Visiting Artist Fund in Honor of Roberta Bowman Denning call for proposals: 2020-21 Virtual Visiting Artists

All academic departments and programs at Stanford are invited to submit proposals; proposals that include two or more departments and/or programs working in collaboration are encouraged.

The Office of the Vice President for the Arts invites proposals for the Visiting Artist Fund in Honor of Roberta Bowman Denning, to support virtual visiting artists for the winter, spring, or summer quarters in 2021. All academic departments and programs at Stanford are invited to submit proposals; proposals that include two or more departments and/or programs working in collaboration are encouraged.

The Visiting Artist Fund, established in 2019, was created to make a high-impact, comprehensive and sustained investment in artistic excellence at Stanford. As contributors to campus endeavors of all kinds, selected artists will bring contemporary approaches, exciting new practices, and a fresh way of thinking to disciplines from the humanities to the sciences and engineering as well as the arts.

Due to the campus closure this past spring, current global travel restrictions, and public health guidelines, the four visiting artists who were selected to be Denning Visiting Artists in 2019-20 and 2020-21 – Gauri Gill, Neçati Celik, Manu Luksch, and Sabelo Mlangeni – must postpone their residencies. We look forward to welcoming these artists to campus at a future date.

In order to not delay the impact of the Visiting Artist Fund, the Office of the Vice President for the Arts is offering an expedited round of grants in Fall 2020 to support up to three virtual visiting artists for the winter, spring, or summer quarter in 2021. This modified program will allow Stanford students, faculty, and staff to deeply engage with artists at a time when creativity and imagination are more important than ever in sustaining spirits and envisioning new futures. It will also provide critical support to artists in our community amidst great economic uncertainty.

2020-21 Program Overview

  • Proposals will be accepted from any academic department or program.
  • Each proposal may request up to $30K as a comprehensive budget.
  • We encourage proposals that resonate with contemporary concerns, e.g. racial justice, public health, economic recovery, and/or new practices and platforms in virtual environments.
  • We seek proposals designed for dynamic virtual engagements, while giving special consideration to local artists who could visit campus if that becomes possible in 2021.
  • Artists will be asked to commit to an engagement of a quarter or longer, to collaborate with faculty, to engage with students through courses and/or workshops, and to present their work to the public in a virtual forum.
  • Artists will receive access to Stanford resources including digital libraries, campus connections, and time/funding to develop their work.
  • Artist selection will be based upon a) benefit to the university learning environment; b) depth of engagement with students; c) benefit to the artist’s work and practice; and d) artistic merit.

Timeline:

September 8    RFP Announced

October 16       Applications due

November 6     Jury decision/notification

Jan-Aug 2021   Virtual residencies

For more information visit: https://arts.stanford.edu/office-of-the-vice-president-for-the-arts/visiting-artist-fund/ or contact Ellen Oh, Director of Programs in the Office of the Vice President for the Arts, at ellenoh@stanford.edu