Fellowship, Dance/USA, Chicago, IL

Posted April 30, 2018

Summer 2018 Fellowship (June-August)

Preserving Dance: A Community-based Approach to Archiving

 

Dance/USA is delighted to announce its first Fellowships in Dance Archiving and Preservation for master’s degree students in library and information sciences.

 

The goal of this program is to develop an engaged, passionate, and well-trained next generation of archivists in the dance field and to advance models for community-based archiving assistance to regional dance communities. Aligned with Dance/USA’s core values of equity, inclusion, and diversity, this Fellowship program invites applicants who are committed to advancing a more equitable and inclusive archives field that reflects and supports the true diversity of voices, practices, and identities within dance communities. Applicants should be interested in building bridges of access to the arts with a wide range of diverse communities.

 

This pilot program builds on the Fellowships in Archiving and Preservation offered by Dance Heritage Coalition (DHC), between 2001 and 2014. Read about DHC Fellows and their projects here.

 

This opportunity is generously supported by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

 

Program Format and Project Descriptions

 

Timeline and commitment: June-August, 2018, approximately 400 hours total.

 

Location: Chicago, Ill. (multiple host sites).

 

Stipend: $8,000.

 

The Fellowship will be supervised and administered by Dance/USA’s Director of Archiving & Preservation. The Fellow will receive orientation and training in dance-specific concepts and resources for archiving developed by Dance Heritage Coalition, and will work with local mentors and organizations on projects to preserve and create access to unique dance materials.

 

1. Chicago Dance History Project

• Work with CDHP Executive Director and Joel Hall Dancers Artistic Director to select and digitize a sampling of archival materials for exhibition in CDHP’s digital library
• Work with CDHP Executive Director to devise a system, organizational structure, and metadata needs for cataloguing archival dance footage
• Digitizing archival dance footage in a variety of formats
• With CDHP Executive Director, conduct visits to local institutions holding dance documentation, in order to assess the scope, condition, and usage of the materials.

 

2. Morrison-Shearer Foundation 

• Under the supervision of the interim executive director, assist with organization and inventory of archives to support the eventual transfer of the collection to an archival repository.

 

3. Other professional development activities

• Fellows will keep a blog throughout the Fellowship period that shares their learning and discoveries and engages with the themes of the program. View blogs by former Dance Heritage Fellows.
• Fellows will attend Dance/USA’s annual conference in Los Angeles and have the opportunity to assist Dance/USA staff with presenting archives-focused programming and consultations.
• Fellows will assist Dance/USA staff with tracking metrics and evaluating the program’s outcomes.

 

Fellowship Benefits

• Access to mentorship by dance leaders in the field. Fellow will work with professional mentors who have extensive experience in processing dance collections and creating pathways for access and engagement with dance documentation and legacy materials.
• Hands-on experience with unprocessed artists’ archives. Fellow will gain experience with making independent judgments, adapting best practices to existing capacity and resources, and working directly with artists to develop systems that reflect unique creative processes and culturally-specific practices.
• Attendance at the Dance/USA conference, opportunities to network with dance archivists and artists and participated in archives-related programming.
• Opportunity to share accomplishments and findings on a blog platform that will be disseminated on a national network.

 

About Dance/USA

Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance, supports the field through research, advocacy, and convenings, including an Annual Conference and regional forums. Dance/USA has adopted core values of equity, inclusion, and diversity which inform all aspects of the organization’s activities and programs.

 

In 2017, Dance/USA began the process of integrating the archiving and preservation programs of Dance Heritage Coalition (DHC). Formerly a stand-alone nonprofit, DHC was founded as an alliance of institutions holding major dance research collections, with a mission to document, preserve, and create access to the legacy of dance. With the integration, Dance/USA has taken on this mission to provide archiving services to the dance field and build skills, resources, and awareness of dance heritage.

 

About the Hosts

The Chicago Dance History Project (CDHP) seeks to investigate, preserve, and present the oral and corporeal histories of theatrical dance in Chicago. It aims to honor the vast number of national and international dance artists with roots in the city; to surface lesser-known individuals, organizations, and venues that have anchored Chicago’s strong local dance community; and to link various collections of historical knowledge and traditions with present and future generations. CDHP pursues three primary modes of research: conducting in-depth interviews with area dancers, choreographers, educators, advocates, and others associated with the form; hosting panel discussions and other events that facilitate collaborative explorations of specific historical topics; and discovering and digitizing ephemera held by individuals within the community. CDHP also establishes partnerships with area institutions and individuals housing dance archives in order to link the various strains of knowledge maintained throughout the city. These recorded interviews and events, along with the digitized supplemental materials, will serve as a public online library and a platform for establishing a body of original and collected research that examines how Chicago has shaped dance – and how, in turn, dance has shaped Chicago – throughout the 20th century and into the present.

The Morrison-Shearer Foundation was established in 1991 to preserve and exhibit the works and documentary materials relating to the careers of photographer Helen Balfour Morrison and dancer-choreographer Sybil Shearer; to maintain the Home and Studio as a source of inspiration for others; and to sponsor new creativity. Since the death of Sybil Shearer in 2005, the Foundation has been managed by a Board of Trustees, named by Ms. Shearer and guided by her wishes as expressed in her document “Purpose and Aims of the Museum” (1985). The Foundation’s current priorities are to complete the publication of Sybil Shearer’s three-volume autobiography, Without Wings the Way is Steep; to preserve and archive all photographs, films, letters, manuscripts, reviews and other memorabilia; to provide modest annual grants in support of current work in the arts, especially dance; to explore the possibilities of creating an artists’ retreat at the home and studio in Northbrook, Illinois; and to share the Morrison-Shearer legacy through a website and other means.

 

How to Apply

Eligibility Requirements:

Current full- or part-time enrollment in an ALA-accredited graduate program through (at least) Spring 2018. Members of underrepresented groups and applicants with a commitment to advancing social justice causes are strongly encouraged to apply. Fellows must be available for most of June, July, and August 2018 (approximately 12 weeks).

 

Application Process

Submit a resume, list of references, and a Vision, Values, and Goal Statement explaining what the applicant hopes to contribute to and gain from the Fellowship and how this opportunity aligns with career goals. This statement should highlight any experience or connection with dance/performing arts and dance legacy materials.

 

Deadline: May 17, 2018

 

Please send a letter of application, resume, and contact and relationship (e.g. professor, supervisor) information for 3 references as one PDF named “Lastname_Firstname.pdf” to Tevin Giddens, Project Coordinator, at [email protected]. 

Applicant Finalists will be contacted to schedule a phone/videoconferencing interview with Dance/USA staff. Applicants will be asked to provide proof of current enrollment in an accredited program.