Smithsonian Office of Academic Appointments and Internships

Smithsonian American Art Museum Fellowship Program

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and its Renwick Gallery invite applications to its premier fellowship program, the oldest and largest in the world for the study of American art. Scholars from any discipline whose research engages the art, craft, and visual culture of the United States are encouraged to apply, as are those who foreground new perspectives, materials, and methodologies. Fellowships are residential and support full-time research in the Smithsonian collections. SAAM is devoted to advancing excellence in art history and encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

To learn more about the program, visit: https://americanart.si.edu/research/fellowships.

The museum hosts a number of fellows each year through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP) and also awards its own named fellowships to candidates from this general pool. Applicants to the SIFP who propose a primary advisor at this museu:  will automatically be considered for the following named SAAM fellowships:

• The Will Barnet Foundation Fellowship is awarded biennially and funds a full year of research on a topic related to American modern art, including its influence on later generations. 
• The Joe and Wanda Corn Fellowship is endowed by their former students Mike Wilkins and Sheila Duignan and supports scholars whose research interests span American art and American history. The recipient is jointly appointed at SAAM and the National Museum of American History and draws on the resources of both museums. 
• The Douglass Foundation Fellowship in American Art provides for a full year of dissertation research at the museum. 
• The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Fellowship advances research on modern and contemporary art. Residency is available for twelve months at the predoctoral level or nine months at the postdoctoral or senior level. 
• The Patricia and Phillip Frost Fellowship supports a year of research in American art and visual culture. 
• The George Gurney Fellowship funds a six-month research appointment in American sculpture in honor of SAAM’s late curator emeritus of sculpture. Residencies should take place June–December 2026 or January–August 2027.
• The Joshua C. Taylor Fellowship is intermittently awarded and is supported by alumni and friends in memory of the museum’s former director and founder of the fellowship program.
• The William H. Truettner Fellowship provides for six months of research in honor of SAAM’s late curator emeritus whose career at the museum spanned nearly fifty years. Residencies should take place June–December 2026 or January–August 2027.
• The Windgate Foundation supports a yearlong fellowship for the study of American craft.
• The Wyeth Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship is awarded for the advancement and completion of a doctoral dissertation that concerns the study, appreciation, and recognition of excellence in all aspects of American art. The Wyeth Foundation for American Art provides publishing grants of up to $5,000 for first-time authors who have held a Wyeth Fellowship.

Applicants for any fellowship who are conducting research with Indigenous communities should describe the current state of consultation or collaboration with Indigenous artists and estates, knowledge holders, and communities relevant to the work, and demonstrate how the research is accountable to these rights holders. A letter of support from a tribal community member, knowledge holder, artist, or artist’s estate will strengthen a proposal and may be submitted as an additional reference letter.