The Marcus Curatorial Fellowship in the Arts is a two-year position within the Lucas Artists Program at Montalvo Arts Center. Two Marcus Curatorial Fellows will be selected and notified by December 1, 2025. Both fellowships will begin on January 5, 2026, and end on December 17, 2027.

The Marcus Curatorial Fellows will assist the Lucas Artists Program’s curatorial team with the development and presentation of public programs, new commissions, and project management. They 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 Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County residents with a minimum of a BA degree who are interested in pursuing a career in the arts. Each position is a part-time (20 hours per week) paid position. Marcus Curatorial Fellows will be expected to work on-site in our Saratoga offices.

In their first year, one Marcus Fellow will support the planning, development, and installation of the 2026 Marcus Exhibition which will focus on art and architecture. The other Marcus Fellow will assist in researching and developing an exhibition for the Further Triennial which emphasizes “the untold and offbeat stories of Northern California.” Both fellows will also support as needed in other ongoing projects and tasks of the Lucas Artists Program.

In their second year, each Marcus Fellow will have the opportunity to curate their own exhibition, installation, project or public program featuring concepts and scholarship they have developed over the duration of the fellowship. Fellows will be encouraged to explore new ideas, modes of presentation, and increase public engagement for a diverse audience.

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

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.

Hosting artists since 1939, Montalvo is home to the oldest artist residency program on the West Coast of the United States. In 2004, Montalvo opened a new facility for artists on its campus known as the Lucas Artists Program. Since then, Montalvo has supported more than 1,400 artists from over thirty countries as artists in residence. The LAP’s campus comprises 11 state-of-the-art artist studios and living spaces designed by artist and architect collaborative teams, a communal space, and a library.

The LAP is particularly interested in supporting artists who wish to engage with our expansive grounds as a laboratory for their 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 our resident and guest artists. Our artistic program includes a variety of public programs and an 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: https://montalvoarts.org/experience/lucas-artists-residency-program/  

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. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception. 

Compensation: $24.00 per hour – 20 hours per week. This position is not eligible for employee health insurance benefits.

To apply for the 2026-2027 Marcus Curatorial Fellowships, please submit the following by 5 p.m. on October 31, 2025 using this LINK: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/14388c2e2bba48f18531e6746343214f

• Cover letter addressing your interest in the Marcus Curatorial Fellowship. Please include your preferred area of focus from the two priorities mentioned above.
• A resume including education, work/volunteer experience, any extracurricular activities, honors and awards. Experience with events planning or graphic design is a plus.
• A statement (not to exceed 1,000 words) describing your curatorial interests along with an initial proposal for your own curatorial project
•  Two recent writing samples
• A letter of recommendation