Call for applications: Museums Next Generation 2023

In 2023, Villa Albertine, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US with the support of FACE Foundation launches a new acceleration program, Museums Next Generation, aimed at engaging young museum professionals, in renewed transatlantic dialogues on contemporary challenges faced by museums.

Each year, the Museums Next Generation program invites young museum professionals to participate in an immersion program in France (for American professionals) or in the US (for French professionals).

The American session of this first edition will bring together four American professionals and will take place in Paris and selected regions across France, between October 7 and October 18, 2023, in partnership with the Institut National du Patrimoine, a higher education institution of the French Ministry of Culture in charge of the training of museums curators.

The Program

The Museums Next Generation program aims to renew ties between museums in our two countries by nurturing a new generation of professionals, who will eventually assume leadership roles in museum institutions, to familiarize themselves with the other country’s ecosystem. The program additionally aims to support participants in build a professional network on the other side of the Atlantic, that will foster new synergies within the French-American professional community.

The American part of the program aims

• to enhance knowledge and comprehension of the various aspects of the French museum ecosystem
• to inspire American professionals in their own practices and to confront them with the practices of their French counterparts
• to strengthen the international perspective of the young generation of American curators and their network across the Atlantic
• to promote a new generation of American curators to the French professional community

During these ten days, fellows will benefit from

• talks on the specificities and challenges faced by French museums in their scientific, educational, organizational and philanthropic aspects
• exclusive meetings with leaders and prominent figures in the field (directors, curators, development and sponsorship officers, educational managers, sponsors, etc.)
• visits to the most prominent and innovative institutions in the country
• networking events with French professionals

A detailed schedule for the immersion program will be provided later.

Applicants must meet the following requirements

• Currently serve as curators, associate curators, assistant curators at American museums
• Have 5 - 15 years of relevant experience
• Have never been appointed as directors of a museum institution
• Be US citizens or work in the US

Applications will be evaluated based on the quality of the candidate's background and their interest in participating in the program.

Applicant Profile

Fellows are selected based on their achievements (exhibitions, publications, etc), as well as their experience in managing innovative museum projects. Moreover, candidates’ ability to envision museums of the future and their interest in international and managerial concerns, which position them as potential leaders, will be considered.

Fellows will be selected by a jury of French and American museum professionals.

Applicants are invited to submit their applications via this online form no later than June 23 at 10pm ET.
They will need to specify their professional background, their completed and ongoing projects, and their motivations for participating in the program.

Application Deadlines

• Launch of the call for applications: May 18, 2023
• Application deadline: June 23, 2023, at 10pm ET
• Jury selection and announcement of the selected candidates: end of June, 2023

For any questions, please contact

François Bridey, Museums and Cultural Heritage Attaché
francois.bridey@villa-albertine.org
Villa Albertine, Cultural Services of the French Embassy, New York