Call for Applications: Humanities EXPLORE Undergraduate Fellowship with Professor Carla Freccero and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, 2024-2025

Exhibition Fellow: THI Coha-Gunderson Speculative Futures Collective

We encourage work-study and non-work-study students to apply. This role is only open to undergraduate students with a declared or proposed Humanities major or minor and requires work authorization.

Application Deadline: November 10, 2024

Fellowship Dates: January 3rd, 2025 - June 30th, 2025

The Humanities Division and The Humanities Institute are excited to announce an experiential learning opportunity for undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz to work with Professor Carla Freccero and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH).

The Humanities Experiential Learning Opportunities in Research (EXPLORE) Program connects Humanities majors and minors to faculty-led research projects in the division. EXPLORE Fellows are mentored by faculty members to develop skills and knowledge to help them make an impactful intellectual or creative contribution to their field. Students gain practical experience and professional training that builds on their studies in the Humanities. At the same time, faculty benefit from students’ assistance and academic expertise.

Applicants must have a declared or proposed major or minor in the Humanities Division at the time of their application to be eligible. Please see the Humanities Division majors and minors list to check your eligibility before applying.

About the Coha-Gunderson Prize in Speculative Futures

The Speculatively Scientific Fictions of the Future research project, housed at The Humanities Institute and led by Professor Carla Freccero, holds an annual competition for the Coha-Gunderson Prize in Speculative Futures which is open to UC Santa Cruz undergraduates and graduate students from across campus. This competition celebrates creative works of speculative fiction in various media, and previous prizewinning submissions have ranged from poetry to film to interactive science projects and a virtual reality experience. Prizewinners have the opportunity to develop their projects more fully through expert faculty guidance and peer review. This year, they will present their work at a public exhibition at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History in June 2025, and the exhibition and project will be featured at UCSC's Night at The Museum. A new cohort of six prizewinners has already been selected, and up to five more prizewinners will be chosen this fall. You can read about the previous exhibition here.

Position Description: Exhibition Fellow

This Fellow will work at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) under the mentorship of Natalie Jenkins, MAH Exhibitions Manager, and Shanti Nagwani, MAH Preparator, to support Professor Carla Freccero, Distinguished Professor of Literature and History of Consciousness, and the 2024 winners of the Coha-Gunderson Prize in Speculative Futures to prepare for the June exhibition. This unique role bridges working with faculty and professional museum staff to support a campus and community collaboration. The fellow will have the opportunity to learn about the creative projects that prizewinners develop while getting hands-on training from the team at the Santa Cruz MAH to plan and prepare for the exhibition.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

Space Planning (15%): working with the MAH Exhibitions Manager to develop a map of the spaces. Helping the faculty lead, the prizewinners, and the MAH decide where different pieces will be installed.
Exhibition Display (15%): drafting labels, collecting artist bios, and creating a program for the 2025 exhibition.
Exhibition Set Up (15%): Collect dimensions for the different pieces to ensure they fit in the spaces, ensure that prizewinners have the necessary equipment, and help set up the exhibition.
Exhibition De-installation(10%): Supporting the MAH exhibitions team in turning over exhibitions in their main galleries as professional training and preparation for the Speculative Futures exhibition in June.
Marketing and promotion for the exhibition (5%): supporting THI and the MAH’s marketing team with promotions for the exhibition and the Night at the Museum.
Participate in the Coha-Gunderson Creativity Workshops (15%): biweekly in the Winter Quarter, working with Professor Carla Freccero, the Graduate Student Researcher, and the workshop participants in the Spring Quarter
Attend MAH Team Meetings (5%)
De-installation (10%): helping take down the exhibition and supporting with any follow-up at the end of the year.
Liaison (5%): Serve as liaison between the workshop participants/exhibitors and the MAH
Exhibition upkeep (5%): Help with miscellaneous upkeep of museum exhibitions

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

You are a declared or proposed major or minor in a department in the Humanities Division and are in good academic standing. If your major or minor is proposed, you can declare by the end of the academic year in June. [strict eligibility requirement]
- Eligible majors: Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism, Classical Studies, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Feminist Studies, History, Jewish Studies, Language Studies, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, Spanish Studies
- Eligible minors: Black Studies, Classical Studies, East Asian Studies, History of Consciousness, History, Italian Studies, Jewish Studies, Language Studies, Linguistics, Literature, Middle Eastern and North African Studies, Philosophy, Spanish Studies
You have work authorization. [required]
You can work independently and collaboratively (required)
Have strong organizational and communications skills (written and spoken) (required)
You can meet in person at the MAH and on campus at least 1 time per week (required)
Are detail oriented (required)
Have availability with class schedules in the Winter and Spring Quarter of 2025 to work in person at the MAH and with the Creativity Workshop on campus.

Preferred Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities

Prior experience working in art and installation is a bonus. The MAH’s Preparator can provide training.

You’ll Gain

A behind-the-scenes perspective of museum preparatory work
Experience with “turning over” an exhibit space, including de-installing a previous exhibit and installing a new show
Experience mapping out museum spaces
Experience working collaboratively with a team of students and professionals

Position Term: January 4, 2025-June 30, 2024

Hours: 10-15 hours/week – working with your class schedule

Working 1 full day at the MAH or 2 partial days, attending 1-2 meetings/week
3 hours/week (flexible) with the Coha-Gunderson Creativity Workshop Winter Quarter
Hours may increase in the Spring Quarter

Location: On campus and at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.

The Fellow will be expected to work onsite at the MAH at least once per week. The location is 705 Front St., in downtown Santa Cruz.

Compensation: $20/hour

Mentorship: You will work closely with Professor Freccero and the Exhibits team at the Santa Cruz MAH (Director of Exhibitions & Programs, Exhibitions Manager, and the Preparator). They will delegate tasks, review your work, provide coaching, and help you understand what working in and with museums is like. You will meet to check in at least once per week.

Apply By Submitting

Your updated resume
A short cover letter (no more than one page) answering these questions: Why are you interested in this position? How does your academic expertise and skillset prepare you for this role? What are you hoping to gain from this opportunity?

REVIEW these resume and cover letter resources to ensure you are a strong candidate!

Address your cover letter to Professor Freccero

Once the application window closes, there will be an interview process with top candidates. This job is expected to start the first week of Winter Quarter 2025.

APPLY NOW

Please contact the EXPLORE Program coordinator, Kylie Rachwalski, at hum-experiential-learning@ucsc.edu with any questions.

The Mellon Foundation, The Helen and Will Webster Foundation, The Humanities Institute, and the UCSC Humanities Division generously support the Humanities EXPLORE Program.