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 as part of MUUS Collection’s mission to foster new interpretations and scholarship around its archives, the MUUS Collection Research Fellowship awards a $20,000 grant to a curator or academic to develop, over the course of a year, an exhibition or publication concept based on works within the collection. The Fellow will spend time in the MUUS Collection archives, with access to photographers’ complete bodies of work as well as related ephemera including journals, contact sheets, and cameras, and will also benefit from the new MUUSEUM online research portal and mentorship sessions with the advisory board.

MUUS Collection will endeavor to help place and support publication and/or exhibition of the work collaboratively with the Research Fellow, and promote the work through various ways, including publication on our website.

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 fellowshipmuuscollection.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
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