MUUS Collection Research Fellowship
Rosalind Fox Solomon, Contact sheet of roll 7987-91 (Washington Square Park), New York, New York, 1985. MUUS Collection.
MUUS Collection is an American 20th century photography collection that preserves, researches, and reveals work from the archives it owns and represents.
Created in 2026, the MUUS Collection Research Fellowship comprises a $20,000 grant awarded to a curator or academic. The grant will allow the Fellow to spend time in MUUS Collection’s archives and use the new MUUSEUM Research Portal to develop an exhibition or publication concept based on works within the collections. The Fellow will also benefit from mentorship sessions with the advisory board.
As part of the $20,000 grant, MUUS Collection will provide full coverage of travel costs to the archive. The winner will be decided in October and announced at Paris Photo.
Requirements:
Applicants should have a minimum of five years professional experience at museums, galleries, universities or similar cultural institutions. Candidates from underrepresented or marginalized communities are encouraged to apply. The Fellowship is open to any candidates internationally, but fluency in English (written and spoken) is required. Candidates must also be willing to travel to Tenafly, New Jersey, for up to a week during mutually agreed-upon dates, and have flexibility to be available for remote collaboration, both with the archive team and for sessions with the advisory board.
Timeline:
May 1-July 31, 2026: Call for applications
September 2026: Advisory board creates a shortlist of candidates, who will be interviewed.
October 2026: Finalist is selected and notified.
November 2026: Finalist is publicly announced at the MUUS Collection Dinner at Paris Photo.
November 2026-November 2027: Research Fellow performs research in the MUUS Collection archives as well as via the MUUSEUM research portal. The project completes in November 2027.
How to apply:
To submit an application for the MUUS Collection Research Fellowship, please send a single PDF file to fellowship@muuscollection.com.
The PDF must include:
A one-page cover letter addressing your work, reasons for applying for the Research Fellowship, and why this moment in your career is the right one.
A Curriculum Vitae (CV).
Proposal for an exhibition or publication concept that engages exclusively with works from one or more artists within MUUS Collection (focusing on Deborah Turbeville, Larry Fink, Rosalind Fox Solomon, and Alfred Wertheimer). Proposal should not exceed 500 words in length.
Two professional references (names and contact information).
The PDF must have the applicant’s full name in the file name.
Judges:
Nathalie Herschdorfer, Photo Elysée
Sarah Meister, Aperture
Sophie Wright, MUUS Collection
Mark Sealy, Autograph
Paul Roth, Image Centre