The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) are pleased to announce an open call for the second round of a year-long museum fellowship program designed to train a new generation of African art and museum professionals. The Zeitz MOCAA & University of the Western Cape (UWC) Museum Fellowship Programme aims to promote curatorial practice and scholarship on contemporary art debate on the African continent. This pan-African initiative, which aims to promote knowledge production around curatorial practice, arts administration, and heritage management, will enter its second year in 2023.It provides fellows with hands-on museum experience supervised by Zeitz MOCAA senior personnel, as well as academic rigor in contemporary art studies at the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) college of humanities.
Zeitz MOCAA continues to develop on its mission as an active agent that supports society as a civic space. The institution promotes narratives that are critical to our knowledge of our societies as a location for public discourse, exhibitions, research, and collection. The museum is a gathering place for contemporary art’s conversations, debates, and narrative. UWC is an internationally regarded higher education institution with roots in local political liberation movements. It has established itself as a top institution for excellent education as well as a site that fosters the development of a future generation of intellectuals. It is dedicated to quality in teaching, learning, and research, as well as critical and innovative responses to the requirements of a changing society.
Fellows will participate in discussions about contemporary art, curatorial practice, art education, conservation, history, and museology from Africa and the African diaspora during the 12-month museum fellowship program. They’ll study and collaborate with both institutions to earn an approved BA Honours degree. This includes taking courses at UWC’s History Department and Centre of Humanities Research (CHR) on historiography, curatorship, museums, heritage, and public history, as well as gaining work experience at Zeitz MOCAA in the Curatorial, Collections & Exhibition Management, Art Education, and Institutional Advancement departments. Successful fellows will actively participate to museum programs ranging from exhibitions, publishing, and public programming to art education and fundraising through research, planning, execution, and management.
Individuals interested in advancing their careers in art museums, galleries, art centers, private and public collection management, biennials, art publishing, art festivals, and allied sectors should apply for the Zeitz MOCAA & University of the Western Cape (UWC) Museum Fellowship Program. The program is situated in Cape Town, South Africa, where the university and museum are located, and which is quickly establishing itself as a major creative hub. The fellowship will also provide fellows with an in-depth look at the core networks and mechanisms that make up the city’s art and heritage ecosystem.
Tuition, housing, basic health insurance, and a monthly stipend are all covered by the program. The expense of travel to South Africa and obtaining a visa are not included.
From January to December 2023, five accepted applicants will be enrolled full-time in the 12-month study program. Eligible applicants will preferably have a bachelor’s degree in art history, curatorial studies, political science, history, heritage or museum studies, or other relevant humanities fields, as well as knowledge of contemporary art and heritage from Africa and the African diaspora, excellent writing skills, 2-3 years of relevant work experience, citizenship of an African country, and English proficiency.
The application deadline is July 15, 2022, and selected candidates will be notified by September 5, 2022. For review, only the first 150 applications will be considered.
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) and Zeitz MOCAA support variety in all forms, including gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
The Zeitz MOCAA & University of the Western Cape (UWC) Museum Fellowship Programme is supported by Zeitz MOCAA, AKO Foundation and Africa No Filter.