artifacts from the old storage facility in the Bronx, NY to
the new Cultural Resources Center in Suitland, MD; and the
preparation of artifacts for exhibit in the new NMAI museum
scheduled to open on the National Mall in Washington, DC in late
2002.  One of the four fellowships will be located in the Bronx, NY
while the other three fellowships will be located in Suitland, MD
(outside of Washington, DC).

The fellowships are intended to cultivate practical skills as well
as to foster a solid understanding of the contexts of material
culture, the philosophies of conservation at NMAI, and the ethics of
the conservation profession.  Museum programming involves
collaboration with Native Peoples in the development of appropriate
methods of care for, and interpretation of their cultural materials.

Applicant Qualifications: The applicant should be a recent graduate
of a recognized conservation training program or have equivalent
training and experience. The candidates with the best qualifications
will be those who are motivated for a career in the conservation of
material culture and who are especially interested in the cultures
of Indigenous peoples of North, Central and South America.  The
applicant should have a proven record of research, writing ability,
and English language skills.  Fellowships are awarded without regard
to age, sex, race, or nationality of the applicant.

Application Procedure:
Interested candidates must submit the following materials in English:

    *   Transcripts of both undergraduate and graduate courses of
        academic study (unofficial copies are acceptable);

    *   A curriculum vitae including basic biographical information,
        current and permanent addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail
        addresses;

    *   Examples of pertinent publications, lectures, or other
        written material;

    *   A cover letter explaining candidate's interests and intent
        in applying for the fellowship and specifying the
        candidate's preferred fellowship location (the Bronx, New
        York or Suitland, MD or either);

    *   Two letters of recommendation from conservation
        professionals familiar with the candidate's work and one
        letter of personal reference.

The material must be received by April 15, 2000 and sent to:

    Marian A. Kaminitz, Head of Conservation
    National Museum of the American Indian/Smithsonian Institution
    Cultural Resources Center, MRC 541
    4220 Silver Hill Road
    Suitland MD 20746
    E-mail address for inquiries only: kaminitzm [at] nmaicrc__si__edu

Finalists will be invited for an interview and asked to submit a
portfolio of completed projects. All applicants will be notified by
June 16, 2000 of the selection committee's decision.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:41
                Distributed: Thursday, January 27, 2000
                       Message Id: cdl-13-41-030
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