Submissions open for Visiting Artist Fellowship Program

The VAF differs from a typical artist residency program in that it is research-centered, providing artists with the vast resources of Harvard’s intellectual community to enhance their artistic practice.

VAFs spend their time on campus researching a topic of their choice, guided by a Harvard faculty mentor, as well as presenting a solo show of past work at the Mittal Institute. The experience aims to help South Asian artists deepen their work and the themes they explore, while exchanging ideas with the university community.

During their fellowship, VAFs receive access to Harvard’s physical and digital libraries, Harvard and local museums, and a diversity of events, talks and lectures. The endless resources on campus provide visiting fellows with new areas of exploration, from the archives, to select classes, to time one-on-one with our world-class faculty and with fellow students. The fellowship—which has now hosted more than two dozen artists from India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh—provides enough structure to ensure the experience is productive while also giving artists the flexibility to explore all that Harvard has to offer.

Benefits

• One round-trip economy travel cost from South Asia to Cambridge, MA, USA.
• An orientation to the campus in the first week of the artist’s fellowship that includes information and access to Harvard’s extensive physical and digital libraries and archives, and the Harvard Art Museums.
• A shared office space at the Institute.
• Opportunity to attend classes on campus pending individual faculty approval.
• The Visiting Artist Fellowship does not provide or guarantee:
  • Studio space for marking art.
  • Art supplies beyond the artist stipend.
  • Faculty approval for classes or meetings.
  • Housing: It is the responsibility of each VAF to find their own housing.

Funding Information

• Each artist receives a stipend of $8,000 for the 8-week duration of the program to cover all costs incurred during the fellowship at the Mittal Institute. These include but are not limited to accommodations, meals, health insurance, domestic travels, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

• Artists who are current residents of South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, or Sri Lanka). They will pay attention to the geographic and thematic representation of the applicant.
• Mid-career artists with an established body of work, who are actively exhibiting current work in professional artistic venues, such as gallery and museum spaces. Although formal professional training at an accredited institution is not a requirement, artists with professional training are preferred.
• Demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship. Special consideration will be given to artists whose research proposals are related to pertinent South Asian issues.
• Able to provide a plan and rationale for utilizing Harvard’s resources including: specific classes, archives, libraries, or museum collections.
• In possession of a valid passport and are able to apply for the necessary visa.
• Short-listed candidates will be required to participate in a video interview with the review committee.

Program Requirements

• An artist’s talk/seminar on campus and in the region, as appropriate.
• A curated exhibition of the Visiting Artist’s work at the Mittal Institute office.
• A 4- to 5-page report covering what was accomplished during the Fellowship.
• An exit interview.

Application Requirements

• Artist Statement (maximum 300 words) describing your work.
• Resume/CV.
• Work Portfolio: Your work portfolio should consist of no more than 15 images, 15 minutes of video, or 15 pages of text. Select works that best represent you as an artist. Work samples may be accompanied by a brief description.
• Fellowship Proposal (maximum 500 words): This written statement should describe your preliminary proposal and how it will benefit from being hosted by the Mittal Institute and Harvard. Please list in as much detail as possible which resources, departments, and faculty at Harvard would be pertinent to your research. Also, please state if you would be drawing on the collections of the Harvard Museums for your research. Anything longer than 500 words will not be considered. Some questions to consider include: How will you utilize 8 weeks of your time at Harvard to inform your work? What resources at Harvard do you plan to use? How do you use your work to draw attention to the areas of economic, policy, and social issues of your particular context of South Asia? Please spend most of your narrative about work you have already completed, as your stay at Harvard will focus on these works.
• Letters of recommendation: Please find two references to write letters of recommendation on your behalf. One letter must be from a senior professional involved in art or a practicing artist. The letters should address the following (as well as any other relevant information): How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant? Assess the candidate’s qualifications and previous achievements and evaluate the potential impact/contribution of his or her project.

For more information, visit The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute.