Applications are now open for the 2026 Zeitz MOCAA & University of the Western Cape Museum Fellowship Programme, a year-long initiative designed to support emerging museum and contemporary art professionals from across Africa.
Based in Cape Town, the programme combines hands-on museum experience at Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa with academic study through the University of the Western Cape. Fellows participate in the daily workings of a major contemporary art museum while completing postgraduate coursework focused on curatorship, museology, public history, and historiography.
Launched in 2022, the fellowship is co-convened by Greer Valley, Senior Curator and Head of Curatorial Affairs at Zeitz MOCAA, and Rory Bester from UWC’s Department of Historical Studies. The programme is designed to nurture the next generation of curators, researchers, and arts professionals working within Africa’s expanding cultural and heritage landscape.
Fellows spend three days per week at Zeitz MOCAA, contributing to projects across departments including curatorial, collection management, exhibition design, art education, and institutional development. The remaining two days are dedicated to academic study at UWC, providing a rigorous theoretical framework to support professional practice.
Participants are involved in the research, planning, and delivery of exhibitions, publications, public programmes, and educational initiatives. The programme offers a rare opportunity to work inside one of Africa’s leading contemporary art institutions while building scholarly knowledge around the continent’s art histories and museum practices.
The fellowship is open to applicants from across Africa who are interested in developing careers in museums, galleries, art centres, collections management, biennials, publishing, festivals, and related cultural fields.
The programme runs February 2026 – January 2027 and includes tuition, accommodation, basic health insurance, and a monthly stipend. Travel and visa costs are not included.
Only the first 100 applications will be considered, so early submission is strongly encouraged.
