LACMA welcomes new fellows

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced its 2021-22 class of fellows designated for the Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship program.

LACMA annually joins the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art to offer the fellowship.

The fellowship returns this year after a one-year postponement due to the pandemic. As a result, the program, which normally takes place over two years, has been temporarily adjusted to host one-year fellowships that will accommodate more students in 2021–22.

The fellowship provides specialized training to students across the United States from historically underrepresented groups in the curatorial field and supports the goal of promoting inclusive, pluralistic museums.

Fellows participate in The Andrew W. Mellon Undergraduate Curatorial Fellowship Program during their undergraduate career, with the goal of continuing their education through graduate work. It provides students with hands-on experience in a museum setting, assisting curators and staff on exhibitions, collections and programs.

Fellows are matched with a curatorial mentor at each museum who works to enrich the academic experience and to increase exposure to the museum context while broadening a fellow’s understanding of art and art history. Fellowships include regular engagement during the academic school year followed by full-time engagement over the summer.

LACMA’s fellows are Marisa Cruz Branco, Pitzer College; Lilia Destin, University of Southern California; Alexa Ramirez, Pomona College; and Kiko Thomas, University of California San Diego.