Call for Submissions: Slavery North Artist-in-Residence Fellowship

Jennifer DeClue, 2024-25 Slavery North Fellow. Photo: Jon Crispin

Slavery North Artist-in-Residence Fellowship

Submission Deadline: September 21, 2025, 11:59pm ET

Slavery North Initiative is a one-of-a kind academic and cultural destination where scholars, thinkers, artists, and cultural producers build community and produce research and cultural outcomes that transform our understanding of the neglected histories of Transatlantic Slavery in Canada and the US North. Slavery North was founded by art historian and Canadian Slavery scholar Dr. Charmaine A. Nelson at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2022. Slavery North seeks to advance social justice by recuperating and interrogating the complex histories of Transatlantic Slavery and European colonization of the Americas, thereby recovering and centering the cultures, experiences, lives, and resistance of enslaved peoples in Canada and the US North. At the heart of Slavery North is a fellowship program that welcomes national and international students, artists, and scholars, providing them with the space, funding, time, and community to produce transformative research outcomes.

Project Requirements

The Artist-In-Residence (Research Fellow) for Slavery North will actively participate in both the scholarly and social environment of the center. Artists-in-Residence, with support of Slavery North leadership, will conduct independent research and create original works in one or more of the five mandate areas of Slavery North which include 1) Canadian Slavery, (2) slavery in the US North, (3) the comparative study of slavery in Canada, the US North, and other northern or temperate regions, (4) the study of the inter-connectedness of slavery in Canada and the US North with Caribbean Slavery, and (5) Black-Indigenous relations in Canadian Slavery or US North Slavery. Furthermore, the research must center on the enslaved and/or adopt an anti-colonial, de-colonial, post-colonial, and/or anti-racist methodology/approach which challenges the nature of European and Euro-American imperialism and colonialism and interrogates the racist logic of the institution of Transatlantic Slavery.

Applicants can be active in any of the following fields or areas of creative production: cinema and film making, ceramics, mixed media, painting, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, and fiction writing (including novels, plays, screenplays, poetry etc.).

Eligibility

• Minimum of a High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Applicants must demonstrate evidence of consistent creative output of a high standard, a strong record of exhibitions and/or public engagement, and participation in professional, academic, creative, or community organizations.
• Open to international applicants.

Chris Gismondi, Fall 2024 Fellow, with a group of colleagues and students. Photo: CN1 Productions

Compensation

Fall Semester: September 1 – December 18, 2026 (Biweekly Gross Salary= $2,326.92 per 8 pay periods)
Spring Semester: January 25 – May 14, 2027 (Biweekly Gross Salary=$2,326.92 per 8 pay periods)
Full One Year Appointment: September 1 2026 – August 31, 2027 (Biweekly Gross Salary=$2,326.92 per 26 pay periods)

Selection Process

Submissions are adjudicated by a committee comprised of members of the Slavery North Initiative Advisory Board.

Submission Requirements

In addition to a completed employment application, please submit the following materials for consideration. Application will not be considered complete until all materials are received.

• Current CV (maximum 3 pages) which addresses education/training, related course work, work experience, awards, scholarships, and grants, event/exhibition/conference organization and participation, extracurricular activities, other creative outcomes, and relevant community contributions and engagement.
• Project Statement (Maximum 5 pages): Applicants must demonstrate that their entire thesis or creative production, or a significant part thereof, focuses on at least one of the Slavery North Mandate Areas. The project statement must be written in full sentence form and include the following areas:
  ◦  Page 1: Project Summary (avoid jargon and write for non-specialist audience)
  ◦  Pages 2-4: Objectives; Context; Importance and Originality; Literature Review; Theoretical and Methodological Approach; Archival or Primary Sources; Impact and Outcomes.
  ◦  Page 5: Timeline (point form); indicate desired semester(s) for appointment (maximum 1 academic year) and your plan to complete all or a significant portion of your research
• Photographs, Weblinks, or Writing Sample: Five photographs of completed artworks or creative output OR film stills OR link to applicant’s website OR writing sample (maximum 12 pages).
• A list of three professional references (name, position title, and contact information).

How to Submit

Apply through the UMass Amherst Human Resources portal.

Submission Deadline: September 21, 2025, 11:59pm ET

For additional information or questions, please contact:
Emily Davidson, Director of Research and Engagement
emilydavidso@umass.edu | 413-545-6453

Slavery North Initiative, UMass Amherst
472 North Pleasant Street, Room 111
Amherst, MA 01003, USA
slaverynorth.com
emilydavidso@umass.edu
413-545-6453

Facebook @slvrynorth
Instagram @slvrynorth

Accessibility:
Slavery North is accessible. For more information, email emilydavidso@umass.edu.

Image Descriptions:
1. A casual portrait of a black woman smiling in a professional setting.
2. A photo of young white man talks to a group of students, artists, and academics.