Call for Proposals: Inaugural Ming Fay Research Fellowship 2027

The Inaugural Ming Fay Research Fellowship supports the production of original, archives-based scholarship on Ming Fay (1943–2025), whose multidisciplinary practice bridged sculpture, drawing, installation, ecology, and transnational cultural histories.

Born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong, Fay settled in New York in the early 1970s and became part of the downtown art milieu. He co-founded the Epoxy Art Group (1982–92), an Asian American artist collective that fostered alternative exhibition platforms and critical dialogue. While interest in Ming Fay’s work has grown through exhibitions at institutions in recent years, scholarship on his practice remains limited. This fellowship supports research conducted within the Ming Fay Papers held at the Special Collections of New York University, related holdings at Asia Art Archive, and materials housed at the Ming Fay Studio / Estate to support the development of work that contributes to the study of Ming Fay’s practice and its broader historical, cultural, and artistic contexts.

Proposals may address, but are not limited to: ecology and environmental thought; transnational identity and migration; Asian diasporic histories; material experimentation and sculptural practice; intersections of art, science, and spirituality; nature as mythology and cultural symbolism in art; Downtown New York art networks and artist collectives; and public art and site-specific installations.

Fellowship Tracks
Senior Research Fellowship
Eligibility: Professors, established independent scholars, curators, postdoctoral researchers, and advanced PhD candidates
Grant amount: Up to $7,500, based on the proposed budget and demonstrated research needs

Supports sustained archival research across all New York City-based partner institutions. Fellows are expected to produce a work of original scholarship that advances critical discourse on Ming Fay’s practice.

Final projects should be developed to a stage suitable for publication, academic dissemination, exhibition development, or inclusion in a larger scholarly project, and may include an article for submission to a peer-reviewed journal (approximately 6,000–10,000 words), book or dissertation chapter, critical essay for publication in a museum, academic, or arts publication, or substantial research toward an exhibition.

Exploratory Research Fellowship
Eligibility: Master’s students, early PhD students, emerging scholars, artists, and curators
Grant amount: Up to $2,500, based on the proposed budget and demonstrated research needs

Supports short-term archival research across all New York City-based partner institutions.

Fellows are expected to produce a research project demonstrating sustained engagement with the archival materials and contributing new perspectives on Ming Fay’s work and related fields of inquiry. Projects are not limited to, but may include a research paper, article, report, dissertation chapter, documentary film, essay, or exhibition proposal.

Deliverables and Reporting
All fellows are expected to produce original research grounded in archival materials and must submit (via email to apa.institute@nyu.edu) the following deliverables by January 31, 2028:

• Final research project appropriate to the fellowship track as outlined above
• Brief report (2–3 pages) summarizing research activities, archival engagement, and outcomes

Funding
Funding is intended to support direct research and dissemination-related costs associated with archival engagement with the Ming Fay Papers.

Eligible expenses, which must be incurred between the notification of the award and December 10, 2027, may include: travel to and from New York; temporary housing and local transportation during fellowship research travel; translation services; research materials, documentation, or technical support; and expenses associated with preparing research for publication, including permissions and image preparation.

The Selection Committee will determine final award amounts based on the proposed budget, demonstrated research needs, the strength and feasibility of the proposal, and available resources.

Fellowship funds will be distributed by NYU in one payment in February 2027.

Institutional Support

Fellows will receive:

• On-site archival access at NYU Special Collections
• Research consultation with archival staff
• Digital access to relevant holdings at Asia Art Archive
• Research access at the Ming Fay Studio / Estate (as appropriate)
• Eligibility for appointment as a Visiting Scholar or Research Affiliate at NYU, as appropriate and subject to university procedures
• Reading room access at Asia Art Archive in America
• Selected fellows will coordinate research visits with NYU Special Collections, the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, and the Ming Fay Studio / Estate to ensure archival access and institutional support.

Requirements

Application Requirements
By Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET, applicants must submit the following via this Google form:

• Project proposal (1,000 words)
• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Proposed budget and justification
• Writing sample (10–20 pages) or published article
• Applications from graduate students must also include one letter of recommendation from a faculty advisor to be emailed by the recommender to apa.institute@nyu.edu by the application deadline.

Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Non-US applicants are welcome to apply, but the University does not provide assistance with housing or visas.

About the Partnership
The Fellowship is hosted by the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU in collaboration with NYU Special Collections, Asia Art Archive, and The Ming Fay Studio / Estate.
This program is supported through funding from the Ming Fay Estate and kurimanzutto.

This partnership creates an integrated research environment linking physical archives, digital resources, and studio-based knowledge.