Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellowship 2027-2029
Please read the entirety of this job description, as it has important application guidelines that must be followed to be considered for this position.
About Romare Bearden
Romare Bearden is recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the 20th century. He was known especially for his innovative collages, but also notably worked in watercolor, oil, photomontage, and printmaking. Born in 1911, in Charlotte, North Carolina, he grew up in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. After graduating from New York University, he began producing political cartoons for The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP. Bearden’s first solo show was held in Harlem in 1940, and by the 1950s he was nationally acclaimed. To deepen his knowledge of philosophy and art, he used the G.I. Bill to study in Paris in 1950.
Bearden rose to prominence at a time when African American artists had few opportunities to study art, sell their works in galleries, or exhibit them at museums, which led to his life-long work in education and community alongside his artistic production. He co-founded artist collectives such as Spiral to create art and discuss the responsibility of the arts and artists in the civil rights movement. He was also an inaugural member of the Studio Museum in Harlem. His life and art encompass a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature, and global art. He died in New York City in 1988, at the age of 76.
The Romare Bearden Foundation was established in 1990 by the estate of Romare Bearden (1911-1988) to preserve and perpetuate his legacy.
About the Fellowship
The Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellowship honors the pioneering artist’s legacy by providing opportunities to early-career museum professionals. The goal of the Fellowship is to promote greater access to the field for individuals from backgrounds that are historically and statistically underrepresented at American art museums. During the two-year paid Fellowship, Fellows work in various museum departments and gain the skills, experience, and confidence necessary to pursue careers in art museums and related fields. The Fellowship embodies Romare Bearden's vision of creating opportunities and spaces for new voices to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the art world.
Who Should Apply
The Museum welcomes candidates from various backgrounds who will advance the goals of the Bearden Fellowship program. Examples include, but are not limited to:
Individuals who are the first from their families to attend college
Individuals who live in households with incomes below 80% of the national median household income
Applicants who grew up in households or communities that afforded limited opportunities to visit and engage with museums
Individuals who have encountered other specific articulable barriers to entry into a museum career
The Bearden Fellowship program also provides opportunities for individuals who articulate and demonstrate a commitment to the goals of the program, even if the candidate does not come from a historically and statistically underrepresented background.
Fellowship Structure
The Fellow will spend the first year of the Fellowship in a cross-departmental position working with various departments, including possible assignments in public programming, interpretive materials, development, marketing, curatorial, research, and audience engagement. The Fellow will spend the second year working on specific significant projects aligned with the Fellow’s interests and the Museum’s needs.
As a member of the esteemed Saint Louis Art Museum staff, fellows are mentored by senior-level staff and collaborate with team members throughout the Museum to advance projects tailored to the Museum's needs and the Fellow's skills and interests.
