In Situ Fellowship

Situated knowledges are about communities, not about isolated individuals. The only way to find a larger vision is to be somewhere in particular.
— Donna Haraway

The Queens Museum (QM) is pleased to announce an open call for its new two-year In Situ Artist Fellowship to be awarded to three artists.

Each artist selected for this two-year fellowship (October 2022-September 2024) will receive rent-free studio space at the Museum and an annualized salaried position at $45,000 per year with full benefits. Artists will develop their practice in collaboration with specific areas of the Museum’s work and Queens constituencies. Prioritizing co-creation, relationship building, research and ambitious experimentation, artists will develop a solo exhibition to open in Spring 2024 that will result from their work with QM communities.

In Situ fellows will work a minimum of three days per week as a key part of the QM team, together with the Museum’s constituencies, building on existing connections with communities and developing new ones. They will attend weekly All Staff meetings and participate in other meetings and Learning Sessions. They will be expected to make use of the studios and facilities which are accessible seven days per week.

Artists will be invited to develop work with one of the following programs and research areas:

• La Jornada and Queens Museum Cultural Food Pantry (A weekly free food distribution in collaboration with a local organization La Jornada since 2020)
• Queens Teens Institute For Art & Social Justice (A youth program that aims to nurture thoughtful, independent young artists and the next generation of leaders in arts and social change)
• Archives & Collection (over 10,000 items from the two iconic New York World’s Fairs of 1939/40 and 1964/65 as well as culturally diverse body of artworks dating post-war to the present)
• Children’s Museum (QM is developing a multilingual intergenerational family learning center rooted in art and culture – which will be a physical space within the Museum as part of the current capital project – slated to open in 2024/5. The Children’s Museum will center children and families of all kinds)

Click here to apply through Submittable: https://queensmuseum.submittable.com/submit/228508/open-call-in-situ-artist-fellowship-2022-2024

Participants receive:

-A rent-free studio at the QM (ranging from 300 to 550 square feet) and on-site production resources (woodshop and audiovisual studio) for two years (October 2022-September 2024)
-Artists will have full access to their studios, 7 days per week, 8am-11:30pm, pending building closures for holidays and observances
Compensation and benefits as a full-time, temporary employee at the Queens Museum

Click here to read the full job description: https://queensmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/In-Situ-Artist-Fellow-Job-Description.pdf

-Artists will receive an additional production budget during the second year of the fellowship to support the presentation of a one-gallery solo exhibition in the Museum’s galleries during the Spring 2024 season
-Professional development and mentorship opportunities from QM staff across all departments

Selection Process and Onboarding:

-A jury of QM staff across departments (Exhibitions & Programs, Education, and Communications) will review and shortlist applications based on the strength of their work samples, past experience, and expressed interest/commitment to one of the programmatic and research areas listed above
-Shortlisted candidates will join a short Zoom interview with a small group of QM staff
-Finalists will attend a second in-person interview at QM
-Selected artists will be invited to move into their studios in late October 2022, with an orientation and the anticipated start of work date to follow in early November 2022
-Once selected, participating artists and producers will work with staff members to identify ways to connect their work, interests, and expertise across the museum

Fellowship Timeline At-a-Glance:

• November 2022-January 2023: Orientation and exploratory period of research to get to know QM’s staff, communities, and each artist’s programmatic focus area. This includes observing/shadowing QM staff to better understand how these programs function and what the needs are in each community.
• January 2023-February 2023: First proposal process begins. Artists collaborate with QM staff on a proposal that outlines the goals for their fellowship, including plans for engagement, support of their assigned program areas, new programmatic ideas, as well as any early plans for creating individual or collective artworks in relation to their situated practice.
• February 2023: QM staff offers feedback and discusses the feasibility of each artist’s proposal, and a budget will be agreed. Once approved, artists will work on a community agreement that will guide their work, and a bi-weekly schedule will be set to check-in with appropriate QM staff on progress, needs, as well as reading/researching together to encourage true, meaningful collaboration.
• March-May 2023: Artists present on their work and research at a QM All Staff meeting.
• June 2023: Second proposal process begins. Artists present proposals for a culminating solo exhibition in Spring 2024, and check-in on any updates to their programmatic work that will feed into this exhibition project.
• July 2023 : QM staff offers feedback and discusses each artist’s proposal. Proposals are approved and work begins towards exhibition in tandem with community-based work.
• November 2023: Finalization of the exhibition plan followed by production meetings.
• December 2023-January 2024: Exhibition planning continues. Artists present their work and finalized exhibition plan at an All Staff meeting. February-April 2024: Final stage of production and installation.
• April 2024: Exhibitions open.
• April-August 2024: Public programming/activations of exhibitions.
• August-October 2024: Deinstalling exhibitions and wrapping up work in program focus areas.

Equity, Access, and Inclusion:
Equity, Access, and Inclusion are at the forefront of all our initiatives. The Queens Museum proudly welcomes residents and visitors to participate in and enjoy our programs in an inclusive, diverse, equitable, artistic, and educational environment. Community is at the center of the QM’s work. We collaborate with neighbors and community partners across the borough of Queens to serve our uniquely diverse audiences.

We seek to provide every resident with an equal opportunity to pursue their creative practice and share their work with the public/community.

The Queens Museum is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race ancestry, religion, national origin, immigration status, age, disability, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, sexual and reproductive health decisions, familial status, HIV status, caregiver status, conviction record, domestic victim status, unemployment status, military service, credit history, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities and general treatment during employment. Our commitment to equal opportunity employment applies to all persons involved in our operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee, including supervisors and co-workers.

The QM’s studios are situated on the ground floor of the building with gender neutral ADA-accessible bathrooms and a communal lunch area. The QM is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for physical or cognitive needs. If you have any questions or would like to know more about the building and our programs in relation to your accessibility needs, or if you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please contact us at idea@queensmuseum.org or by phone at (718) 592-9700 ext. 145.

Requirements

Eligibility:

• Artists must reside in NYC from the beginning to the end of the fellowship. Queens-based and connected artists are encouraged to apply
• Must demonstrate a commitment to social and public practice. Practitioners working across a range of creative disciplines are welcome to apply
• Must apply as an individual artist. Collectives are not eligible
• Must be present at the Museum at least 3 weekdays per week
• Must not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program, either part-time or full-time, at an institution of higher learning at the time of the application deadline or during the fellowship years
• Must be able to provide documentary evidence of eligibility for employment in the United States
• We encourage applications from artists who have language skills in addition to English including but not limited to ASL, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic

Qualifications:

• A strong record of artistic practice and experience with exhibiting in galleries, museums, community and public settings
• Strong commitment to values of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility
• This includes the Museum’s core values and priorities in relation to social, racial, environmental, disability, language, and climate justice, as well as critical pedagogy
• Strong cultural competencies and sensitivities, consciousness of cultural identities and difference, committed to intersectional thinking and practice
• Familiarity with social practice, facilitation, and/or community organizing
• A self-starter who is keen to support on programs with accountability and care for both the capacities of QM staff and the communities we collectively serve
• Demonstrates investment in buttressing communities and can carry through sustainable education, public and community programs
• Commitment to participating in the QM community of staff and artists and creating a nurturing environment for working together and learning