The 2023 Zeitz MOCAA & University of the Western Cape (UWC) Museum Fellowship Programme call for applications officially opens on 15 June 2022.
This call marks the second iteration of the year-long programme, developed to educate a new generation of art and museum professionals from Africa. With the aim to foster the growth of curatorial practice and advance scholarship on contemporary art discourse from the continent, the programme offers fellows exposure to museum practice facilitated by Zeitz MOCAA senior staff and is underpinned by rigorous academic scholarship at UWC’s Department of History and Centre for Humanities Research (CHR).
“We are pleased to once again be collaborating with the University of the Western Cape on this incredible initiative to educate the next generation of exhibition makers and curatorial thinkers. We remain committed to merging scholarship on contemporary art production and circulation from Africa and its diaspora and hope to contribute to a new group of skilled professionals looking to work within museums, galleries, art centres, private and public collection management, biennials, art publishing, festivals, universities and more,” says Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator at Zeitz MOCAA.
During the 12-month Museum Fellowship Programme, fellows will engage in discourse around contemporary art, curatorial practice, art education, conservation, heritage and museology from Africa and the African diaspora. They will study and work with both institutions towards an accredited BA Honours qualification. This includes enrolling in courses on historiography, curatorship, museums, heritage and public history at UWC’s Department of History as well as obtaining work experience at Zeitz MOCAA in the Curatorial, Collections & Exhibition Management, Art Education and Institutional Advancement departments. Successful fellows will actively contribute to the research, planning, execution and management of museum projects, ranging from exhibitions, publishing and public programming to art education and fundraising.
“It is fitting that applications for the 2023 Zeitz MOCAA & University of the Western Cape (UWC) Museum Fellowship Programme opens one day before South Africa’s Youth Day on 16 June and during Youth Month. Our aim is to continue promoting narratives that are important to the building of artistic and curatorial communities and this feeds directly into the South African government’s goals of developing plans for a more effective arts and culture curriculum and supporting income and funding models for arts and culture initiatives,” says Rory Bester, Associate Professor in the Department of History at UWC.
The Fellowship begins in January 2023 and is open to individuals who are citizens of an African country. It covers the costs of tuition, accommodation, basic health insurance and a monthly stipend. Travel to South Africa and visa costs are not included.
Applications for the 2023 programme close on 15 July 2022 and successful applicants will be contacted directly by 5 September 2022. Only the first 150 applications received will be considered for review.
For more information and to apply, visit zeitzmocaa.museum.
Zeitz MOCAA and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) celebrate diversity in all its forms, including gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
The Zeitz MOCAA & University of the Western Cape (UWC) Museum Fellowship Programme is supported by Zeitz MOCAA, the University of the Western Cape, AKO Foundation and Africa No Filter.
