Yale Call for Art Recognizing Enslavement (Due Nov. 30)

Yale Call for Art Recognizing Enslavement
Deadline: November 30th, 2024

Yale’s Committee for Art Recognizing Enslavement (CARE) is seeking artists with experience in public art, socially engaged art, or participatory art to create artistic interventions, permanent and ephemeral, and related programming in New Haven to address Yale’s historical roles and associations with slavery and the slave trade as well as the legacy of that history. 

Inclusive programming that fosters reflection, remembrance, discussion, learning, and healing will be essential for each project. The Committee encourages artists to consider the monumental nature of this work and the projected timeline as part of their process in determining interest.

Project options

For selected commissions, CARE would provide…

For temporary artistic interventions, such as pop-ups, performances, or other installations, the artist(s) will have a budget, including:

  • an artist stipend

  • a production fund for delivering the program

For a long-term or permanent work of art, the artist(s) will receive:

  • an artist stipend 

  • a residency for up to 4 months in New Haven, including a studio/workspace in the city of New Haven

  • the selected artist will have access to the resources of the Beinecke Library, University Archives, and other Yale Library repositories; connections with academic centers such as the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition and the Department of African American Studies; and connections with New Haven historical and cultural organizations

  • connections to creative networks to support artists in the process of designing their work

CARE will award multiple project grants ranging from $100,000-$500,000 in the next 3-5 years.

What materials are requested in the application?

  1. CV or resume

  2. Sample portfolio, past works, or website

  3. Expression of interest (200 words or less) (Prompts: Describe a work of art or programming you envision designing and producing at one of the priority sites (see link in FAQ below). How is your work connected to one of these sites (see appendix) or to the history of slavery in Connecticut? How are you personally connected to this work or the region?)

  4. Statement of care (200 words or less) (Prompts: What does care for historical trauma and harm look like? Provide an example.  What is one way you practice care for yourself or for others when researching and representing painful histories? How do you envision this work providing spaces of remembrance, reflection, healing, discussion, or learning?)

  5. Is there anything else you would like the Committee to know about what draws you to this work? (optional)

  6. File upload (optional)

Selection criteria

How does the selection committee decide on awarding projects?

Artistic merit

  • Proposed artwork demonstrates art or design rigor, excellence, or research

  • Appropriate for the public realm

  • Artist’s past work shows experience with the proposed medium and approach to community participation

Site consideration

  • Proposed artwork is suitable for the site based on size, scale, and medium

  • Artwork envisions how different audiences will interact at the site

  • Artwork connects to and considers the social, historical, architectural, geographical, and/or cultural context of the site

  • Artwork illustrates community involvement during design, fabrication, and installation

Public safety

  • Proposed artwork considers public safety hazards 

  • Artwork considers the flow of pedestrian traffic as well as how the site is used

To learn more and apply, click here.

Isaac Pleta