Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts is committed to the education and furtherance of the careers of artist and craftspersons, including those in careers that support artists and their work. The Kenneth R. Trapp Craft Assistant/Curatorial Fellowship is awarded annually to an early career curator, arts researcher, or art historian.

The Trapp Fellowship is designed to provide the fellow with the opportunity, resources and collection to utilize and hone the skills they gained through their graduate education. Each fellow will have the opportunity to work with the gallery and program team to identify and craft a fellowship that meets the needs of Arrowmont and furthers the career of the fellow. This may include the following: developing and mounting exhibitions, both on campus and traveling, preservation of objects in the collection, gallery and exhibition marketing, developing artifact provenance, care and maintenance of the collection, writing, publication, public speaking, and development of educational materials.

This fellowship is a one-year residency at Arrowmont. In exchange for 40 hours of work per week, the fellow will receive a stipend, accommodations in one of the furnished apartments on campus, and meals in the Arrowmont dining room during workshop sessions. The fellow will work under the direction of the Collections & Galleries Manager and will have access to experts in the medium in which they are researching as well as the involvement of additional experts as the need arises.

The ideal candidate will have recently completed graduate work in art history, museum studies, curatorial practices, or a related field. They will have knowledge of current practices and innovations in collections management, excellent artistic judgement, strong interest in and desire to advance craft knowledge and preservation, and computer proficiency, including collections management software knowledge.