The Marcus Curatorial Fellowship in the Arts is a two-year position within the Lucas Artists Program at Montalvo Arts Center. Two Marcus Curatorial Fellowships will be awarded this fall, 2023. Selected Fellows will assist the Lucas Artists Program’s curatorial team with the development and presentation of public programs, new commissions, and project management. Fellows will have the opportunity to work with living artists of all disciplines and support the development of new art projects from conception to public presentation and evaluation.

The Marcus Curatorial Fellowships are for Bay Area residents with a minimum of an AA or BA degree who are interested in pursuing a career in the arts. Each position is a part-time (20 hours per week) paid position at $24 per hour ($25,000 per year). Each Fellow will have the opportunity to curate an exhibition, installation, project or public program at the culmination of the fellowship featuring concepts and scholarship they have developed over the duration of the fellowship. The Marcus Fellows will be encouraged to explore new ideas, modes of presentation and public engagement expanding Montalvo’s programmatic offerings.

The Fellowships will begin with a focus on one of the following priorities: one Fellow will work with the Lucas Artists Program on a new permanent installation and living land acknowledgment honoring the Ohlone people of Santa Clara County; the other Fellow will support the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Lucas Artists Program, which will include interdisciplinary demonstrations or installations in the residency studios followed by the summer Marcus Exhibition and Festival, Look Back to Look Ahead.

Established through the generosity of the George and Judy Marcus Family Foundation, the Marcus Curatorial Fellowship was created to address issues of access and equity in arts institutions. This fellowship supports Montalvo’s institutional goals of fostering greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within our organization and in our public programming.

To apply for the inaugural Marcus Fellowships, please submit the following by 5 p.m. on October 20, 2023 to Lucas Artists Residency Director, Kelly Sicat, at ksicat@montalvoarts.org and Human Resources at hr@montalvoarts.org:

• Cover letter addressing your interest in the Marcus Curatorial Fellowship, please include your preferred area of focus from the two priorities mentioned above.
• Provide a full resume including education, work/volunteer experience, any extracurricular activities, honors and awards
• A statement (not to exceed 1,000 words) describing your curatorial interests along with an initial proposal for your personal research while working with Montalvo’s Lucas Artists Program.
• One additional recent writing sample
• A letter of recommendation

Resumes without cover letters will not be considered. No phone calls about the position, please. Applications will be screened for qualifications and experience. Not all applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be offered an interview.

Working Conditions & Physical tasks:

• Typical office environment; requires the ability to remain seated at a computer workstation for extended periods. Some job functions may be performed outdoors and require walking over hilly terrain. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
• The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee may lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.

Compensation: $24.00 per hour

About the Lucas Artists Program at Montalvo Arts Center

Housed within Montalvo Arts Center, a 175-acre public park and historic property in the heart of the Silicon Valley in California, the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Program (LAP) is an interdisciplinary creative incubator and cultural producer dedicated to investing in artists from all disciplines and geographical locations and to supporting the creative process and sharing of ideas. We provide artists with time, space and resources to develop their work, take risks and forge collaborative partnerships. We also support artists to engage our communities in critical conversation through the creation and presentation of new work and varied public program offerings. This approach is grounded in our belief that artists’ voices can enrich our world and be a catalyst for debate about issues important to us all. Montalvo is home to the oldest artist residency program on the West Coast of the United States, and has hosted artists since 1939. In 2004, Montalvo opened a new facility for artists on its campus: the Lucas Artists Program. Since then, Montalvo has supported more than 1,200 artists from over thirty countries as artists in residents. The LAP’s campus comprises 11 state-of-the-art artist studios and residence spaces designed by artist and architect collaborative teams, a Commons area and a library.

The Lucas Artists Program is particularly interested in supporting artists who wish to engage with our expansive grounds as a laboratory for public work, and participate in our public programs. Montalvo’s landscape ranges from densely forested areas traversed by creeks and hiking trails to formal gardens and a sprawling front lawn below a historic Mediterranean-style villa. In this environment, there exist many opportunities for artists to explore new materials and methods, temporal and participatory art forms, historic and cultural ideologies, architecture and design, creative ecological solutions, and new technologies. Montalvo’s programmatic offerings are an important way in which we highlight and support the work of resident artists. Our artistic program includes a variety of public programs and an2 active commissioning program, in which new works on the grounds are premiered in a large annual summer festival. We are especially interested in advancing work that activates public space, engages community, and fosters public discourse.

More information about Lucas Artists Program can be found here.

Montalvo Arts Center requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except as required by law. Any employment offer will be contingent upon satisfactory proof that you are fully vaccinated from COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons, and/or as otherwise required by applicable law.