OPEN CALL: Applications for ICI’s Curatorial Research Fellowships
Independent Curators International (ICI) is now accepting applications for the 2023 Curatorial Research Fellowships. The program is focused on promoting experimentation, collaboration, and international engagement in the field, supporting research, travel, and the development of professional networks for curators to advance their practice and develop new knowledge in contemporary art.
Conceived to foster independent research, ICI’s Curatorial Research Fellowships offer a framework tailored to each curator’s field of critical inquiry. The fellows will receive mentorship specific to their research interests, as well as 10,000 USD in financial support. They will have access to ICI’s international networks of collaborators and programs to create opportunities for continued learning.
Fellows may be based anywhere and will receive regular mentorship sessions virtually. The fellowship period is eight months, between March and October 2023.
ICI’s Curatorial Research Fellowships program was expanded in 2021 with the support of the Marian Goodman Gallery Initiative in honor of the late Okwui Enwezor, to include opportunities for curators of African descent based anywhere in the world and BIPOC curators based in the US. Additionally, ICI offers fellowships supporting Indigenous curators based in the US and curatorial research focusing on the Mississippi River Basin as a site of cultural production.
In 2023, ICI is offering four Fellowship opportunities:
–Curatorial Research Fellowship for curators of African descent based anywhere in the world
–Curatorial Research Fellowship for BIPOC curators based in the US
–Indigenous Curatorial Research Fellowship for Indigenous curators in the US
–Mississippi River Basin Curatorial Research Fellowship for curators focusing on curatorial and artistic practices and alternative histories of the region defined by the Mississippi River
Eligibility: Minimum 5 years of experience working with contemporary artists. Open to curators working independently or with institutional affiliations. Candidates may apply to multiple fellowships.
Applications: Applications should be submitted via ICI’s application portal by January 15, 2023 at 11:59pm EST. To complete your application, please submit:
–Description of proposed curatorial research, goals, and process, including the next 3 steps you plan to take to develop your research project (400 words max)
–Description of resources needed and/or travel plans (100 words max)
–Description of mentorship needs (100 words max)
–Preliminary list of artists, curators, writers, etc. relevant to the project (70 words max)
–Description of the relevance of the project to the field (100 words max)
–Description of how the Fellowship will impact the applicant’s practice (100 words max)
–Bio demonstrating relevant experience (250 words max)
Applications may be submitted in English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese, but a working knowledge of English is necessary for participation in the Fellowships, which are conducted in English.
For more information, visit ICI’s website or contact ICI’s Programs Coordinator, Zoe Dobuler, at zoe@curatorsintl.org.