Artist in Residence Opportunity:

Taking place over 40 hours between January and June 2018, residencies are open to dynamic, diverse candidates of any artistic discipline including emerging and established writers, poets, storytellers, dancers, designers, map-makers, musicians, visual artists, or video, film, and multimedia artists, as well as artist collectives.

Artists will work collaboratively with the Libraries’ curatorial, research, and digital content staff—and possibly with each other—to engage in open-ended, exploratory creative projects that are informed or inspired by materials in Libraries’ collections. Artists are invited to work with a specific collection or to work across a variety of the Libraries' archives and special collections and general collections, both physical and digital.

Award:

Artists in residence will be compensated with a stipend of up to $1500 to cover transportation, per diem, and other costs associated with the residency, including awardees time of at least 40 hours. The stipend may be split for collaborating artists.

Interest in historical/library research as a basis for creating art is required, but substantive research experience and skills are not. Introductory training in research methods and using historical sources is available.

Artists will have access to historical documents in the public reading room in the department of Archives and Special Collections or in Wilson Library, and to research and digitization support from Libraries staff. A temporary library card will be provided. Living and studio space is not provided as part of the residency.

Goals:

• Inspire art with historical documents and other sources in the libraries
• Build collaboration between artists and archives
• Support artists interested in exploring historical materials to inspire their creative work
• Bring both art and archives to new audiences.

Outcomes:

• The residency will support up to 40 hours for research/using Libraries collections.
• Artists in residence will participate in at least two public forums about their work (a brief lunchtime discussion and a capstone event with other artists in residence).
• Artists in residence will contribute at least two blog posts to be published in the University of Minnesota Libraries Primary Sourcery blog and other appropriate social media platforms.
• Archival and other library resources will inform the creation of new work(s) or works in progress.
• There will be a capstone event in May/June 2018 to acknowledge and celebrate residency participants and the creative outcomes of the program.

How to apply and timeline:

To apply, please submit the following by Sunday, October 15, 2017, 10 p.m.:

• Application form.
• A brief statement of interest (up to 500 words).
• A work sample (link to website, scan or photograph of work, pdf, etc.), if available.
• A current resume.

Application deadline: Sunday, October 15, 2017 by 10 pm.

Notifications should be expected in December.

For questions, please contact Cecily Marcus at marc0082@umn.edu or (612) 624-8812.

Sponsors:

The Artists in Residence program is sponsored by the Department of Archives and Special Collections, Research and Learning, and the Digital Arts, Sciences and Humanities (DASH) program at the University of Minnesota Libraries.

Funding is provided by the University of Minnesota Libraries program to promote innovation in the Libraries.

This program is informed and inspired by the Givens Collection's 2016 partnership with Coffee House Press's CFP In the Stacks initiative.

About Archives and Special Collections and the University of Minnesota Libraries

The University of Minnesota Libraries’ Department of Archives and Special Collections (ASC) mission is to collect, care for, and provide access to a rich variety of historical sources. The collections are available to anyone with a desire to explore, discover and learn. ASC supports teaching and learning for the University community, K-12, and lifelong learners, and sponsors an active program of exhibitions and programs that are open to the public.

Collections include the Children’s Literature Research Collections; Givens Collection of African American Literature; the Gorman Rare Art Books Collection; Immigration History Research Center Archives; Performing Arts and Literary collections; Sherlock Holmes Collection; Social Welfare History Archives; Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies; Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, and more. Recent special projects and initiatives include the Transgender Oral History Project (Tretter) and Umbra Search African American History (Givens), among others.

About the University Libraries Research and Learning Division

The University of Minnesota Libraries is one of the University’s and the state’s greatest intellectual assets. In 2017, the Libraries won the National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute for Museum and Library Services — becoming only the third academic library to win the award in 23 years.

The Division of Research and Learning supports students, scholars, and the general public in education and research.

The Libraries welcomes learners and scholars from all cultures and backgrounds and strives to reflect our community by embracing the diversity of people and ideas.

PLEASE APPLY BY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 at 10 p.m.

Applications now closed.