AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

from Franklin Furnace

Summer/Fall 2021 Curatorial Fellowship: Dark Data | EFA Project Space
EFA Project Space seeks a Curatorial Fellow to work on the exhibition Dark Data, curated by Gee Wesley, at EFA Project Space in September - October, 2021. On view from September 10-October 9, 2021, Dark Data presents work by Black artists who explore pervasive forms of data collection and hypervisibility visited upon Black life through networked technologies, data-driven policing, data-mining algorithms, and mass surveillance.

Read more about our programming and Bright Futures, EFA Project Space’s 2021-22 exhibition theme.

EFA Project Space is a 2500 square foot gallery located within EFA Center in Midtown Manhattan. Fellows would need to be on site during install period in early September but can plan to work remotely/off-site. Fellows are trained on all aspects of exhibition development, from the initial concept stage to its final execution in the gallery. Fellows will collaborate with EFA Project Space Program Director, Program Manager, and outside curators on structured projects tailored to each candidate's educational interests and experience.

Curatorial Fellows gain vital work experience in developing and organizing exhibitions - from soup to nuts. Typical responsibilities include: assisting in the execution and publication of exhibition text; assisting with curatorial committee preparation and planning efforts for exhibitions during the upcoming season; maintaining an active presence on web and social media outlets; researching and producing supplemental materials for exhibitions and special events; exploring opportunities for institutional collaboration; seeking sponsorship and grant opportunities; assisting with publicity and coordination of events; monitoring the gallery space; assisting on installation; and educating audience members on current exhibitions.
Specific to Dark Data, the Curatorial Fellow will assist in press and VIP outreach, social media design, liaising with artists and our guest curators on fabrication and installation of works, research and gathering materials and permissions for the catalog, and assisting with the organizing of public events including workshops and performances during the season.
For added educational benefit, EFA Project Space staff members organize gallery trips and studio visits with artists participating in the EFA Studio Program to gain a deeper understanding of contemporary art-making and curatorial practices.

The ideal candidate possesses the following skills, qualities, and availability:
A current graduate student with a background in the arts, museum administration, curatorial studies, or related field. Students seeking academic credit are strongly encouraged to apply.

An energetic, creative, and curious attitude.

Experience conducting research and comfort interacting with an enthusiastic, art-savvy public.

Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, SquareSpace, Social Media Management experience preferred, graphic design/type design or other similar skill sets appreciated.

An interest in the intersections between art, technology, social justice, afrofuturism, and digital activism.

Candidates should be able to set aside two days a week (EFA office hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm) and are asked to attend occasional EFA Project Space evening events virtually during the run of the exhibition.

In addition to a stipend of $1000, the Curatorial Fellow is eligible to receive additional compensation (hourly) for work as a docent during the run of the exhibition, as available. Additionally, the Fellow will be publicly listed as Curatorial Fellow in exhibition materials, including in the catalog published at the end of the exhibition as part of EFA Project Space’s end_notes series. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2021. Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview and notified of their selection by June 15, 2021. Please email your resume and a brief cover letter conveying your interest in EFA Project Space and the exhibition Dark Data with subject heading "Curatorial Fellowship: Dark Data" to dylan@efanyc.org. Applications should be addressed to Dylan Gauthier, Director, EFA Project Space Program.

About EFA Project Space EFA Project Space, launched in September 2008 as a program of The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, is a collaborative, cross-disciplinary arts venue founded on the belief that art is directly connected to the individuals who produce it, the communities that arise because of it, and to everyday life; and that by providing an arena for exploring these connections, we empower artists to forge new partnerships and encourage the expansion of ideas.
The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) public charity, dedicated to providing artists across all disciplines with space, tools and a cooperative forum for the development of individual practice. We are a catalyst for cultural growth, stimulating new interactions between artists, creative communities, and the public.

About Bright Futures Project Space’s 2021 programming season is dedicated to Bright Futures, envisioning a radical push for transparency, equality, and justice through exhibitions and artist projects that grapple with key political and social issues including racial capitalism, digital surveillance, mobility and access, gender, toxic masculinity, transition, multi-species repair, and ecological crisis. After a year of forced reckoning with America’s broken healthcare systems, the plague of systemic racism and violence, and deep class and gender divides, Bright Futures will connect the work of artists and communities that are united in sparking action and dialogue for changemaking. Taking a prompt from the conceptual frameworks of artist (and Project Space advisor) Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, Bright Futures counters the current mood of political, social, and ecological despair. Expanding outward from Project Space’s renewed mission, the 2021 season will spotlight art that is community-based and future-looking, revealing contemporary practices that engage with technology and society, politics and poetics, and fuse belief and praxis in the promise of a better world.