Submissions deadline: March 30, 2022
The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation is excited to announce the first in a series of open calls, giving curators, academics, and art historians a platform to stage an exhibition at The 8th Floor, the Foundation’s gallery and event space, at 17 West 17th St. near Union Square, NYC.
We are searching for emerging or established researchers and cultural presenters to work with us to realize their pre-existing, and as-yet unrealized exhibition concept. Proposals with an experimental and/or pedagogical approach are sought for thematic group, or solo presentations. Applicants should be engaged in research which addresses themes reflecting the Foundation’s mission of art and social justice, championing equity, education, access, and underrepresented narratives and practices.
Selected curators will be given an honorarium of 3000 USD for their work on the exhibition and 2000 USD for their essay for the accompanying catalog. In addition to an exhibition budget, they will be guided and supported in their administrative, planning, and promotional endeavors by the curatorial team at the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation. This commission is open to those listed in the criteria for this application and there is no fee to apply. The chosen curator will engage in all associated programming, in tandem with the resulting exhibition.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship, or any other protected status.
Applications will open on February 15, 2022, a link to the application portal can be found on the Opportunities page of the Foundation website. The deadline for submissions is March 30, 2022 and results will be announced in April.
The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation believes in art as a cornerstone of cohesive, resilient communities and greater participation in civic life. In its mission to make art available to the broader public, in particular to underserved communities, the Foundation stages exhibitions and programs at The 8th Floor, all of which are free and open to all.
Eligibility and criteria
–Open to academics, art historians, curators, graduate students, PhD candidates, and those involved in post-doctoral research
–Not open to undergraduate students
–Applicants must have a visa to work in the US, be permanent residents, or US Citizens
–Have an accomplished thesis-based plan for their research-driven exhibition, or have extensive existing research to back up their proposal
–Audience-focused educational possibilities should be inherent in the thesis of the exhibition
–A preliminary concept including a checklist of works based on the gallery plan (subject to change)
–The ability to address contemporary issues of sociocultural or sociopolitical change, and imaginatively examine global narratives and histories
Additional information
–Applicants can examine art history as it relates to contemporary art, and are not confined to including works by living artists
–International loans/shipping will not be covered
–Overall exhibition square footage: 2439 square feet (PDF of floorplan can be found on Foundation website)
Applicant requirements
–A professional CV detailing education and employment history, as well as any previous curatorial projects, or academic research
–One paragraph biography of applicant
–One paragraph biography of proposed artists
–A written thesis—in progress or finished—from which proposal is drawn
–200 word text on how your proposal aligns with the mission of the Foundation
–400 word statement detailing the concepts of the exhibition
–An itemized budget for your proposed exhibition
–PDF of proposed checklist with images, tombstone information, and locations (where applicable)
–PDF of one to two images for each artist in your proposal (maximum 20 images, for media works please include URL links to websites in pdf format only)
–Supplemental: Copy of any published papers or art/cultural criticism
Duties for awardees
–General Curatorial Administration
–Authoring text for brochure and exhibition
–Organizing loans where necessary
–On-site presence during installation and opening
–Liaise with Foundation curatorial, installation, and events team
–Coordinate and participate in one to two exhibition related programs (including but not limited to talks, screenings, webinars, and performances)
