Application deadline: May 14, 2021
The Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US, in partnership with FACE Foundation, and with support from the Ford Foundation, is proud to announce the new Beauford Delaney Research Grant, which funds travel and other expenses related to research projects on African American Art undertaken by France-based academics and scholars.
The new program is inscribed within the partner institutions’ broader initiative to promote African American artists in France, and its goal is to explore, and lead to a better understanding of, the practices of artists whose work has been historically underrepresented in art history, as well as to highlight these artists’ individuality and their relationship with the complex global art historical landscape.
The grant was conceived in collaboration with the INHA (French National Institute of Art History), the most prominent art historical institution in France, created in 2001 with the mission to support academic research and international cooperation around art.
Named after the famous American painter Beauford Delaney (1901–79), this grant is designed for art historians, either French or international, who are working in France and wish to conduct original research on African American art.
The research projects can focus on any African American artists who are living/lived in the 19th to 21st centuries and should consider the artists in the context of the global artistic and cultural practices of the time, taking into account transnational circulation, transfer and contact zones.
Applicant eligibility
This grant is open to applicants of any nationality. It will be awarded to a member of one of two groups, alternating annually:
In 2021, the grant will be awarded to an applicant who meets the following criteria: Art historians working in France, independent or affiliated with institutions (universities, museums, schools of art, etc.), holding a doctorate or an equivalent professional experience, excluding United States citizens who have completed their studies in the US.
In 2022, the grant will be awarded to an applicant who meets these criteria: Art History students who are pursuing a Master’s degree or are enrolled in a doctoral program at a French university, or professionals working in France, excluding United States citizens having completed their studies in the US.
Grant details
The Beauford Delaney Research Grant will be awarded to one recipient per year. The laureate will receive 20,000 USD in funding to be used over the 12 months following the announcement of the winner.
During this time, the researcher will travel to relevant sites to explore archival collections, study documents and artworks, and potentially meet living artists, curators, art historians and collectors, etc. based in the US and, if relevant, elsewhere in the world.
She/he will deliver, either at the end of the year or during the year, a report of her/his findings (e.g. an article, chapter, exhibition, book, or doctoral thesis) and present her/his project and findings upon request by the institutions offering this grant (in the form of a conference, talk, interview, etc.) Events related to the grantees’ projects will take place at the INHA and/or will be hosted by other partner institutions.
The grant is not an employment contract; it is not exclusive and may be combined with other sources of income. The laureate agrees to present a report 12 months after obtaining the grant money in order to explain how the funds were used. The institutions reserve the right to demand reimbursement if the proposed project was not realized.
Application details
The application file (in French or English) will consist of:
– A letter of motivation addressed to the general director of the INHA and to the director of the department of research and studies at the INHA;
– A curriculum vitae;
– Detailed research plans (6 pages maximum) in both French and English including a concise description of the project, of the state of the art, of the methodology, and of the objective (publication of a book, a thesis, an article, etc.), as well as a provisional calendar for the planned research visits (precise indication of sources, collections, artworks to see, artists and other professionals to meet, etc.), and an indication of the necessary budget (in USD) to successfully complete these visits. A bibliography indicating any sources to consult will complete this file.
The applications for the 2021 round must be uploaded to the INHA platform here, by May 14 at midnight, Paris time.
Only applications submitted online to this platform will be considered.
Selection
Applicants will be selected on the basis of the application file.
The selection jury will include the general director of the INHA and the director of the department of research and studies at the INHA, a representative from the FACE Foundation or the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US, and two qualified individuals, including specialist of African American Art. The jury will meet once a year to choose the laureate. The selection criteria used to evaluate candidates will be the excellence and relevance of the project.
The awarding of the grant will take place during the Festival de l’histoire de l’art (Art History Festival) in France in June 2021.
The French version of the call for application is accessible on the INHA website.
