MUUS Collection Research Fellowship
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Opens1 May 2026
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Deadline31 Jul 2026
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Link
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Entry feeFREE
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Author
- Topics Archive
The MUUS Collection Research Fellowship comprises a $20,000 grant awarded to a curator or academic. The grant supports a fellow develop an exhibition or publication concept based on works within their photographic collections.
Overview
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 prize recipient will be decided in October and announced at Paris Photo.
Practical Info
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.
Submissions must comprise a PDF file including 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 CV, a 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). The proposal should not exceed 500 words in length. Additionally, two professional references (names and contact information) are required.
The jury is composed of Nathalie Herschdorfer (Photo Elysée), Sarah Meister (Aperture), Sophie Wright (MUUS Collection), Mark Sealy (Autograph), and Paul Roth (Image Centre)
The fellowship recipient will be decided in October and announced at Paris Photo and the grant will run from November 2026 to November 2027.
About MUUS Collection
MUUS Collection is an American 20th century photography collection that preserves, researches, and reveals work from the archives it owns and represents. It transforms archives by organizing and interpreting them, inviting study, and illuminating our photographers’ work through publication, exhibition, and strategic partnerships. MUUS Collection is the private collection of Michael Sonnenfeldt and family, and is managed by Photography Collections (PCC), through which all our archive operations are run.
