Open Call: Counter Histories

 

Image courtesy of the Nepal Picture Library Feminist Memory Project

Counter Histories is an initiative supporting projects that creatively reframe the past to engage with questions of the present and future. Magnum Foundation is calling for proposals from photographers and artists working with photography who would like to expand and complete a project and be an active member of a creative community fostering interdisciplinary exploration and collaboration. Up to twelve selected participants will receive a grant of $10,000, take part in project development workshops, and connect with collaborative partners and networks. Applications are due February 1, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET.

Counter Histories is part of Magnum Foundation’s ongoing exploration of the ways that artists creatively reframe histories and archives. Examples of prior work supported through this initiative can be seen here. Presentations from our previous Counter Histories symposium are here.

Program details

  • $10,000 project development grants for up to twelve participants.

  • Seven months to complete projects.

  • Two virtual half-day workshops, and at least three additional virtual meetings throughout the grant period. Programming will be coordinated according to the interests and needs of participants. This will include guest presentations, small working groups, short experimental labs, and individual sessions with mentors, academics, technologists, and/or strategists. Support may take the form of concept development, editorial or curatorial advising, and other forms of assistance that the partnering organizations and their networks can offer.

  • At the end of the grant period, participants will be eligible for additional finishing funds to support the distribution and activation of their work.

  • Participants will share their work in a public culminating event.

  • All gatherings will be held online. Simultaneous translation will be provided if needed. 

how to apply

  • This short application will require a work sample, short bio, 250 word project description, and description of what you feel your project needs in order to expand and complete it.

  • A shortlist of applicants will be invited to submit a more detailed follow-up proposal and to interview with the selection committee.

  • Up to 25 applicants who are not selected to receive grants will be invited to a virtual meeting with a member of the Magnum Foundation team to discuss their work.

  • Grantees will be selected for this initiative via a hybrid nomination and open call process. We are doing this because we believe that nominations will help us reach beyond the range of our immediate network and introduce us to artists and photographers who would not normally receive news about our grant opportunities or see themselves as potential grantees of the Magnum Foundation.

  • Questions? Email Emma Raynes at eraynes@magnumfoundation.org.

dates

  • Application Q&A Session 1: January 12, 2022, 9am ET - view recording

  • Application Q&A Session 2: January 13, 2022, 1pm ET - view recording

  • Applications Due: February 1, 2022, 11:59 PM ET

  • Shortlist Interviews: Week of February 21, 2022

  • Notification of Grant Recipients: Week of March 8, 2022

  • Grant Period: April 1, 2022 - November 1, 2022

  • Grantee Workshops: April 12, 2022 and October 4, 2022

Guiding Questions

  • What could an archive of the future look like?

  • What creative possibilities are offered by the gaps, absences, and silences in archives and historical records?

  • How can artists engage with histories that weren’t photographed?

  • How can found photographs and artist-driven archives contribute to fuller understandings of the past, present, and future?

  • How might artists address the ways photography is implicated in creating and perpetuating violent histories and limiting potential futures?

  • How could multidisciplinary approaches augment or extend photographic work on historical narratives?

  • In revisiting objects tasked with holding memory (monuments, heirlooms, etc) and histories, how can artists present alternative methods of memory-making and keeping?

  • Why are some histories left behind, while others are carried forward?

  • How can artists honor histories that are personal, private, or intended for particular communities and purposes? What would it look like for artists to lead the way in creating new modes of respect and care in the circulation of images?

requirements

  • All are welcome to apply. We encourage applications from: Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian individuals; individuals who are part of racial, ethnic, or religious minority groups; women; gender non-conforming individuals; LGBTQI+ individuals; individuals living with a disability; and other individuals whose authorship has historically been undersupported or underrepresented within the field of documentary photography. 

  • There is no required training, educational degree, or level of experience to apply, and we encourage applications from self-taught photographers and artists who have not had access to formal training. Current students are welcome to apply.

  • Applicants should be photographers or artists engaged with photography who are currently working on a project related to this theme and have a vision for expanding and completing it during the project period. 

  • Applicants should be interested in contributing to a creative community. Participants will have the opportunity to develop their ideas and projects within the cohort of grantees and within the extended networks of the partnering institutions. 

  • Applicants should apply as individuals. If the project has multiple partners involved, one individual should apply and describe their project partners in the application.

  • Applications must be submitted in English. If you need translation support or have any other questions with this application form, please email Emma Raynes at eraynes@magnumfoundation.org.

  • There will be two virtual Q&A sessions about the initiative and the application process, on January 12, 2021 at 9am ET and January 13, 2021 at 1pm ET.

This initiative is developed by the Magnum Foundation, a non-profit organization that expands creativity and diversity in documentary practice, in partnership with Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation and 2020-21 Mellon/ACLS Magnum Foundation Scholar-in-Residence Nicholas Mirzoeff. Advisors to this initiative are Omar Berrada, Mengwen Cao, Jill Casid, Stephanie Dinkins, Michael Famighetti, Noelle Flores Théard, Kate Fowler, Ariel Goldberg, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Patricia Kim, Andrew Kircher, Ari Melenciano, Oluremi Onabanjo, Prerana Reddy, and Mark Sealy.

This initiative is supported by The Fledgling Fund, Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon/ACLS Early Career Fellowships, and Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation.

 
 
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