Summary

The purpose of The Textile Museum (TM) Curatorial Fellowship is to support the quality, vitality, and diversity of research in textile studies and strengthen the curators’ intellectual care of the textile collection. This includes conducting independent collections research and interpretation of the textile collection for exhibitions, publications, and other ways of knowledge dissemination, alongside building academic and popular interest in textile studies. This fellowship is intended to provide full-time support for the department through the above activities and is not a completion fellowship for the purpose of finishing a dissertation or thesis.

TM Curatorial Fellow undertakes primary and secondary collections-based research at The Textile Museum Collection and is typically an advanced doctoral student or post-doctoral researcher who received their Ph.D. within the past two years, and whose research interest corresponds to The Textile Museum Collection and its current research goals.

Key Details

• Duration: 1 year with opportunity for renewal (September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2027)
• Schedule: 40 hours per week
• Misc: Work will be equally divided between the Avenir Foundation Conservation and Collections Resource Center on the Virginia Science and Technology campus (Ashburn, VA) and at GW’s Foggy Bottom campus, where the Museum and resource libraries are located.

Deadline: ASAP (Posted May 13, 2026)

Eligibility

Minimum Qualifications:

• Qualified candidates for The Textile Museum Curatorial Fellowship will be pursuing a PhD degree or hold a PhD in a relevant area of study completed within the past two years.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Preferred candidates for The Textile Museum Curatorial Fellowship will be pursuing a PhD degree or hold a PhD in a relevant area of study completed within the past two years.
• In the current fellowship cycle, applicants with a background in textiles from Mexico or Southeast Asia are desired, but not required.

Compensation

$21.80 – $28.32 per hour

About

The Textile Museum Collection, founded in 1925 and now housed at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, is a world-renowned textile arts collection comprised of 21,000 objects drawn primarily from the Asian, African, and indigenous American cultures of the last five millennia. The Textile Museum’s mission is to expand public knowledge and appreciation—locally, nationally, and internationally—of the artistic merits and cultural importance of the world’s textiles. Through exhibitions, programs, and academic courses, the Museum integrates with diverse disciplines to enrich research, education, and cultural understanding of textile arts both across and beyond The George Washington University (GW). The museum also strengthens the established reputation of the University as a leader in training the next generation of museum professionals and textile scholars.

Return to search

Tagged as: Curatorial & Research