Claire Cuyabere. Photo by Stacy Bowe.

Fellowships

The collections, archives, and library of the Freer and Sackler Galleries form a rich resource for research. Several different fellowships are available to support graduate students and visiting scholars, administered through the Freer and Sackler, the Smithsonian, or by outside institutions.

Anne van Biema Fellowship

Established by bequest to promote excellence in research and publication on the Japanese visual arts, one award is made each year to support a scholar at the post-doctoral level for a period of two to twelve months. Visit the fellowship page for more information and application instructions.

Iran Heritage Foundation Fellowship

The Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF) Fellowship at the Freer and Sackler Galleries is intended to promote collection-based research and curatorial training in the arts of Iran. It provides an opportunity for a younger scholar to carry out a small exhibition drawn from the museums’ post-seventh-century Persian collections. Visit the fellowship page for more information and application instructions.

Lunder Fellowship

Young scholars are given the opportunity to plan a major international symposium highlighting current research on artist James McNeill Whistler, as well as to conduct research in the Freer collections. This fellowship is offered through the generosity of the Lunder Foundation and administered through the Lunder Consortium for Whistler Studies (comprising the Freer Gallery, Colby College, and University of Glasgow).

Smithsonian Institution Fellowships

A variety of fellowships for students and scholars at several stages of their careers are offered through the Smithsonian Institution Office of Fellowships.

The J. S. Lee Memorial Fellowship

In honor of the late Dr. J. S. Lee, a distinguished Hong Kong philanthropist and lifelong supporter of the study of Chinese art, this fellowship facilitates the international exchange of curatorial expertise and contributes to the professional development of Chinese art curators and academics. Fellows may choose to be based at the Freer and Sackler or at a number of other museums worldwide. Visit the fellowship website for more information and application instructions.

Freer Fellowship, University of Michigan

The University of Michigan Department of the History of Art offers the Charles Lang Freer Fellowship, providing a semester or year-long residency at the Gallery for a pre-doctoral candidate in the department. Visit the department's webpage for more information.