Applications open for Fireline Fellowship (US)

The Fireline Fellowship is supported by the Spring Creek Project at Oregon State University in collaboration with the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest and the Patricia Valian Reser Center for Creative Arts (PRAx). Fireline Fellows will be part of Spring Creek Project’s Long-Term Ecological Reflections program.

In October, 2024, fellows will meet in person with scientists and stay at the Andrews and then will meet quarterly online. Fellows will receive a stipend, opportunities to learn alongside scientists in the field, and up to four weeks of residency time at the Andrews. Fellows will develop new projects for a public audience and/or involving public engagement, and projects will be presented in collaboration with the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx). Eight Fireline Fellowships will be awarded: three by invitation and five by application.

Benefits

• Each fellow will receive:
  • A $5,000 stipend ($2,500 awarded at the beginning of the fellowship and $2,500 awarded after a midway progress report).
    • Fellows will use some of the stipend to cover travel to Corvallis and the Andrews, including for the in-person gathering, residency time and final event. Fellows will also cover the cost of lodging in Corvallis.
    • Program organizers will cover the cost of lodging at the Andrews during residency stays and lodging and meals during the in-person gathering at the Andrews.
• Visual artists may request additional funds of up to $1,500 for materials and/or shipping costs associated with bringing art to Corvallis.
• A residency of up to four weeks at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Residency stays may be split into multiple blocks and can be scheduled individually or with other fellows.
• The opportunity to engage in learning, deep listening, and creative reflection within a diverse and welcoming interdisciplinary thinking community.
• Opportunities to connect with scientists and to experience changes over time in old-growth forest and in landscapes affected by wildfire.
• Support coordinating and promoting a presentation or event connected with their creative work or project near the end of the fellowship.

Terms and Expectations

• A 2.5-year commitment.
• Actively engage with a researcher and/or lab at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Program staff will help fellows identify science collaborators studying how wildfire interacts with research areas like stream ecology, hydrology and geomorphology, vegetation, canopy ecology and plant physiology, animals and interspecies or animal-plant interactions, climate, carbon and nutrient dynamics, soils and fungi, social science and conservation ethics, information management and remote sensing.
• Develop a new project or creative work that engages with wildfire. Some element of the project should be connected with the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Projects may also engage the neighboring communities in the McKenzie River corridor. Projects should be created with a public audience of non-specialists in mind and/or directly involve the public in development. Images of visual artwork and media and written work will be preserved in the Long Term Ecological Reflections online archive and may be used in program-relevant promotional materials.
• Participate in the events and exhibition hosted by the Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx) at Oregon State University on November 6-7, 2026. Fellows should plan to be in Corvallis for two days. Visual artists will need to transport work to Corvallis. While on campus, fellows will also engage with students (e.g., via a lecture, conversation or workshop). They will also work with interested parties to create opportunities for engagement within the local community.

Eligibility Criteria

• Fellowships are open to those who are experienced in using creative or humanistic methods to approach environmental questions, to those willing to invest in long-term exploration of issues connected with wildfire in the Pacific Northwest, and to those committed to creating new public work inspired by their experience in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. Applicants from historically under-represented groups are encouraged to apply. Applications should be submitted by individuals rather than by collaborative teams. This opportunity is open to current U.S. residents only. They welcome applications from:
  • Artists, including visual artists, multimedia artists, musicians and filmmakers.
  • Writers and storytellers across genres including nonfiction, fiction, graphic narrative and poetry.
  • Writers, scholars and thought leaders in humanities disciplines including philosophy, ethics, history, religious studies and beyond.

For more information, visit Oregon State University.