UAB/BMA Museum Fellowship
for MA Students in Art History

Summary of Understanding between UAB and the Birmingham Museum of Art
This new program, first offered for the academic year 2010-2011, will be funded for two years by one of the three UAB graduate assistantships. The Fellowship will provide the MA student with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on curatorial experience in a museum setting and will prepare them for a career in the museum or gallery profession. The application process begins in April 2010 for the following academic year and will be offered on a competitive basis annually. The fellowship period lasts for one calendar year, beginning and ending in mid-August. A monthly stipend of $1,083.33 (depending on available funds) plus one half tuition and fees will be administered by UAB. The student must be registered full-time at UAB (9 semester hours each semester including summer) as with all UAB assistantships and cannot engage in other remunerated activities, either on campus or off campus. This is a one-year appointment and cannot be renewed. After the first two years, UAB and the BMA will work together to identify permanent funding for the Fellowship.

Requirements:
The student must remain in good academic standing at UAB and make satisfactory progress toward the degree in order to continue the Fellowship. At the Museum, the Fellow must be prompt, appropriately dressed and ready to assist in any and all duties and activities assigned. A total of 32 hours of unexcused absence will terminate the Fellowship at the Museum. If BMA or UAB is dissatisfied with the Fellow for any reason, the institutions reserve the right to terminate the Fellowship.

Description:
The student will work 20 hours per week in a curatorial department at the Birmingham Museum of Art. The Fellow will meet with all BMA departments to gain familiarity with the various workings of an art museum; participate in all appropriate meetings subject to availability; and attend Museum functions when appropriate. The Fellowship will involve research, writing, working with curators and staff, and perhaps, artists. The student, together with the supervising curator, will develop one project or a discrete portion of a larger project to carry out during the Fellowship appointment, as well as any other duties assigned. Projects typically include the permanent collection and exhibition research. Specific duties will depend upon the needs of the department to which the student is assigned.
The Fellow will provide a monthly written description of their time. At the end of the first semester of the Fellowship and again at the end of the year, a written evaluation of the Fellow will be provided by the Museum. The Fellow will also be required to provide a written summary of their experience.

Qualifications:
Applicants must have completed one year of course work in art history at the graduate level, show academic excellence and scholarly promise, and be well-versed in art historical research techniques. Along with the letter of application, the candidate is required to submit a resume, a writing sample, such as a paper written for a graduate class, and a 500-word essay outlining career goals, interest in museum work, and reasons for applying. The applicant will be required to submit unofficial transcripts and a letter of reference (or a list of references that the museum could contact independently).

Application process:
All applications will be reviewed by the UAB art history faculty: Katherine A. McIver, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Heather McPherson, Professor, Jessica Dallow, Associate Professor, and Cathleen Cummings, Assistant Professor and from BMA: Jeannine O' Grody, Chief Curator and Curator of European Art and Suzy Harris (Associate Curator of Education). Two finalists will be asked to participate in a formal interview at the BMA. The award will be announced and the Fellow notified by the end of Spring semester.

Katherine McIver
Professor of Art History
Director of Graduate Studies in Art History

Jeannine O' Grody
Chief Curator
Curator of European Art