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The fellowship will support a range of scholars, including independent, artists, and emerging to established researchers. Up to 6 Center for Craft Archive Fellows will receive a $5,000 stipend to conduct research in an archive of their choosing. These Fellows may engage in both conventional and innovative approaches to archival research. Fellows will participate in a virtual program presented by Center for Craft in February 2025, to include a 5 to 7 minute verbal presentation of their research method and findings and participate in group discussion. In addition, the Fellow's research will be published in an article on Hyperallergic which will be featured in a special edition of Hyperallergic's newsletter in Winter 2025, making it accessible to a national and international audience.
Grant goals
To encourage and support the research and writing of historically underrepresented and non-dominant American craft histories
To expand understanding of where and how archival craft research can be conducted
To raise awareness of the importance of craft research
The 2024 Craft Archive Fellowship will foster archival research on underrepresented and non-dominant craft histories in the United States.
ELIGIBILITY
Proposals are welcome from a range of emerging to established scholars, including artists researchers. Funding is intended to support independent research and is not intended to support research conducted on behalf of an institution, organization, or 501c3.
Archives are repositories for and collections of primary source materials where people can conduct research. However, the histories preserved and stored within institutional libraries and archives often reflect the dominant cultural narratives, limiting the types of histories that can be told. Therefore, this fellowship takes an expansive understanding of what an archive is, to delimit what an archive can be. For the purpose of this grant, the Center for Craft understands archival craft research to be, but not limited to:
Applicants must be:
Applicants cannot be:
If an applicant has been previously awarded a Center for Craft grant, but did not complete the project, or is still in the progress of completing a grant or fellowship they are not eligible to apply.
Applicants may only receive one Center for Craft grant and/or fellowship per year. Awards cannot be deferred to the next year due to outstanding applications or multiple awards.
The Center encourages applications from historically underrepresented populations. The Center for Craft prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on sex, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability or perceived disability, age, marital status, gender identity, veteran status, or any other protected category. Applying does not constitute a promise or guarantee of being awarded a grant.
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USE OF FUNDS
Award funds may be used to cover travel and living expenses, personal stipends/honoraria, image rights, photocopies or other reproductions, subcontracted research assistance, purchase of primary source materials, and other incidental research expenses. Award funds may be used towards rent, childcare, and healthcare, as needed.
REQUIREMENTS
REVIEW PROCESS
Applications will be reviewed first by the Center for Craft for staff for completeness and then evaluated by a panel of jurors through the SlideRoom online application review portal. The panel will consist of three expert jurors, such as scholars, archivists, curators, and artist researchers.
Jurors free of any conflict of interest will evaluate the applications based on the following criteria:
Consideration in final selection:
The Center for Craft respects, values, and celebrates the unique attributes, characteristics, and perspectives that make each person who they are. We foster open communication of diverse perspectives and bring a broad range of individuals together to enrich and support programming. Ultimately we will ask the Selection Panel to identify a set of recipients representing a range of scholars, such as independent, artist, and emerging to established researchers, diversity, geographies, materials, approaches, and underrepresented histories.
HOW TO APPLY
Deadline
The 2024 Craft Archive Fellowship application must be submitted via SlideRoom no later than 11:59 pm ET on December 6, 2023. Notification of awards will be released by the end of January 2024 for a grant period beginning February 1, 2024. The grant period will be completed on February 1, 2024. Fellows will present their resulting research in a Special Edition article published by Hyperallergic and a Center for Craft virtual public program in February 2025.
Notification
Notification of the results will be sent via email in by the end of January 2024, with a start date of February 1, 2024. The email address listed on the application form will be used to send out notifications. Please be sure that it is a valid email account that you check regularly.
How to Apply
Applicants must apply using the online application program SlideRoom at https://centerforcraft.slideroom.com/#/Login. Applicants will not be required to pay an application fee. Please review the sample application below before beginning your application. All applicants should create a login to be able to partially complete the form and return to finish it at a later date. Before submitting your application, you will be directed to a confirmation page where you can review your form and return to edit or delete your uploaded files as needed. Your application can not be accessed once submitted. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once the application form has been successfully submitted. A virtual application information session will be held on November 8, 2023. The information session will be recorded and available on the Center for Craft website.
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2024 Craft Archive Fellowship - SAMPLE APPLICATION
This is only a sample application. All applications must be completed in SlideRoom.
Proposal to be submitted via SlideRoom as follows:
Demographic Survey
The Center for Craft is committed to diversifying our audiences and to providing equitable and accessible programming – in order to do so, we need to know who our audiences are. Additionally, many of our funders ask that we report on the demographics of our audiences. Please note that the data from the demographics section will only be used anonymously for grant writing and reporting. Completion of this survey will in no way affect your application. If you are applying as a collaborative or organization please select the option “Not applicable.” You must complete the form, however, you may answer each question with the "prefer not to answer" option. Thank you.
Cover sheet
Application
Allowed Media Types:
You have the option of uploading any combination of images or video links (from hosting sites such as Vimeo, Flickr, or YouTube.) During the review process, only the first 2 minutes of each video sample, so please edit your materials accordingly. Images should be in a JPEG format no larger than 1600 pixels on any side @ 300 dpi. Name each jpeg file with “Last NameImageTitleNumber.jpg,” i.e., “SmithUntitled1.jpg”, “SmithUnititled2.jpg” etc. Each uploaded image or video link must be accompanied by a corresponding image description (up to 50 words). Please include title, date, medium, size, and a short description of each uploaded image or media file.
FAQs
If I win, will I have to pay taxes on my award?
Yes, all cash funding is taxable income.
May I mail a hard copy of my application materials to the Center for Craft’s office?
No, hard copy submissions will not be accepted. The application must be completed and submitted through SlideRoom.
Can I work on my application and return to complete it at a later date?
Yes, creating a login account will enable you to complete the form in several online sessions.
I just submitted my application, but I want to return to it and make an edit. Is this possible?
No, once your application is submitted, you will not be able to return to the form or change any submitted information. The application fee must also be paid when submitting your application, as you will not be able to log in again to access the payment page again.
I am a student. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes
I work for an institution, organization, or 501c3; however, I am applying as an individual and conducting research independent from the institution, organization, or 501c3 I work for. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes
I have previously received a Center for Craft grant. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes
I have previously received a Center for Craft grant but did not complete the project or am still in the progress of completing the project I was funded for. Am I eligible to apply?
No
If awarded, can I use the funds to archive my own work/practice?
No
Are applicants responsible for obtaining copyrights to documents, images, manuscripts included in their research?
Yes
Are collaboratives allowed to apply?
Collaboratives are welcome to apply. There must be one fiduciary agent for the group or one person who will receive the award funds as this person will be responsible for paying taxes on the award amount funded.
Who can I contact with questions?
For any questions, please contact Mellanee Goodman, Grant Program Manager, at [email protected] or call (828) 785 - 1357 ext. 103.
Hyperallergic is a leading voice in arts publishing, offering contemporary perspectives that “challenge the art world status quo.” With over 1 million unique visitors per month, working with Hyperallergic expands the impact of the research to a broader arts audience. The Center for Craft is partnering with Hyperallergic to feature up to 6 Center for Craft Archive Fellow’s research in a special edition of Hyperallergic's newsletter in Winter 2025. Thus ensuring the grantees' research is not only accomplished but free to access online and easily searchable for future researchers. This strategic partnership draws on the strengths of each organization in order to decrease physical and economic barriers to archival research, tell more accurate craft histories, and raise the visibility and appreciation of craft scholarship in the United States.
recipients
Photo Credit: Colleen Kheim
Crafting Imperialism: Philippine Industrial Prison Labor and American Luxury
$5,000
alejandro t. acierto
Phoenix, AZ
This research underscores how industrial labor in the Philippine prisons became a unique component of American craft traditions during US imperialism. Focused on wicker furniture produced for global markets, this research reveals how craft was an integral facet of an American colonial imaginary.
Learn moreCourtesy of the artists
The Untraditional and Influential Lives of the Women Weavers at Little Loomhouse
$5,000
Michelle Amos and Jenna Richards
Louisville, KY
Michelle Amos and Jenna Richards will explore the stories of the weavers, living outside gender norms, who made a creative safe haven at the Little Loomhouse influencing American handweaving during the Arts and Crafts Revivalist Movement, 1940-60 and inspiring generations of weavers.
Learn morePhoto Credit: Ariana Sarwari
Krishna Reddy and the Printmaking Workshop
$5,000
Shilpi Chandra
Scarsdale, NY
This research aims to delve into the history and impact of the development of viscosity printing by Krishna Reddy in the 1970s within a sociohistorical context which places him in the role of teacher and influencer to a wide network of overlooked and underrepresented artists.
Learn morePhoto Credit: John M. Green
Texas Enslaved and Free Black Potters: Reconstructing Deconstructed Legacies
$5,000
Earline Green
Cedar Hill, TX
While some studies have found none, The United States Census Slave Schedules and Texas Historical Societies indicate that the most celebrated pottery vessels in Texas before 1860, were possibly made by enslaved Black artisans. This research will document the legacies of Texas Enslaved and Free Black Potters from 1850-1920.
Learn morePhoto Credit: AK Hallows
Weaving in a Good Way: Crafting Chilkat Blankets Among the Tsimshian People
$5,000
Ruth Hallows
Mesa, AZ
This project will utilize archives in AK, WA, and BC to focus on the historical context and cultural significance of the ceremonial Northwest Coast craft contemporarily known as Chilkat. It seeks to recover and understand the history and protocols of Chilkat through the perspectives of the Tsimshian people.
Learn moreI Come To (Tryon) Me: Jonkonnu Mask-making as Waymaking in North Carolina
$5,000
Denali Joel
Los Angeles, CA
This research explores the migration of Jonkonnu masquerade culture from Jamaica to North Carolina, focusing on the craft of mask-making. It aims to trace the cultural journey, assess its impact, and investigate the influence of the tradition on shaping North Carolina's current Black beauty culture.
Learn moreTo Ayumi Horie who through conversations with the Center for Craft planted the seed for the Craft Archive Fellowship, helped with grant development and generously contributed funding to make this program possible! Read more in our interview with Ayumi here.
Process photo of assembly of Y-axis conveyor belt.
Rose Buttress
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$10,000
Rose Buttress is a self-trained machinist and programmer. Buttress’s research titled “FULL,” uses a novel design of fabric cutters to prefigure small batch garment fabrication efficiency with the goal of generating a new philosophy of inclusive design. Her research attempts to renegotiate the constraints on the industry through a methodology of developing new equipment that places the leading industrial mass production techniques and processes within small workspaces.
Learn morePhoto credit: Sean Carroll
Alexis Rosa Caldero
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$10,000
Alexis Rosa Caldero is a first generation Ecuadorian-American and Puerto Rican disentangling from the inherited experience of forced assimilation. Informed by experience with wood, education, and art direction, Caldero’s craft strives to evoke beauty, unearth story, and build connection. Their research, titled “Beyond Ergonomics: Furnishing Healing,” asks what studio furniture can learn from anti-racist, fat positive, body-centered activism. It proposes a hands-on analysis of how everyday furniture can play a role in one’s healing journey through somatic study and community building.
Learn morePhoto credit: Mary Kang
Dana Davenport
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$10,000
Dana Davenport is an interdisciplinary artist, who shifts between installation, sculpture, video, and performance. Within her practice, Davenport addresses the complexities that surround interminority racism as a foundation for envisioning her own and the collective futurity of Black and Asian peoples. Davenport's research titled “Dana's Beauty Supply: Research,” examines Black hair and hair care as a material that binds Black Americans and Korean Americans through the beauty supply industry, an industry that is overwhelmingly Korean-owned with a primarily Black customer base.
Learn morePhoto credit: Benjamin Weinberg
Emily Robison
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$10,000
Emily Robison is a textile artist whose work incorporates place and cultural experience. Building upon their work with byssus fiber, a textile fiber produced by clams and traditionally used throughout the Mediterranean, Robison will research 18th and 19th century published descriptions of byssus production and the feasibility of adapting these techniques to North American pen clams.
Learn morePhotographed by David Hunter Hale
Nastassja Swift
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$10,000
Nastassja Swift is a sculptural fiber artist, whose work exists figuratively in full or often fragmented forms that speak to geographical histories, womanhood, language and community. Swift’s needle felted portraits incorporate quilting, beading and other traditional and non-traditional materials morph into a form of storytelling that references the above themes. Swift’s research title “Hooded Figures: A History of Fashion and Power,”examines hoods across centuries, closely identifying the social and racial associations of the garment and how its symbolism has shifted over time. Using felting, quilting and beading, this research project will produce re-imagined images of Black subjects adorned in a hood.
Learn moreWe are still seeking funding support for additional Fellowships ($5,000 opportunity). If you are interested, please get in touch with Marilyn Zapf, Director of Programs and Curator at [email protected].
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