Opportunities

In addition to having full-time staff, the Center for Design and Material Culture also offers student hourly employment, fellowships, and other opportunities to engage with the center. Contact us if you have questions or would like more information.

The CDMC is currently accepting applications for the following positions:


Fifth Annual Chipstone-CDMC Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

This summer the Center for Design and Material Culture will offer undergraduate research fellowships in collaboration with the Chipstone Foundation. The fellowships are for students studying in each of the Center’s three pillars: The Study of Textiles, Design Thinking, and Material Culture. Selected students will receive financial support of up to $2,000 to conduct independent research with a UW faculty mentor and must present their work in a CDMC research symposium in August or September.  All UW–Madison undergraduate students graduating after May 2024 and who study in one of the CDMC’s three pillars are eligible to apply.

To apply, please submit a document with the following information to cdmc@sohe.wisc.edu.

The deadline is Sunday, March 17 EXTENDED to Friday, March 22.

  1. Name, school, major, graduation year (after May 2024)
  2. Your selected faculty mentor, who may be contacted as a reference
  3. A brief description (under 400 words) of the proposed research project
  4. A brief description (under 400 words) of the outcomes or deliverables. What do you hope to accomplish?
  5. A rough budget and timeline (you may include your time, travel expenses, and research expenses)

Students will be selected based on the following criteria:

  1. The feasibility of the project
  2. The project’s connection to CDMC pillars and goals
  3. The support and recommendation of the faculty mentor

Selected students will commit to regular check-ins with their mentors and CDMC staff. They will present their work at a symposium in August and may be asked to participate in summer workshop events.

Interested students should reach out to CDMC Operations Manager, Laura Sims Peck (laura.peck@wisc.edu) with any questions.

 

Regular Offerings

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Additional Opportunities

Honorary Fellowship – Scholars, researchers, and other individuals working in textiles, material culture, and design thinking in ways that connect to the goals of the CDMC may be eligible to become honorary fellows of the center. This fellowship is available to academic staff and people from outside the UW–Madison network.

Exhibition Proposal

Exhibition Proposal – Are you interested in exhibiting with the CDMC in one of our galleries? We collaborate with artists, curators, designers, scholars, and more to create meaningful exhibits that support curriculum, research, and community interests. If you are interested in proposing an exhibition, please fill out the linked CDMC_Exhibition Proposal (Fillable) and return it to cdmc@sohe.wisc.edu.

Faculty Opportunities

Faculty in Residence – UW–Madison faculty have the opportunity to work directly with the CDMC in a year long partnership that may result in a meaningful exhibition, project, or program.

Affiliate – Available to  UW–Madison faculty, affiliation with the center enhances the opportunity to study and program around the three pillars of the CDMC, textiles, design thinking, and material culture, both for the center and the affiliate.

Undergraduate and Graduate Student Opportunities

Gallery Attendant – Undergraduate and graduate students are offered the ability to learn hands-on gallery experience. From installation to program management to exhibition design, gallery attendants work in the Ruth Davis Design Gallery and Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery and steward the spaces, making them accessible to the campus and local community.

These positions are typically filled at the change of the semester so check back for new openings.

Collection Assistant – This position is available to undergraduate and graduate students interested in museum collection management. Collection assistants work hands-on with the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection in object handling, accessioning, provenance research, and more.

These positions are typically filled at the change of the semester so check back for new openings.

Research Assistant –  Typically reserved for graduate students, this position centers on conducting in depth research. In this position, graduate students work towards an exhibition by assisting with research centered on a few objects or a theme.

These positions are typically filled on an as needed basis so check back for new openings.

Internship – The CDMC offers an internship for undergraduate students interested in learning opportunities surrounding one of our three pillars, textiles, design thinking, and material culture. These internships are filled through work in our galleries and/or the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.

Contact us for more information about these internships.

Summer Undergraduate Fellowship – In partnership with the Chipstone Foundation, the CDMC offers a summer undergraduate research fellowship. Students are given the opportunity to conduct research in one of the three pillars of the center, textiles, design thinking, and material culture.