PAFA Announces Gift from Trustee and Spouse for
New Diversity Curatorial Fellowship 

The Winston & Carolyn Lowe Curatorial Fellowship for Diversity in the Fine Arts
seeks to enhance diversity within the major institutional museum field
 

PHILADELPHIA (November 6, 2015) -- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is pleased to announce a new two-year fellowship dedicated to enhancing diversity in the fine arts by focusing recruitment efforts on under-represented groups in America in the curatorial profession.

According to the recent Mellon Foundation's Art Museum Staff Demographic Survey, which studied the gender and ethnic/racial diversity of the 220 Association of Art Museum Directors member museums, the report found "no pipeline toward leadership for minorities," and, according to the AAMD, among museum curators, conservators, educators and leaders, less than five percent of the AAMD members have minorities in these coveted senior positions.

The Winston & Carolyn Lowe Curatorial Fellowship for Diversity in the Fine Arts at PAFA will provide an opportunity for a highly qualified candidate with a Ph.D. in art history or an M.A./M.F.A in contemporary art to gain professional curatorial experience at a nationally renowned museum of American art with a degree-granting school of fine arts and receive an annual salary of $50,000 plus benefits.

An initial gift of $250,000 to fully fund this appointment and successive fellows has been generously provided by Winston Lowe, a member of PAFA's Board of Trustees, and Carolyn Oakley Lowe, a member of the Board's Human Resources Committee and School Committee.

"PAFA has a long history of exhibiting and educating artists from diverse backgrounds. We are genuinely thrilled that Winston and Carolyn Lowe are supporting this effort to diversify the curatorial field. We are deeply grateful for their leadership and their gift," stated Harry Philbrick, The Edna S. Tuttleman Director of the Museum.

"Carolyn and I are very pleased to partner with PAFA on this very important strategic diversity initiative at PAFA and hope that by underwriting this initiative over time we can help to have an impact on diversity in museum management, making the field more representative of the United States" added PAFA Trustee, Winston Lowe.

The Lowe Curatorial Fellow will primarily be responsible for collection- and exhibition-related research focusing on historic, modern, or contemporary American art and artists, particularly from art and artists from underrepresented groups of Americans , with an emphasis on developing engaging exhibitions and publications, audience development, fundraising and public relations.

The Lowe Curatorial Fellowship will be designed to provide a professional bridge to a major institutional museum career and encourage diversity within the major institutional museum field. The fellowship will be a full-time, two-year position offering a highly mentored and structured curatorial experience at PAFA.

"PAFA is committed to diversity as one of our core values and in every aspect of our mission. This new fellowship enables PAFA to add diversity to our curatorial team while also providing leadership in developing talent to enable museums to better reflect the communities we serve," noted David R. Brigham, PAFA President and CEO.

For more information, visit: https://www.pafa.org/current-openings/winston-carolyn-lowe-curatorial-fellowship-diversity-fine-arts-pennsylvania-academy

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About PAFA:
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is America's first school of fine arts and museum. A recipient of the 2005 National Medal of Arts, PAFA is a recognized leader in fine arts education with a world-class permanent collection of American art.