Introducing: The UMMA Guest Instagram Curator Program

The UMMA Guest Instagram
Curator Program

Applications for this program are currently closed. Sign up for our e-mails to be alerted when other opportunities become available.

We’ll give you two months and $4,000 to develop a casual, Instagram-exclusive exhibition of art from emerging artists, focused on a theme of your choice!

This is a new, pilot program from UMMA where you’ll spend 8 weeks working directly with UMMA curators, online content developers, and artists on developing an exhibition that will take place on the UMMA Instagram account and UMMA website.

It’s like a short-term internship where you get to directly support the artists you love (with $$!) while learning more about working in a museum setting and what goes into exhibition development.

For this pilot phase of the program, we’ll be selecting two students to become UMMA Guest Instagram Curators. If selected you will receive a $2,000 personal stipend and have access to a budget of an additional to $2,000 to pay directly to artists. Your exhibition development will take place over the course of a fixed two-month period in collaboration with UMMA staff and the artists of your choice.

We’re completing two rotations during the pilot phase:

Rotation 1:
JULY — SEPTEMBER 2021

Rotation 2:
OCTOBER — DECEMBER 2021

(Exact start and end dates of each rotation to be decided based on selected candidates' schedules)

APPLICATIONS FOR THESE ROTATIONS HAVE CLOSED

Apply If You Are:

A current undergraduate or graduate student at U-M
Passionate about the power of art to help people speak their truth (art history expertise is not needed, just a love of art)
Interested in using UMMA’s platform to spread awareness about emerging artists you love
Able to commit to 10-15 hours of work a week for two consecutive months

What This Is:

A two-month long program where you’ll work with UMMA Curators and online content developers to curate an Instagram exhibition focusing on a theme of your choice

What This Isn't:

This isn’t an exhibition of your art. You’ll need to curate works from other artists.
This isn’t a traditional exhibition. Museum exhibitions typically take years to develop and shape. This is intended to be a casual showcase of art from emerging artists speaking to a topic you are passionate about.
This isn’t an in-person experience. This digital exhibition will take place on the UMMA Instagram and the UMMA website, exclusively. For now, consultations with UMMA staff will also happen virtually.
This isn’t fully defined. This is a pilot and we’re not sure what this can be. We are excited for you to bring your own ideas and build it with us!

What Is The Selection Criteria?

A group of UMMA staff will receive anonymized submissions and review your exhibition theme idea. Strong consideration will be given to candidates who show passion for and intend to highlight art and artists that speak to contemporary social issues including, but not limited to, racial equality and anti-racism, celebrating Black joy, wealth gaps, climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, Indigenous land and water rights, criminal justice/police reform, homelessness, healthcare access, and more.
Submissions will be evaluated based on the clarity of your idea, how well your example artist fits the theme, and your idea’s connection to contemporary social issues.
Based on that review, we will select a small number of applicants to participate in a short Zoom call to talk through your theme idea in more depth, after which a final decision will be made.

If I'm Selected, What Will I Be Doing?

You’ll be meeting with UMMA curators to workshop your exhibition theme
You’ll be discovering and selecting art that speaks to your exhibition theme
You’ll be working with artists to secure permission to use their art and arrange payments
You’ll be writing short blurbs about each selected artist and their work
You’ll be working with UMMA content creators to put together your digital exhibition