The University of Michigan has launched a new funding program for faculty engaged in creative practice and interested in exploring work inspired by the university’s libraries.
The works of children’s book author Maurice Sendak, filmmaker Orson Welles and composer Cécile Chaminade are just some of the materials that could inspire new directions of creativity and artmaking.
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Artists in the Archives will support faculty interested in generating new artistic work inspired by the archival and special collections housed in U-M’s on-campus libraries. These archives hold an extraordinary number of historically significant photographs, diaries, maps, books, historical documents and musical scores.
Participants will receive a $1,500 stipend and opportunities to explore using archives for artistic inspiration with a series of guest artists.
The program also provides participants with curatorial assistance from U-M librarians and archivists who can aid in navigating and interpreting materials that could be integral to the creation of paintings, installations, performances, novels or films.
“The University of Michigan has a tremendous collection of archives and library materials that our faculty who work in arts research and creative practice can draw inspiration from, as well as the specialists with deep knowledge of what our libraries offer and understanding of the historical context,” said Clare Croft, director of arts research/creative practice in the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Artists in the Archives is supported by OVPR, the U-M Arts Initiative, the U-M Library, the William L. Clements Library, the Bentley Historical Library and the Institute for Research on Women and Gender.
Applications for the program are due Jan. 15.
In addition to the new program, OVPR and the Arts Initiative are continuing two other funding programs: Arts Research: Incubation & Acceleration and the Creativity Lab.
ARIA seeks to elevate and expand arts research and creative practice by supporting projects centered on the arts that form collaboration and interaction both within and beyond the arts.
Applications are encouraged from interdisciplinary research teams aiming to provide mutual benefit to the arts and other research sectors and from individuals working to create new horizons of artistic possibility.
Applications for ARIA will open Dec. 2 and close March 12.
“The support we received allowed us to purchase the supplies needed to create our work and travel so we could all work together in the same space. The infrastructure of these grants supports the nexus between the arts and sciences, and built community and collaborations that wouldn’t have otherwise been possible,” said Michael Gould, professor of music in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
Gould is a co-lead with Aline Cotel, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, and associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering, of an ARIA project focused on creating a multimedia art installation that explores the ecological and cultural consequences of the Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Creativity Lab is a weeklong research development program designed to stimulate new work in arts research and creative practices and build arts research cohorts among a wide variety of faculty.
Applications for the summer laboratory program are open now and are due Jan. 22.
This year’s C-Lab also marks a new collaboration with the Department of Robotics in the College of Engineering, which will support up to four faculty members working at the intersection of arts and robotics.
“C-Lab gave me the time to talk with others about the incubation stages of a project for the first time. It also connected me with resources across the campus that would be great partners and understanding how to position the work for future funding,” said Quinn Hunter, assistant professor of art and design in the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design and a member of the 2024 C-Lab cohort.
