The Cotsen Textile Traces Study Collection, housed at The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum, is one of the world’s most significant textile study collections, comprising nearly 4,000 fragments dating from antiquity to the present. The collection represents a lifetime of collecting by business leader and philanthropist Lloyd Cotsen (1929-2017).
The Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center’s goal is to become a leading global center for textile research, scholarship, and innovation, bringing together students, scholars, and professionals to explore the history, artistry, technology, and cultural significance of textiles. Our mission is to increase accessibility to the Cotsen collection, foster interdisciplinary research, and train the next generation of experts through object-based education, hands-on experience, and the creation and dissemination of textile knowledge. Through research and an improved database, we strive to preserve and build cultural heritage for posterity.
The purpose of the Cotsen Center Fellowship is to support the quality, vitality, and diversity of research in textile studies and to strengthen the intellectual care of the textile collection. This includes conducting object-based learning workshops; teaching basic textile analysis; research support for students and visiting scholars; and conducting research, writing, editing, and program development for the center.
The Museum Fellow, Cotsen Center, is typically a post-graduate whose professional training and interests correspond to The Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center and its current research and academic engagement goals.
Fellowship Expectations
The Museum Fellow, Cotsen Center, is expected to:
- Facilitate research visits for students and faculty and teach basic textile analysis techniques where applicable.
- Contribute to planning and development of Cotsen Colloquia and Global Roundtables.
- Assist in the publication of Cotsen Roundtable proceedings.
- Support textile workshops and other special programs.
- Conduct research to improve the Cotsen database and to verify information generated by students.
- Pull objects for class or research access.
The Museum Fellow, Cotsen Center, can also undertake opportunities such as:
- Help and conduct GW classes, “object-based learning workshops,” and facilitate logistics of class workshops led by curators and faculty.
- Present a talk on their work at a professional conference.
- Submit research notes for The Textile Museum Journal.
- Create a Cotsen micro exhibition during the year of appointment.
- Participate in curatorial meetings, events, and public programs.
The Museum Fellow, Cotsen Center, is encouraged to:
- Contribute to the development of the Cotsen Center’s strategies for the dissemination of scholarly information, including electronic means to strengthen the institution’s scholarly role and visibility.
- Engage with the scholarly community and contribute to other Cotsen Center-generated scholarly initiatives.
- At the end of their appointment, the Museum Fellow, Cotsen Center, must deliver a final report to the Director of The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum and Academic Coordinator of The Cotsen Textile Traces Study Center detailing the work accomplished during the appointment.
- Work will be conducted primarily at GW’s Foggy Bottom campus, where the Museum and resource libraries are located.
- The fellow can also avail of the Avenir Foundation Conservation and Collections Resource Center on the Virginia Science and Technology campus (Ashburn, VA) when necessary.
The Museum Fellow, Cotsen Center is a 12-month fellowship designed to provide early-career professionals with hands-on experience and training with one renewal option and generally runs from September 1 to August 31. Individuals may hold an appointment for no more than two consecutive years.
Performs other duties as assigned. The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that are logically related to the position.