The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts offers one postdoctoral fellowship biennially for two consecutive academic years. The A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow will reside in Washington. During the first year the fellow will carry out research and writing for publication. The fellow will also design and direct an intensive weeklong seminar for the seven predoctoral fellows at the Center, focusing on a topic related to the applicant’s field of interest and with a special emphasis on methodological issues. In the second academic year, while continuing research and writing in residence, the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow will be expected to teach one course (advanced undergraduate or graduate) by arrangement at a neighboring university. The fellow will also direct an intensive week-long seminar for the seven predoctoral fellows in residence, which can be a repeat or revision of the one designed and directed in the first academic year.

Field of Study

The A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship supports research in the history, theory, and criticism of the visual arts of any time period or culture. For appointment to the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2018–2020, the Center encourages applications in the fields of the visual arts and culture of African Americans, Africa, and the African diaspora.

Residency

The A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow will be in residence at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts for two years and will participate fully in the activities of the Center throughout the fellowship period. The fellow will be provided with housing in an apartment near the Gallery, subject to availability, and with a shared study. The fellow has access to the notable resources represented by the art collections, the library, and the image collections of the National Gallery of Art, as well as to the Library of Congress and other specialized research libraries and collections in the Washington area.

Qualifications and Selection

Applicants for the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship must have received the PhD degree within the five years preceeding the next application deadline. Applicants for 2018–2020 must have received the PhD degree between October 1, 2012, and October 1, 2017. The fellowship is awarded without regard to age or nationality of applicants. Applications are reviewed by an external selection committee composed of scholars in the history of art. Individuals currently affiliated with the National Gallery of Art are not eligible for the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship program.

Support

The A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship award is $50,000 per year. The fellow also receives allowances for travel, in addition to housing, as available.

Applications

Candidates for postdoctoral fellowships must complete an online application that includes brief proposals for the topic of hte predoctoral seminar and the university course and a copy of an article or a chapter of a book, to be submitted on or before October 15, 2017. Three letters of recommendations in support of the application are required. After a preliminary selection, several candidates will be invited to Washington in early 2018 for interviews. The A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship cannot be deferred or renewed.

Holders of the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship may reapply for a senior or visiting senior fellowship five years after the completion of the fellowship. Individuals may not apply for other Center fellowships while an application is pending or once a fellowship has been awarded.

• award period: September 2018 – August 2020
  deadline: October 15, 2017

Apply online for a Postdoctoral Fellowship

For information contact:

Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, Maryland 20785
Telephone: (202) 842-6482
E-mail: casva@nga.gov