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Call for proposals: Research Residency Programme 2024

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Samoa House Library (SHL) is now accepting proposals from arts & arts-related practitioners for our Research Residency Programme 2024. 

 

There are two residency opportunities, each including a stipend of $5,000, open to individuals, groups or collectives. 

 

SHL’s Research Residencies offer practitioners from art or art-related fields the opportunity to focus on their research practices in ways that are less outcome oriented and exposed to the pressure of deadlines. We see research in an expansive sense, which could include anything from conversational to action research, project development, material explorations, scholarship and more. During the Research Residency recipients will engage with the library and work with its resources, as well as contribute to its programming or organisation. This could take the form of reading groups, crits and/or suggested additions to the collection. 

 

SHL is interested in supporting significant, urgent, and underrepresented areas of practice; collectively oriented or situated projects; archival interventions and projects relevant to the context of SHL. (For example, projects relating to a history of place in Maota Samoa (Samoa House) or Karangahape Road, to our lineage from the closure of Elam School of Fine Arts Library, to library/archival studies, institutional critique, etc.)

 

SHL provides the recipient with a stipend and other resources, including mentorship from a practitioner of your choice, alongside ongoing support from the SHL staff. 

 

Applications for the Research Residency close on Sunday 31st of March for residencies to start in May or June 2024, the duration and format to be decided in discussion with SHL staff.

 

What’s on offer

Recipients will receive:

  • A stipend totalling $5,000

  • A $700 budget towards materials

  • An allocated book buying budget to purchase specific texts relevant to your research practice or project

  • Mentorship from a practitioner(s) of your nomination (remunerated for up to 10 hours)

  • Full access to SHL, our collection of 7500+ texts and other resources 

 

Residencies will be organised on a case-by-case basis with support from SHL staff, our Board of Trustees and advisers.

 

Expectations

Recipients will be expected to:

  • Complete approximately 110 - 150 hours of research (equating to approximately $45.45 - $33.33 per hour). The majority of your research hours should be at SHL if possible, however arrangements can be made to work elsewhere on a case by case basis. Please note no travel budget is provided in addition to your stipend.

  • Nominate texts relevant to your research to be purchased by the Research Librarian for SHL’s collection 

  • Make a shareable resource available at SHL i.e a reading list of texts / online sources / media that were key to your research throughout your residency

  • Communicate regularly with SHL staff 

  • Engage with library visitors in conversation about your research - this could take the form of casual conversations or hosting a public reading group session at the library 

  • Compile a brief report upon completion (written, oral, video, visual)

 

Duration

  • Your residency must start within 2024. The term of your residency will be organised in a way that is most beneficial to you. This could look like an intensive short period of research, or regular weekly research days over multiple months. You are able to self determine your hours and how your stipend is spent, this is only a suggestion. 

 

How to apply/ Proposals will be accepted in any of the following formats:

  • A written outline of your research proposal (approx. 1000 words)

  • A video recording (max. 15 minutes)

 

Proposals should include:

  • Your name(s) & contact details

  • An introduction to your proposed research interest and trajectory, including how your project relates to SHL and our history or our position in the local ecology if relevant

  • A basic budget of your material costs and needs (these may include making materials, printing, subscriptions, fabrication costs etc.)

  • Examples of previous work if relevant

  • A short personal bio(s) and/or  a collective bio 

  • Rough dates to start and end your residency including an indication of how you will allocate your time

  • Please send your written or video proposals by email to samoahouselibrary@gmail.com. 

 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the application process further, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

SHL is an independent fine arts library and alternative education platform. In our six years of operation, we have opened a public space for research and critical discussion, established a collection and archive from public donations, run a calendar of public programming (including our open programme curriculum), and supported and collaborated with practitioners and arts organisations both locally and internationally. 

 

Our residency programme is supported through funding from Creative New Zealand. 

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