The Providence Public Library is now accepting proposals for their 2021 Creative Fellowship. They are looking for an artist to create new, original work in the field of two-dimensional artwork or illustration related to the topic of Tomboys, as part of the Library’s 2021 exhibition and program series.
Creative Fellows perform in-depth research in our historical collections, using images and text as source material and/or inspiration.
In addition to new work, a successful Creative Fellowship results in innovative, engaging programming and measurable instances of engagement and learning on the part of both the Fellow and other community members. Our hope is that a stipend alongside supported, immersive research allows the Fellow to explore new directions, topics, or methods in their own work and creative process.
Each year’s fellowship focuses on a specified artistic discipline, rotating between visual art, performance, writing, and music/sound on a four-year cycle.
About the program and exhibition:
Co-curated by Providence Public Library and the Pembroke Center at Brown University, the 2021 exhibition will interrogate the history of cultural expectations and gender norms for girls and women, especially in the interplay between lifestyle, aesthetic, play, and self-identity. It will look at historical shifts in definitions of femininity and gender to understand how tomboys—including girls, cis women, and trans, non-binary & gender non-conforming women— have challenged cultural norms to have a dynamic influence on fashion, literature, sports, and popular culture.
The exhibition will be on display at the library from April 1 to June 30, 2021. If the library is not fully open to the public during this time period due to coronavirus restrictions, exhibit items and curator’s events will be made accessible to the public through digital means, in addition to being installed in the physical exhibition gallery.
The 2021 Creative Fellow will receive a stipend in the amount of $1500, with an additional amount of up to $500 reimbursable for supplies or materials costs. Application is open to practicing artists 16 years of age or older.
Deadline: [Deadline has been postponed from original October date.] Application materials are now due by 5pm, Thursday, April 1, 2021.