Summary

The one-year Betsy James Wyeth Fellowship in Native American Art seeks to foster new scholarship on Native art of the United States that centers and elevates Indigenous methodologies, knowledges, and communities. The fellowship is jointly hosted by SAAM and the National Museum of the American Indian and provides scholars with access to the resources of both museums. The Wyeth Foundation for American Art provides publishing grants of up to $5,000 for first-time authors who have held a Betsy James Wyeth Fellowship in Native American Art.

Key Details

Stipend: $53,000

Duration: 12 months at the predoctoral level or 9 months at the postdoctoral or senior level, tenure must take place between June 1, 2027, and August 31, 2028

Deadline: October 15, 2026

Eligibility

The proposed research project should focus on historic or contemporary Native American artists, designers, and makers. Successful applications will center Indigenous methodologies, knowledges, and communities within their research practices and draw on the resources of the two Smithsonian host museums.

Fellowship Categories:

• Predoctoral fellowships are for those who have completed coursework and preliminary examinations for their doctoral degree and are engaged in university-approved dissertation research.
• Postdoctoral fellowships support independent research projects by scholars who earned a PhD in the last five years. Predoctoral students may apply if they qualify for a postdoctoral fellowship by the start date.
• Senior fellowships are intended for scholars with a distinguished publication record who have held their doctoral degree for more than five years (i.e., received it before October 15, 2021) or who possess a commensurate record of professional accomplishment. If you have taken a “leave of absence” from research and wish to apply under the postdoctoral fellowship application instead of the senior fellowship application, you will need to provide justification in the additional information section at the end of the application.

About

The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation’s first collection of American art, is an unparalleled record of the American experience.The collection captures the aspirations, character, and imagination of the American people throughout three centuries. The museum is the home to one of the largest and most inclusive collections of American art in the world. Its artworks reveal key aspects of America’s rich artistic and cultural history from the colonial period to today.

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