Xiaojin Wu is originally from China and graduated from Peking University with a major in Japanese language and culture. Her first MA, completed at the National University of Singapore, was a study of karamono, or "things Chinese" in fifteenth-century Japan. She completed her second MA at Princeton University in East Asian art and is currently a doctoral candidate at Princeton, where she continues work in cross-cultural studies in Chinese and Japanese art history. At Princeton, Xiaojin has gained experience teaching art history and in the museum world. She is a contributing author for the catalogue of the exhibition Awakenings: Medieval Zen Figural Painting from Japan, held at the Japan Society in the spring of 2007.

Asia Society Museum invites applications for The Asia Society Museum Fellowship, an annual program for the development of professionals in the field of Asian art, sponsored by The Getty Foundation, that fosters direct experience in museum management and curatorship. The Fellowship funds two Fellows-in-residence each year at the Asia Society Museum in New York City, and is open to qualified scholars of Asian art, both graduate students and early-career professionals (post-doctoral) from Asia and the United States. The stipend for the one-year Fellowship is $30,000. The Fellowship provides an unparalleled opportunity for hands-on work experience in all levels of museum operations, and at the same time facilitates global partnerships with professionals in Asian arts institutions that are essential to the presentation of Asian art on an international basis.

The Asia Society Museum Fellowship provides an exceptional, cross-cultural work experience in the field of Asian art museumship. The modest size and broad scope of the Asia Society Museum provides a unique and particularly fertile learning environment. Fellows have access to all museum management activities, including curatorial (securing loans, exhibition design, and wall text composition); artwork handling (conservation, registration, and shipping); financial administration (budgeting, fundraising, and financial reporting); development of interpretive materials (catalogue, website, pamphlets and lectures, and other public programs); and marketing (media, advertising, and on-line publicity). Fellows move not only throughout the entire system of the museum, but also throughout all the program departments of Asia Society, including business, policy and government, and public programming as a whole.

Final selection of Fellows will be determined by each year's pool of applicants, although the intention is to select one Asian and one American Fellow. Other than this criteria, the candidates' skills, academic background, outlook, and experience are not required to complement or contrast each other. The goal is to produce a creative, working synergy.

Program

The Asia Society Museum Fellowship provides professional museum training over a twelve-month period in:

• curatorial decisions
• exhibition design
• budget management
• exhibition text and publications
• art transport
• museum collaboration
• lender relationships
• public educational programming

Museum Fellows will become full and valued members of the Asia Society Museum team, attending all weekly planning and review meetings. In addition, Fellows will receive the benefit of direct supervision by experts in particular areas. Periodic group consultations with the management team will help determine needs, goals, and progress. A final report written by each fellow, and an evaluation by the senior staff will provide a substantive assessment of his or her work and the fellowship.

Fellows begin work on the fall exhibition, researching objects, writing informative wall labels, and assisting with arranging shipping and transport issues.

Fellows will produce a brochure of one of smaller exhibition and, in addition to written materials, Fellows will work with their Asia Society colleagues in developing a series of ancillary contextual lectures, to be delivered either by themselves or by other experts in the particular field.

In addition to learning how to implement a major international exhibition and help position two other simultaneous smaller exhibitions, the Fellows will have an opportunity to work on the planning of future projects and are encouraged to visit other art collections in the United States and meet with museum professionals outside Asia Society. A critical component of the Fellowship is visiting selected American museums and attending academic conferences to gain more in-depth understanding of the complexities of presenting and interpreting a variety of arts in museums.

Application

Prospective Fellows should submit a letter of application that addresses their background and vision for participating as a Fellow; curriculum vitae; and three letters of recommendation from acknowledged professionals in the field. Successful applicants will demonstrate an excellence in scholarship, a commitment to working directly with art works, and an interest in educating the general public about Asian art. Graduate-level applicants should be at least ABD at the time of their application, but it will be understood that the Fellowship does not allow time for progress on the dissertation or other research.

Please note: application deadline for 2008-09 Fellowships was November 1, 2007. Fellows will be notified of the award by the following January 15th, with acceptance required by February 15, and will be expected to begin work July 1, 2008.