With the generous support of the Donald and Marilyn Keough Foundation, the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame has established a pre-doctoral, curatorial fellowship focused primarily on the development of its growing collection of Irish art dating back to the eighteenth century. The Fellow will be appointed for 12 months, working 30 hours per week with the assumption that the remaining 10 hours will be dedicated to the completion of their dissertation. The fellowship carries a $36,000 stipend plus benefits,* including medical benefits, life insurance, and a two-week vacation, with an additional $2,000 travel fund to conduct research or attend conferences related to the Museum’s collections.
The Fellow will be appointed for one year with the possibility of renewal (with an attendant standard 3% increase of the stipend) based on progress toward completion of the dissertation and the advancement of the Museum’s objective to raise the profile of its collections through publications, participation in conferences, and the organization of exhibitions. The 12-month appointment runs on the University’s academic calendar, beginning in mid-August or early September 2024.The primary responsibility will include researching the Museum’s growing collection of Irish prints, drawings, paintings, sculptures, and photographs. The Museum values its collaborations with the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies (KNI) and the Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) division of Hesburgh Libraries, whose holdings of Irish material are well-known and highly esteemed. Reporting to the Curator of European and American Art before 1900, Fellows will have full access to these resources and the many faculty and visiting scholars from a wide array of disciplines they attract.This is an especially exciting time for the visual arts at the University of Notre Dame as it recently opened the new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art to the public on December 1, 2023. The Keough Fellow’s curatorial assistance will be relevant for interpreting the collections in the Museum’s permanent galleries, digital presence, and plans for future temporary exhibitions and new acquisitions. A chief initiative is the organization of an exhibition focusing on the Irish artist Walter Osborne scheduled for fall 2025. Logistical coordination of the international loans, exhibition design, and script writing will be fundamental. Other projects may include completing cataloging that will further contribute to the Museum’s ongoing collection digitization project entitled Marble.The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art has an active academic program, serving over 10,000 university students from many disciplines annually. In light of the increasing collaborative opportunities between the Raclin Murphy Museum and KNI resulting from the growth of the Irish art collection, the Fellow may, at times, be asked to assist with supporting these classes by coordinating with the curator of education and her efforts to provide meaningful access to the collection not currently on view.Candidates for the fellowship must be enrolled in a Ph.D. program at an accredited university in the United States or Europe and have completed all course work and passed any qualifying exams before applying.
Candidates writing dissertations on Irish artists or themes related to the Museum’s collection will benefit most from this opportunity.In addition to a two-week vacation, the Fellow will have fall and spring breaks and any regularly scheduled University holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July) or holidays when the Museum is officially closed to the public, such as Labor Day.
Fellows will be responsible for their own moving expenses and finding their own housing (on or off-campus) with resources available through the University’s Division of Student Affairs, Residential Life, and Graduate Studies.
To explore the Raclin Murphy Museum’s collection, see Cheryl K. Snay, et al., “The Donald and Marilyn Keough Collection of Irish Art at the University of Notre Dame” (Snite Museum, 2019); Catherine Bindman, et al, “No Cross, No Crown: Prints by James Barry” (Snite Museum, 2016). A complete list of Irish works in the collection is available upon request.
Candidates writing dissertations on Irish artists or themes related to the Museum’s collection will benefit most from this opportunity.
To apply: By no later than Sunday, May 26, applicants should complete the online application and submit a letter of interest identifying the relevance of the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art’s collections to their research, along with their CV and a writing sample at the University’s Job Board: https://jobs.nd.edu/postings/34465
Please also send two letters of recommendation from faculty and/or previous employers to Cheryl K. Snay, PhD, Curator of European Art and American Art before 1900 (csnay@nd.edu).
The Director of the Raclin Murphy Museum will have final approval of the appointment.
Minimum Qualifications: A master’s degree. Candidates for the fellowship must be enrolled in a PhD program at an accredited university in the United States or Europe, have completed all coursework, and pass any qualifying exams before applying.
Annual salary: $36,000
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