FellowshipsPerforma NY

Curatorial Fellow

The Hartwig Art Foundation Curatorial Fellow will work directly with Performa’s curatorial and production teams, Performa commission artists and national and international partners of the Performa Biennial. They will contribute to the Performa Institute, Performa Publications and Performa Magazine, and they will be directly involved in preparation for the Performa Biennial 2023 (1 – 19 Nov. 2023).  Performa Curatorial Fellows will gain hands on administrative experience in all aspects of the biennial, and will also have ample opportunity to engage in extensive historical and contemporary research of performance by artists from around the globe.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to curatorial activities leading up to the Performa Biennial, including research, interviews with artists, partners and curators, lectures, and pre-biennial events;
• Support Founding Director and Performa Curators with Performa Commission projects as needed;
• Develop and produce an independent project within the guidelines of the upcoming Biennial and research initiatives of the organization;
• Conduct curatorial research and compile artists’ information and project descriptions for internal and external presentations;
• Contribute to programming for the Performa Institute’s year-round activities and  Performa’s on-line Radical Broadcast site
• Work closely with the Executive Producer and production team on pre-production, budgeting, and presenting of Performa commissions and projects;
• Arrange studio and site visits, residencies, and travel for artists and their collaborators as needed;
• Collaborate with press and marketing associates to prepare curatorial information including material gathered from Performa Consortium and Pavilion partners;
• Help to expand and cultivate Performa’s network of artists, partners, collaborators and supporters;
• Support Development Associate in fundraising activities including foundation research and grant-writing where appropriate;
• Catalog and archive photographic, video, and audio documentation;
• Contribute to the Performa Magazine and Performa Biennial publications;
• Represent Performa by participating in approved lectures, symposia, and other external programming – something here about doing this in agreement with us -am sure there’s standard language.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a minimum of a Bachelors Degree (or equivalent work experience) in art history, museum or performance studies, African or Latin American diaspora studies or arts administration, and should show a special interest in the history of performance by visual artists, contemporary art and new media. Fluency in English and writing skills are a must, as is the ability to work in a fast-paced and collaborative atmosphere. The position is paid and full time for 2 years and requires residency in New York City and a work visa (sponsored by Performa if needed) for foreign nationals. The salary is $52,000 and includes 2 weeks paid time off, health insurance and a small travel/research budget.

Archives Fellow

The Hartwig Art Foundation Archives Fellow will collaborate with the Performa team and international partners to activate and expand the Performa Archive comprising thousands of hours of original edited and unedited video, sound recordings, photographs, physical and digital ephemera, as well as drawings, writings, interviews and correspondence with Performa Commission artists. The archive is unusually complete in its reveal of the commissioning and production processes, budgets, tech riders and timelines behind the renowned Performa commissions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver programming from the Performa archive/collection for Performa platforms including the Performa Biennial, Performa Institute, Performa Magazine, Radical Broadcast and publications;
• Collaborate with staff members and outside contractors on the further development of the public access Performa Archive website;
• Generate educational partnerships and interface with academic institutions to generation lesson plans and curricula using the archive;
• Facilitate Performa’s external messaging with editorial content by making selections from the archive;
• Devise audience development strategies and collect and analyze feedback, statistics and analytics;
• Communicate new developments, programmes and news related to the archive to funders, users and other stake-holders;
• Oversee Performa’s participation in conferences and talks related to the archive
• Research and model methods of content distribution;
• Field all usage inquiries for research, usage, publication, and exhibition of archive materials;
• Oversee students and researchers requesting onsite research access to the archive;
• Engage with artists about the materials from their Performa projects that are in the archive or in their personal collections;
• Consider the acquisition of artist and performance archives that might be imperiled;
• Represent Performa by participating in approved lectures, symposia, and other external programming that further and raise awareness of our mission.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a minimum of a Bachelors Degree (or equivalent work experience) in art history, museum or performance studies, African or Latin American diaspora studies, archives or arts administration, and should show a special interest in the history of performance by visual artists, contemporary art and new media. Fluency in English and writing skills are a must, as are the ability to work in a fast-paced and collaborative atmosphere. The position is paid and full time for 2 years and requires residency in New York City and a work visa (sponsored by Performa if needed) for foreign nationals. The salary is $52,000 and includes 2 weeks paid time off, health insurance and a travel/research budget.
 

The application process is currently closed, and we are not accepting any further applications at this time.

First Fellows

Sakhi Gcina and Nour Helou have been selected to work respectively as the Curatorial Fellow and the Archives Fellow for a period of two years, as part of the Hartwig Art Foundation Fellowships at Performa.