Romare Bearden Fellow 2026 - 2028

Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellowship 2026-2028

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 Art 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. The museum's Chief Diversity Officer supervises Fellows.

Qualifications

• Eligible candidates must have completed at least one year of graduate coursework by June 2025 in art history, art education, museum studies, cultural history, or related fields.
• Applicants cannot be enrolled in course work classes during the Fellowship.
• Applicants must have excellent written and verbal communication skills and work independently and manage multiple assignments.

Application Materials

Only applications including all of the materials listed below will be considered.

Candidates must complete the online application in SLAM's Career Portal and upload the following to the application:

• Personal statement (please adhere to Personal Statement Guidelines below)
• Resume
• Two references: one academic and one professional (must provide phone number and email address)
• Undergraduate and graduate transcripts (unofficial copies are accepted)

Application Deadline: February 1, 2026

Dates of Employment: July 20, 2026 - July 31, 2028

Fellowship Questions: Renee Brummell Franklin, renee.franklin@slam.org

Personal Statement Guidelines (not to exceed 1000 words)

Please follow these guidelines as written below. Only applicants that follow the guidelines will be considered.

Reflect on your journey toward a career in the museum or arts field, with a focus on experiences that have shaped your perspective on art, community, culture, education, or history.

In the first paragraph, introduce your personal journey toward a career in museums or the arts. Provide an overview of the unique challenges or limitations you have encountered and how they shaped your aspirations and perspectives on inclusivity in art and community. This might include obstacles that prompted you to persevere, inspired resilience, or redefined your perspective on your role as an art professional.

In the body of your response, address the following points in any order:

• Reflect on your personal sphere of influence. How do you currently impact the people, spaces, or communities around you through your work, values, or actions?
• Reflect on the people, networks, or communities that support your growth and how these connections influenced your vision for accessibility and engagement.
• Share your ideas for fostering inclusivity and representation in museums, providing specific examples of what social responsibility in museums might look like to better serve diverse audiences and promote inclusivity.

In the final paragraph, share your aspirations for this fellowship. Outline what you hope to gain from the experience and how you aim to contribute to our museum community. Describe how you see this fellowship advancing your career and supporting your larger ambitions in the arts.

Additional Details:

Hiring Range: $23.43/hour

Relocation Allowance: $1500, one time payment

Status: Regular, Full-Time (37.5 hours/week)

Benefits: Full, competitive benefits package, including 3 weeks' vacation, parental leave, and a robust wellness program.

The Fellowship program welcomes all applicants without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any classification protected by law.