The Wheelwright Museum, New Mexico’s oldest independent, nonprofit museum, is proud to announce several important new initiatives as it begins to celebrate its 80th anniversary.
Fellowships
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the museum a grant of $300,000 to launch a fellowship program. Fellows will work closely with the museum’s exhibition team in the development of major shows that will be installed in the main gallery between autumn 2018 and autumn 2020. Graduate and postdoctoral students who have demonstrated a passion for the interpretation of objects in a museum setting will be eligible to apply. Native American scholars are strongly encouraged to apply. Information and instructions for applicants will be available soon at https://wheelwright.org/support/fellowships-and-internships/
Internships
The Young Boozer Family Foundation and the Norton T. and G. Leonie Batkin Fund are supporting a new program of internships, which will be available to undergraduate students. Most interns will assist in the curatorial department with collections management, exhibition development, and video production, but some may work in the museum’s public relations office. This program has been fully funded for a five-year period. Information and instructions for internships will be available soon at https://wheelwright.org/support/fellowships-and-internships/
Archival Outreach Program
The museum is launching the Robert and Willow Powers Archival Outreach Program, which will provide assistance and training in archives and records management for Pueblo Indian communities in northern New Mexico. The museum will work closely with one community each year, funding an intern within and chosen by the community, who will be trained by the museum’s archivist, Willow Powers. Our first partner in this program is Taos Pueblo, where maps and other documents supporting the tribe’s sovereignty will be processed and preserved.
The launch of the Archival Outreach Program is made possible by Willow Powers, the Young Boozer Family Foundation, the Norton T. and G. Leonie Batkin Fund, and the Ludwig and Nancy Sternberger Charitable Foundation.
New Record for Annual Fund
Last but not least, response to the museum’s Annual Fund for 2016 set a new record, providing nearly $90,000 for general operating expenses. Many donations came from members who reside outside New Mexico, and several of the largest gifts ever made to the Annual Fund pushed it over the top.
We are deeply grateful to the foundations and private donors who have made it possible for us to create these opportunities. Fellowships and internships were identified as priorities when trustees and staff met in September to draft a new strategic plan. We could not have imagined that we would be able to announce them so soon.