The Indigenous Fellowship Program is a new enterprise that seeks to have Native peoples come into the museum to deepen our understandings of the collections’ cultural and historical significance. This is a visiting adult fellowship program for Native American elders, artists, scholars, and other knowledgeable tribal members.
The Indigenous Fellowship Program is geared towards Indigenous young adults and adults who will benefit from spending a concentrated period of time at the DMNS, studying the collections or undertaking an intensive apprenticeship with a museum professional. For example, Native American artists may want to study portions of the collection to obtain new insights into their own work; elders may want to revisit and reconnect with the objects that their grandparents made and used; a curator at a tribal museum may need to learn more about conservation techniques, collections management, research, or administration. All of these individuals will benefit personally, and they will also help ensure the DMNS accurately and sensitively represents Native peoples. Thus, the program aims to connect the anthropology collections with Indigenous peoples and to ensure that the DMNS is a positive resource for Native communities and the DMNS public alike.
For more information, please contact the Curator of Anthropology. This program is made possible by the generous support of the Avenir Foundation.
