Summary

The Joan Tisch Teaching Fellows Program offers graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in art and art history the unique opportunity to work directly with the Whitney Museum’s collection and audiences within a community of academic support. Participants in the program design tours and talks on the Whitney’s collection and temporary exhibitions for museum visitors and more advanced Teaching Fellows also have opportunities to propose topical tours, lectures, and courses drawing on their own scholarship for special membership groups and public program audiences. Fellows also meet for workshops for feedback and support on their scholarly work and for training in teaching, communication and presentation skills, or other professional development topics.

This selective program offers an invaluable opportunity for students to develop skills for public speaking without notes, communicating sophisticated ideas in a clear and organized fashion to general audiences, and finding their own authentic voice. Alumni of the program, who have gone on to a range of prestigious positions in museums and academia, often reference how these skills benefited them throughout their careers.

Key Details

• Term: Fellowships are ideally for a period of three years, with a minimum commitment of two years.
• Misc: During this period, Fellows are expected to live in or near New York City as the role is in-person on site. We are currently accepting applications for a Fellow to start in the fall of 2026.

Deadline: ASAP (Posted May 1, 2026)

Eligibility

• Must be a graduate student currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Art History or a related field, finishing their coursework or working toward the completion of their dissertation.
• Students specializing in areas covered by the Museum’s collection are given special consideration, but this is not a prerequisite for selection.
• We are seeking diverse perspectives on American Art of the 20th and 21st Century, including Latinx and American indigenous perspectives. We are especially looking for candidates who are able to offer tours in both Spanish and English.

Compensation

Fellows are offered a base pay of $600 a month to support the learning opportunities of the program in addition to per tour pay of $150 per hour for private and specialized tours and $115 for public tours. Fellows also have the potential for further pay for courses, special programs, membership lectures, and other projects.

About

The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for 86 years.

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Tagged as: Learning & Engagement