Museum Fellows
Program
RISD MUSEUM FELLOWS PROGRAM
Theory and History of Art and Design Concentrators have the opportunity to engage in collaborative learning experiences through semester-long fellowships at the RISD Museum. In collaboration with RISD’s Theory and History of Art and Design department, the Museum offers selected THAD concentrators (undergraduate or graduate students) a semester-long, credit-earning fellowship within curatorial, education, registration or conservation departments. This program, administered by THAD, allows students to learn firsthand about museum professions.
The positions carry course credit, require significant time commitments (about 6-7 hours per week), and involve serious engagement in the real work of curators, conservators, registrars, and educators.
https://risdmuseum.org/opportunities
https://thad.risd.edu/museumfellows
https://www.risd.edu/academics/theory-and-history-art-and-design/concentration
2026–27 Fellowships
Application Deadline: March 1, 2026 5:00 PM
The following positions are available for the academic year 2026-27. The Department of Theory and History of Art and Design invites all eligible concentrators to apply to the Museum Fellows Program (eligibility guidelines are defined below). For a list of all application material please see below. All eligible applicants will receive consideration without discrimination based upon race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, or any other protected category.
FALL 2026
Curatorial
Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
1 Fellow
The fellow will learn to handle works of art and use the collection database. The fellow will also assist students in accessing works of art during the department’s open hours (Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 am-12:30 pm) along with retrieving and returning works of art for classes. In addition, the fellow will learn to catalog (record, enter, and track) works of art, especially as new gifts and purchases enter the collection. The fellow may be asked to conduct basic research on objects in the collection or for departmental exhibitions. The ideal candidate is detail oriented, with strong research, writing, and organizational skills, and is comfortable working with their hands.
6 hrs/week
Reports to Michael Hartman (Houghton P. Metcalf Jr. Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs)
FALL 2026
Education
Public Programs
1 Fellow
The fellow will assist in the creation and implementation of interdisciplinary public programs related to works on view in the galleries including the upcoming exhibitions Natchiq | Onkeehq | Isuwiq: Indigenous Artists Honor the Seal and a Japanese woodblock print exhibit . The fellow will gain an understanding of object-centered, adult- focused, informal learning, along with the tools and methods used in researching program impact. Previous experience working with the public is helpful. A strong candidate has an interest in museums, teaching strategies, and possesses strong verbal and written communication skills.
6 hrs/week
Reports to Deb Clemons (Director, Public Programs)
FALL 2026
Registration
1 Fellow
The registration fellow will assist the museum registrars with projects related to the care and management of the museum’s permanent collection and loans, gaining an introduction to museum registration practices and art handling skills. The fellow will assist with a large collections inventory project including barcode tagging, identification photography, general cataloging, and condition assessments as well as assist with the documentation of incoming acquisitions and loans for the collection and exhibitions. The fellow will learn about conservation-approved materials, close looking and analysis of artworks, collections data management, and assist with other collections tasks as time permits. A successful candidate is detail-oriented, possesses computer fluency, and has excellent organizational skills.
6 hrs/week
Reports to Jac Parker (Associate Registrar for Collections Management)
SPRING 2027
Curatorial
Costume & Textiles
1 Fellow
The Costume and Textiles collection contains more than 30,000 objects and includes textiles, clothing, and fashion items from 1500 BCE to the present. The fellow will learn to handle works of art and use the collection database. The fellow will also assist with pulling objects from storage and putting them away during the department's open hours ( Fridays, 11am-1 pm) along with retrieving and returning works of art for classes. In addition, the fellow will learn to catalog (record, enter, and track) works of art, especially as new gifts and purchases enter the collection. The fellow may be asked to conduct basic research on objects in the collection or for departmental exhibitions. The fellow may also be asked to assist conservation staff with caring for the costume and textile collection and will be introduced to collections care techniques, including vacuuming and rehousing garments in storage. The ideal candidate is detail oriented, with strong research, writing, and organizational skills, and is comfortable working with their hands; some familiarity with the history of costume and textiles is preferred.
6 hrs/week
Reports to Kate Irvin (Curator and Department Head of Costume and Textiles)
SPRING 2027
Curatorial
Indigenous Art
1 Fellow
SPRING 2027
Conservation
Paper Preservation
1 Fellow
The fellow will support the assistant curator of Indigenous Art with collection and exhibition research, learning how to use the museum’s database to review, edit, and add information about collection works and possible acquisitions. The fellow will have the opportunity to attend meetings with conservators, registrars, preparators, and educators, as well as selected curatorial meetings, to learn how the museum’s departments work together to develop an exhibition or public program. If the fellow has interest in researching a specific object from the Indigenous collection (not subject to NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) the assistant curator will support them with making the object available for view and providing all available records. The ideal candidate is curious with a willingness to learn and has strong research and organizational skills. If the fellow’s interest is in pre-Hispanic works, knowledge of Spanish is helpful but not required. If the fellow’s interest is in Native American art, familiarity with NAGPRA is ideal.
6 hrs/week
Reports to Maria Fernanda Mancera (Assistant Curator, Indigenous Art)
The fellow will assist in the creation and implementation of interdisciplinary public programs related to works on view in the galleries and local artists. The fellow will gain an understanding of object-centered, adult-focused, informal learning, along with the tools and methods used in researching program impact. Previous experience working with the public is helpful. A strong candidate has an interest in museums, teaching strategies, and possesses strong verbal and written communication skills.
6 hrs/week
Reports to Deb Clemons (Director, Public Programs)
The fellow will assist with ongoing collection care and collection management in the department of Prints, Drawings and Photography. The fellow will be trained in art handling skills to develop confidence with working with art in the collection, and will explore ethics and philosophies as applied to decision making in conservation. Collection management will be learned through organizing objects in storage and cataloging; recording, entering, and tracking objects. Art preparation skills will be developed through the processes of framing artwork from the collection for exhibitions, creating protective supports and enclosures, gaining familiarity with paper studio tools and equipment and assisting with the ongoing organization of the conservation studio. The ideal candidate is comfortable working with their hands, patient with process and observant.
6hrs/week
Reports to Christin FitzGerald (Paper Preparator, Prints, Drawings, and Photographs).
The registration fellow will assist the museum registrars with projects related to the care and management of the museum’s permanent collection and loans, gaining an introduction to museum registration practices and art handling skills. The fellow will assist with a large collections inventory project including barcode tagging, identification photography, general cataloging, and condition assessments as well as assist with the documentation of incoming acquisitions and loans for the collection and exhibitions. The fellow will learn about conservation-approved materials, close looking and analysis of artworks, collections data management, and assist with other collections tasks as time permits. A successful candidate is detail-oriented, possesses computer fluency, and has excellent organizational skills.
6 hrs/week
Reports to Jac Parker (Associate Registrar for Collections Management)
SPRING 2027
Education
Public Programs
1 Fellow
SPRING 2027
Registration
1 Fellow
Application Process
The Museum Fellows Program is exclusively open to THAD concentrators. To be eligible for the program, you must maintain “good academic standing” among concentrators. Regarding the required courses mentioned below, consider the courses you anticipate passing by the end of the current semester. If you’re uncertain about passing any of your THAD classes by the semester’s end, consult your instructor of record for that course before declaring them as acquired credits.
To qualify:
You must be a THAD concentrator.
You must have successfully completed both THAD introductory courses: H101 and H102.
You must have successfully completed (or will complete by the end of this semester) two elective courses (seminars or lectures).
You must have received no grade below C+ in all four courses mentioned in options 2 and 3 (above).
If all four criteria are met, you are in “good academic standing” and can request an application form using the form linked below.