Call for applications: Tilting Axis Fellowship 2021

Het Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis launch the second iteration of a fellowship programme for mid-career or established applicants based in the Caribbean. The initiative aims to foster and stimulate mutual exchange between the Caribbean region and the Dutch cultural field. Together with lead partners Het Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis, other cultural institutions including Amsterdam Museum, De Appel, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, and Kunstinstituut Melly will collaborate with the selected applicant during the fellowship. 

Who should apply?
One mid-career and established researcher, artist, designer, writer, curator, or cultural producer based in the Caribbean region interested in building new links with cultural institutions in the Netherlands, and who has an interest in developing their practice around themes related to architecture, spatial practice, design or digital culture.

Goals
–To develop, stimulate and visualise curatorial, design and artistic realities coming out of the Caribbean region
–To enhance knowledge exchange and collaboration with a cross-section of Dutch cultural institutions
–To provide a variety of platforms for professional experience
–To produce critical knowledge on inter-disciplinary exchanges as well as visual culture
–To offer practical support and travel to the Netherlands for an extended fellowship
–To engage with hosting and collaborating institutions to interrogate and challenge their institutional structures and methodologies
–To utilise the existing Tilting Axis network

About the Tilting Axis Fellowship
This fellowship focuses on applicants living and working in the Caribbean region and is both research and practice-led. The selected applicant will be based in Rotterdam at Het Nieuwe Instituut and will have access to other partner cultural institutions in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. A total stipend of 12,000 EUR will be granted by Het Nieuwe Instituut to cover living expenses and one round-trip airfare from any Caribbean country to the Netherlands. Accommodation will be provided for a period of six months for a maximum of 800 EUR per month. Stipends may be subject to a withholding tax. Specific details about the position will be discussed with the selected applicant. Developments around Covid-19 and any resulting government restrictions will be taken into account. This means that the fellowship might be undertaken remotely in part. 

Read more about the first iteration of the Tilting Axis Fellowship, with architect and researcher Sean Leonard in 2020.

Knowledge exchange
The fellowship will be developed through: independent research; individual support and interaction with the Research Department team at Het Nieuwe Instituut; monthly meetings to discuss thematic and methodological aspects of the project; and diverse collaborations with partner institutions.

Application and selection process
Applicants for the fellowship are invited to develop an independent proposal outlining a clear interest in the areas of research/practice and organisations highlighted. The proposal should be content-driven and can be based on pre-existing research or propose a new project. The fellow is not expected to produce an outcome or finished artwork yet will be encouraged to publicly present the ongoing research while in the Netherlands. The research will also be published on an ongoing basis via the website, newsletter or other publications of Het Nieuwe Instituut and the partner institutions. Apllication deadline is July 4, 2021.

Proposals will be considered by an international committee consisting of the Tilting Axis and Het Nieuwe Instituut teams, along with representatives from the partner institutions including curators, academics, and museum professionals. The review committee includes: Aric Chen (Artistic and General Director, Het Nieuwe Instituut), Marina Otero Verzier (Director of Research, Het Nieuwe Instituut), Holly Bynoe (ARC Magazine, Sour Grass and Tilting Axis co-founder), Annalee Davis (visual artist, Founding Director of Fresh Milk, and Tilting Axis co-founder), Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy (Director, Kunstinstituut Melly), Mark Raymond (Director of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa and the current Plym Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Monika Szewczyk (Director, De Appel), Imara Limon (curator of modern and contemporary art at Amsterdam Museum), and Charl Landvreugd (Head of Research and Curatorial Practice, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam).

Read more about the Tilting Axis Fellowship and the call for applications on the websites of Het Nieuwe Instituut and Tilting Axis.