The Asia Foundation in partnership with the Asian Art Museum announces a call for applications for the 2022 Margaret F. Williams Memorial Fellowship in Asian Art, a program supporting exchange between diverse, emerging curatorial voices focusing on Asian or Asian American art. Applications will be accepted from January 31 – March 1, 2022, with the selection announced by March 31st.

The fellowship is held every other year and supports two emerging career contemporary art curators–one from Asia, one from the United States–with a unique residency opportunity for a period of up to three months with the Asian Art Museum’s Contemporary Art Department, under the purview of Abby Chen, senior associate curator and head of Contemporary Art.

Fellows will:

• contribute to a project or event that is part of the active and ongoing work of the Contemporary Art Department.
• contribute their perspectives on current trends in the contemporary art world, reflecting their interests and research.

The fellowship provides:

• Round-trip travel to and from San Francisco for the residency at the Asian Art Museum.
• Housing and per diem for the duration of their residency in San Francisco from June 1 – August 31, 2022.
• A $10,000 stipend to support a minimum 4-week, self-designed study tour to support each fellow’s research, professional interests, and network-building (The fellow from Asia will travel in the United States; the fellow from the United States will travel in Asia). The study tour will comprise visits, consultations, meetings, and research. Fellows may choose to visit multiple cities and institutions over four or more weeks.

Background:

The Margaret F. Williams Memorial Fellowship in Asian Art contributes to the professional enhancement of specialists in the Asian art curatorial field through exchange between the United States and Asia. In 2007, Asia Foundation President Emeritus Dr. Haydn Williams established the Margaret F. Williams Memorial Fellowship in Asian Art Program to honor his late wife, whose interest in art was stimulated by their travels. Mrs. Williams was also a docent at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

The program looks to expand diversity, equity, and inclusion in the curatorial field and seeks to build the capacity of a younger generation of curators. Particular attention will be paid to recruiting and growing a pipeline of emerging curatorial leaders who bring diverse perspectives that have been marginalized by sexism, heterosexism, or racism or who are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their work.

For program inquiries, please contact artsfellowships@asiafoundation.org

About the Asian Art Museum: Located in the heart of San Francisco, the Asian Art Museum is home to one of the world’s finest collections of Asian art, boasting more than 18,000 awe-inspiring artworks ranging from ancient jades and ceramics to contemporary video installations. Dynamic special exhibitions, cultural celebrations, and public programs for all ages provide rich art experiences that unlock the past and spark questions about the future.

About The Asia Foundation: The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Informed by six decades of experience and deep local expertise, our work across the region is focused on good governance, women’s empowerment and gender equality, inclusive economic growth, environment and climate action, and regional and international relations.