March 4, 2026

CLARK ART INSTITUTE ANNOUNCES RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC PROGRAM FELLOWSHIPS for 2026–2027

(Williamstown, Massachusetts)—The Clark Art Institute’s Research and Academic Program (RAP) announces the appointment of its 2026–2027 class of Fellows for summer 2026 and the upcoming academic year.

The Clark Art Institute is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Through RAP, the Clark hosts a residential fellowship program that welcomes leading scholars from around the world for periods ranging from two to nine months. To date, the community of Clark Fellows numbers more than 470 individuals hailing from forty countries, forming a global network of scholars united through the shared experience of academic pursuits undertaken within a leading art history library and on the bucolic grounds of the Clark.

Describing the distinctive character of the fellowships, Caroline Fowler, Starr Director of the Research and Academic Program, observes, “The fellowship program at the Clark brings together some of the most rigorous and ambitious scholarship being produced in art history and the humanities today. What continues to astonish me is how the setting itself becomes part of the work—the quiet of the Berkshires, the proximity of the library, the long uninterrupted hours that are so rare in academic life. Scholars arrive with a project and leave having fundamentally reconsidered it. That transformation is at the heart of what we do here.”

While in residency at the Clark, Fellows pursue independent research projects that span a wide variety of topics and pursuits, including writing, conceptualizing exhibitions, and studying vital issues in art history and the humanities. The Clark’s library collection—recognized as one of the leading art history libraries in the United States—serves as a central resource for researchers. Scholars live in apartments in a house close to the Clark’s campus, providing a collegial environment that fosters collaboration, ongoing dialogue, and exchange of ideas.

Underscoring the program’s central role within the institution, Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark, emphasizes, “The Research and Academic Program is inseparable from the Clark’s identity as both a museum and a center for serious intellectual inquiry. The Fellows we welcome each year are doing work that shapes how art history is written and taught around the world, and the program is a demonstration of what becomes possible when you give exceptional scholars the time and space to think.”

Fellowships for 2026–2027 are awarded to:

Summer (July–August 2026)
Jacqueline Lichtenstein CFHA-Clark Fellow: François Aubart, ENSAPC Paris-Cergy, France
Clark Fellows: Alisha Chipman, independent scholar, Washington, D.C.; Jared Ledesma, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; Adele Nelson, University of Texas at Austin; Tanya Sheehan, Colby College, Waterville, Maine

Academic Year (September 2026–June 2027)
Clark Fellows: Tiffany Barber, University of California, Los Angeles; Carrie Lambert-Beatty, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Anneka Lenssen, University of California, Berkeley; Vanessa Pérez-Rosario, Queens College, New York; Rachel Saunders, Princeton University, New Jersey
Caribbean Art and its Diasporas Fellow: Rizvana Bradley, University of California, Berkeley
Gould Foundation Fellow: Jongwoo Jeremy Kim, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Michael Ann Holly Fellow: Byron Hamman, Burlington, Iowa
Beinecke Fellow: Steven Nelson, emeritus, University of California, Los Angeles
Short-Term Beinecke Fellow: Yael Rice, Amherst College, Massachusetts
Clark/Oakley Humanities Fellow: Elizabeth Otto, University at Buffalo, State University of New York

For more information, visit clarkart.edu/rap.

ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of nearly 300,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
 
The Clark, which has a three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide, is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Its 140-acre campus includes miles of hiking and walking trails through woodlands and meadows, providing an exceptional experience of art in nature. Galleries are open 10 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday from September through June, and daily in July and August. Admission is free to all from January through March. From April through December, admission is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors (65+), $10 for young adults (18–25) and college students, and free for all visitors under 18. Admission is free year-round for Clark members. Free admission is also available through several programs, including First Sundays Free; a local library pass program; and EBT Card to Culture. For information on these programs and more, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

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