THE OFFICE performing arts + film has partnered with the The Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (Sipp Culture) in Utica, MS, to implement Artists At Work (AAW) in the Delta region in early 2022.
Through the partnership with the Artists At Work Initiative, Sipp Culture is requesting for proposals for an artist to serve as the lead in a community focused artist residency from Spring 2022 – Spring 2023 in Utica, Mississippi. The chosen artist will receive a salary and medical benefits for the life of the residency as well as a modest project budget to complete their work.Â
The selected artist will be employed by THE OFFICE performing art + film for the 12-month term, work in partnership with a local Community Partner to help bring focus to issues that are relevant and responsive to the needs of the community, and attend monthly Professional Development workshops and Artist Work Shares.
About the Community Partner:
The Utica Institute Museum & Archives was created to preserve, and make accessible, records which are deemed to be of continuing value of Hinds Community College—Utica Campus, formerly Utica Junior College, formerly Hinds Agricultural High School, formerly the Utica Normal & Industrial Institute. The collection is intended to be used by students and faculty of the Utica Campus as well as interested researchers from outside the Hinds Community College family.
The collection chronicles the Southern Black Education and the Black experience in rural Mississippi from the inception of the Utica Normal Institute in 1903 through the absorption of Utica Junior college into the Hinds Community College system as a result of the Ayers Court Case in 1982. The collection included operational papers, yearbooks, books, handbooks, manuscripts, photographs, memorabilia, architectural records, correspondence, legal documents, meeting minutes, speeches, born digital, as well as operational documents of campus administration.
-Jean Greene, Museum Director
Please submit the following:
- Cover Letter stating why you are interested in this position.
- Artist Statement (Tell us who you are, what you do as an artist)
- Portfolio/Work SamplesÂ
- References (Three)
- Artist Resume (Appreciated but not required)Â
Timeline:
Submission: by January 28, 2022
Selection: by February 15, 2022
Onboarding: February 21, 2022
Public Announcement: March 1, 2022
Program Work Begins: March 2, 2022
This position is located in Utica, Mississippi.
Candidates must be:
- In-need of full-time employment (not a tenured teacher/artist)Â
- Have, or are interested in, developing a social arts practiceÂ
- Eligible to work in the United States as a salaried employee on payroll with THE OFFICE performing arts + film
Interested candidates should submit résumé and cover letter in a single Word or PDF document saved as candidate’s first and last name with subject Artist In Residence.Â
Please email submissions to info@sippculture.com.Â
For more information about this project, please email info@sippculture.com.
Deadline for applications is January 28, 2022. No phone calls, please. All details on the position and how to apply available at the link below.
More information on other Artist At Work opportunities and open calls will be announced at a later date.
The implementation of Artists At Work in the Mississippi Delta region is made possible by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation who provided a $3M grant to expand AAW nationally, launching programs in Los Angeles County (2021), the Mississippi Delta region (2022), and the Borderlands region (2023).
