Romare Bearden, American, 1911–1988; Summertime (detail), 1967; collage on board; 56 x 44 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Minority Artists Purchase Fund 22:1999; © 2021 Romare Bearden Foundation / Licensed by ARS, New York, NY
The Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellowship honors the pioneering artist’s legacy by providing opportunities to early-career museum professionals. The goal of the Fellowship is to promote greater access to the field for individuals from backgrounds that are historically and statistically underrepresented at American art museums. These paid fellowships are a critical component in preparing early career museum professionals from historically underrepresented backgrounds seeking careers in art museums and art-related fields of education, community engagement, and administration.
Fellows receive hands-on work experience in various museum functions, including curatorial, public programming, interpretive materials, registration, audience development, marketing, and development. Specific assignments are tailored to the needs of the Saint Louis Art Museum as well as the Bearden Fellow’s skills and interests. All fellows receive individualized mentoring from senior museum staff to enhance skill development that fosters confidence building critical to entry-level museum professionals.
Current Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellows
Daniella Statia
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Daniella Statia (2025-2027) received her bachelor of arts in Art History and Spanish studies with a minor in museum studies from the University of Delaware in 2022. During her time, she interned at the Delaware Historical Society in the education department and helped curate the university’s online collection, Black Portrait Photography Collection. Daniella also holds a master of arts in Art History with a focus on Blackness and Indigeneity in modern art of the Americas from Tulane University. As a graduate student, she worked as a teacher’s assistant and interned at the Beauregard-Keyes Historic House.
Maggie Brown-Peoples
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Maggie Brown-Peoples (2024-2026) is a 2020 graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) with a double major in Communication and Psychology and a minor in Black Studies. In 2023, she graduated from the University of Kansas with a Master of Arts in Museum Studies. She has provided curatorial, educational, and public programming support for the National Blues Museum, Spencer Museum of Art, and Watkins Museum of History. As a graduate student, she served as a curatorial assistant on the art exhibition component, One History, Two Versions, to supplement the traveling exhibition Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let The World See, which won the History in Progress (HIP) Award from the American Association for State and Local History.
Projects
The projects spotlighted here are only a small window into what the fellows accomplish and is not to be all inclusive. Fellows work in Learning & Engagement, Registration, Curatorial, Development, Membership, and other areas based on their interests.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Learn more about the Museum’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts
Annual Summits on Diversity
On Thursday September 26, 2024 the Saint Louis Art Museum hosted a free, virtual summit to focus on the role of mentorship in fostering the next generation of leaders and defining strategies for creating space in museums, education, and community.
Past summits are archived below.
Past Summit Archive
Archived video of past summits can be viewed below.
2024 | Advancing Change: Centering Mentorship in Arts, Education, and Community | Watch Now
2023 | Advancing Change: Museums, Libraries, and Communities | Watch Now
2022 | Advancing Change: Retaining BIPOC Talent in Museums | Watch Now
2021 | Advancing Change: The Future of Museum Leadership | Watch Now