Call for Submissions: Visual/Cultural Criticism Residency

Application Deadline: November 1st, 2008

Duration:  January 15th – May 30th, 2009

Exhibition:  April 24th – May 30th, 2009

Eligibility: San Francisco Bay Area Visual/Cultural Critics.  Current or recent graduates from local M.A. or PhD. programs are strongly encouraged to apply.

MISSION 17’s Visual / Cultural Criticism Residency presents a unique opportunity for experiments in curatorial practice by inviting a scholars and cultural critics to translate a well-developed research projects into public exhibitions.

The residency aims to expand our programming beyond fine art to include critical engagements with visual culture and the aesthetics of everyday life.  We hope to explore novel forms of interdisciplinary research and to provide academics with opportunities to directly engage a broader, more general audience.

The residency begins in mid-January with regular meetings to discuss the realization of the show, which this year will run from April 24th to May 30th. The exhibition functions as a visual elaboration of the resident’s thesis and a forum for discussion and community engagement. As a component of their exhibitions, residents will – with the help of our staff – be expected to organize active public programs during their show’s run, such as lectures, collaborations, performances, symposia, or screenings.  And we will publish a catalogue, documenting of the show, that will include an essay by the resident, explaining the shows’ thesis, as well as supplementary articles, documentation of the exhibition, and edited transcripts from the public programs. The recipient will be provided with a $500 stipend to help realize the project.

Documentation of the residency’s inaugural exhibition, Jonestown Had A Garden, produced by Karin Smith, can be found at: http://www.mission17.org/exhibits/JonestownHadAGarden.htm

To apply, please send:

1) a short synopsis of the research project (500 words max.)

2) a one page outline of your plans for the residency, including how the project might be translated into an exhibition and what auxiliary lectures, symposia, or screenings it might involve

3) a short writing sample (2500 words max)

4) a copy of your CV to:

Attn: Visual/Cultural Criticism Residency

MISSION 17

2111 Mission Street, suite 401

San Francisco, CA   94110