2025 Museum Studies Summer Fellow opportunity – South Dakota State University
The School of Design, in conjunction with the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at South Dakota State University (SDSU) is pleased to invite applications for a Museum Studies Fellow for the summer of 2025. This full-time, 12-week fellowship builds upon the success of the 2023 Museum Studies Fellow program, made possible by the generous support of the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation.
Established in 2015, Museum Studies at SDSU is a dynamic, robust, collaborative, and interdisciplinary minor, the only one of its kind in the state. It equips students with a comprehensive understanding of the preservation and presentation of cultural materials and artifacts, as well as in communication, design, and management skills.
Our minor is delivered through an academic-professional partnership with five institutions in Brookings: the South Dakota Art Museum, the South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum, the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, McCrory Gardens, and SDSU’s Archives and Special Collections at Hilton M. Briggs Library. The School of Design, a vibrant and interdisciplinary academic unit offering programs in Art Education, Studio Art, Graphic Design, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, and Interior Design, manages the minor’s operations.
The Museum Studies Fellow will be at a graduate level (Master’s completed or in progress; or PhD at an early stage) with a background in museum studies and/or experience in collecting institutions such as museums, library archives, public gardens, state or national parks, or historic sites. Please note that this is not a postdoctoral fellowship.
The fellow will engage actively with some of our partner institutions in Brookings throughout the fellowship (areas: collections, curatorial, interpretation, education), as well as with our summer undergraduate interns. The Fellow will be required to submit progress reports periodically and a final report at the end of the fellowship.
Either in the Fall of 2025 or the spring of 2026, the Fellow will deliver a public lecture (in a virtual setting) reflecting on their fellowship experiences and discussing how the fellowship has impacted their subsequent career trajectory. The timing of this lecture will be negotiated, but it will form part of the fellowship obligations.
The Fellow will be living in Brookings, SD from May 15 to August 7, 2025.
The fellowship will provide lodging at the Schultz Apartment on the South Dakota State University campus. This one-bedroom apartment features a kitchen and living room area, a bedroom, and a private bathroom. Laundry facilities are also available in the apartment complex. Please note that the University requires a criminal background check. Pets are not permitted, except for approved support animals, as determined by the Office of Disability Services. Please, send inquiries at the time of application to [email protected] .
In addition to the prearranged lodging, the fellow will receive in periodic installations a stipend of $7,200 to cover the other living expenses throughout the fellowship period. Upon arrival in town, an additional $1,000 travel reimbursement will be provided. The fellow will also receive $800 upon delivering a Zoom presentation from their location in the subsequent fall or spring semester (the date will be finalized through negotiation with SDSU).
We are thrilled to expand our interdisciplinary vision through partnerships with three esteemed institutions in New York City: the American Museum of Natural History; the Brooklyn Children’s Museum; and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The fellow will receive an additional $2,000 stipend towards reimbursement of travel expenses to New York City to visit these our out-of-state partner museums, which complement the strengths of our institutions in Brookings.
The total stipend is $11,000, distributed as outlined above.
A complete application package will include:
- The applicant’s full CV.
- A statement of academic research and/or professional experience in the museum field (including past internships), approximately 800-1,500 words in length. We are particularly interested in learning about your individual and collaborative approaches, processes, achievements, and on how you envision that this fellowship will advance your professional goals. We want to hear your story!
- The names and contact information of three references; one of them must be the most recent work or school supervisor.
If selected as a finalist, please be ready to prepare to deliver a 12-15-minute presentation. (which may be created in PowerPoint, Prezi, or other technologies). Further guidance will be provided upon selection for an interview.
Please note that the selected fellow must be free from TA, GA, or summer class obligations at their current institution and be fully committed to this in-residence experience in Brookings. If you have any concerns, please consult with your supervisor before applying for this position. Please note that visa sponsorship is not available.
To apply, email your application package to Dr. Leda Cempellin, the Museum Studies Coordinator ([email protected]) by no later than August 31, 2024. Finalists will be selected from among the applicant pool for a Zoom interview.
