Elizabeth Perkins Fellowship in Museum Practice & Research
The Fellowship is an intensive twelve-week program in research and hands-on museum practice. The experience includes interaction with museum visitors, providing docent tour services, exposure to museum education, development, and administration issues as they relate to curatorial activity and exhibit development, attending professional staff meetings, and opportunities to meet and network with other regional museum professionals. A typical week, depending on scheduling, can consist of 1 or 2 days of research and project development activities (including field trips to other museums in northern New England), 4 or 5 days of giving public tours of Old York’s historic museum structures, and 1 day of personal time. Field trips are planned by Fellows and appropriate staff and are related to the projects and to interpretative themes.
Successful candidates are awarded a Fellowship which includes tuition, books, field trip expenses, and housing for twelve weeks. Fellows also receive a $2700 stipend for that period.
2011 Fellowship Dates
Elizabeth Perkins Fellows arrive on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 and begin introductory training the following day. The Fellowship Symposium takes place on Monday, August 15, 2011.
Program Location
The Fellowship is centered at the Museums of Old York in York, Maine. Settled in 1631, York, Maine is one hour north of Boston, forty-five minutes south of Portland, Maine’s largest city and cultural hub, and ten minutes from historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is located directly on the southern coast of Maine, which offers a density of historic villages and settlements, many having been established in the 17th century. The area also offers extensive beach and recreational activities.
About the Museums of Old York
The Museums of Old York is one of the largest historical museums in Maine, maintaining eight historic museum buildings. The museums houses a large collection of artifacts associated with the development of southern Maine from pre-history through the twentieth century. With roots stretching back to 1899 and the opening of its first museum in 1900, Old York is recognized as one of the earliest collecting institutions in New England. .
Fellows' Living Quarters
Fellows are housed in the former servants’ quarters of the Elizabeth Perkins House, a sprawling colonial revival summer estate on the York River, just minutes from the ocean front at York Harbor. Fellowship quarters consist of a wing housing four individual bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a common kitchen/dining area and pantry, a living room, and a large private screened porch overlooking the rear lawn and gardens out to the river. The quarters were added to the original 1730s house in 1926, and offer a Maine “summer cottage” experience. They are basic and comfortable. Cable is provided for internet service and television.
Program Considerations
This program, now in its twenty-third year, was founded to provide students interested in establishing museum and cultural academic careers with the opportunity to conduct meaningful research and present it in a public forum. In addition, Fellows serve as educational interpreters for several of Old York's historic buildings. The most successful Fellows are those who are self-starters, highly motivated, able to live, as well as work, closely with others and who seek to gain professional experience during an intense and rewarding period of residency.
The Fellowship is open to graduate and upper level undergraduate students pursuing museum, preservation, or academic careers. Selection is very competitive, with four Fellowships being awarded each year. Academic credit may be arranged through the applicant’s school.
2011 Fellowship Projects
We seek four candidates who will work collaboratively on one museum project and one candidate who will work independently on a library project.
Project One
2011 Perkins Fellows Jefferds Tavern Project
Four of the 2011 Fellows will assume the responsibility of installing an interpretive exhibit in the five rooms of Jefferds Tavern, a highly visible historic structure used for a variety of purposes which has been lacking interpretation for several years. This installation will be based on the exhibit plan developed by the 2010 Fellows and available online. Prior to applying for the Fellowship, all interested candidates should review this plan which can be accessed below.
This project will provide considerable hands-on experience in exhibit design and installation both independently and in collaboration with the Old York staff. The exhibit process will begin with determining which recommendations of the 2010 plan to implement and where changes need to be made. A working plan will be developed for the successful completion of the project and the remaining 10 weeks will be spent preparing and installing the Jefferds Tavern exhibit. The goal is to have the installation complete by the first week of August so the newly interpreted building can be unveiled to the public at the annual Fellows Symposium.
Project Two
One Fellow’s time will be dedicated to Old York’s library and archives. Under the guidance of the library staff and Curator, this Fellow will review, organize, digitize, and archive a small, but important local family’s collection of papers, photographs, and newspapers from the 18th – 19th centuries. This process will involve researching the donated materials in order to develop a finding aid for future researchers. Knowledge of PastPerfect Museum software or comparable program is required.
The Library fellow will not give tours of the Museum buildings.
Application Procedures
The selection committee bases its decisions on a completed application, essay, and two letters of recommendation from faculty or professional references. Strong candidates also participate in a telephone or in-office interview. Applicants are not required to be currently enrolled at an academic institution at the time of their admission to the Fellowship program. Also, since the Fellowship aims to expose young professionals to museum work, previous experience in museums is not required, but does demonstrate a strong interest in the field.
To receive an application, please email rbowen@oldyork.org or download an application from www.oldyork.org.
Completed applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on March 2, 2011
Fellowship Alumni
The Fellowship program has over seventy alumni who live and work in the United States, Canada and Europe. Over 95 percent of past Fellows work in museums and other cultural organizations, including:
Carl Sandburg National Historic Site |
Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Contact Information
For general information please click here. For more information about the Elizabeth Bishop Perkins Fellowship, please contact:
Richard Bowen, Programs Specialist
Museums of Old York
P.O. Box 312
York, ME 03909
rbowen@oldyork.org
P: (207) 363-4974 x14
F: (207) 363-4021