Applications are now closed.
Dance Place, a Native-lead, 40-year-old performing arts center, seeks to engage an Indigenous artist and/or researcher based on land now known as DC, Maryland, or Virginia in a residency from April to July 2021. Research can include, but is not limited to, genealogical, academic, historical, artistic, linguistic, craft. Artistic practice can include, but is not limited to, performance and visual arts.
The primary goals of this residency are to understand how the land Dance Place inhabits connects to Native peoples past, present, and future, while supporting the creative research of an Indigenous artist and/or researcher. Strong candidates will have an interest in conducting research to uncover and preserve Native histories of the land now known as Washington, DC, particularly the land on which our facility sits in the Northeast quadrant of the city. Dance Place will support this artist to incorporate this research into their artistic practice.
There is no expectation to produce a “completed” work at the conclusion of the residency, but rather a value is placed on process and relationship-building. Dance Place will work with the selected artist to produce one informal public event at the conclusion of the residency to share their findings.
Due to the realities of COVID-19, much of the engagement will take place remotely. Compensation is provided to the artist in the amount of $4,000.
The deadline for artists to apply for Dance Place’s Native/ Indigenous Residency is Sunday, February 7.
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply?
Any individual who self-identifies as Native/Indigenous and who is currently based on the land known as DC, Maryland or Virginia is eligible to apply.
Priority consideration will be given to:
- Applicants with both an artistic and a research practice
- Applicants whose ancestral, familial, or tribal background is located in close geographic proximity to land known as Northeast Washington, DC.
What resources will Dance Place provide?
Over the course of the four-month residency, Dance Place will provide a cash stipend of $4,000 USD; collaborative goal-setting at the start of the residency; access to Dance Place’s professional Zoom account for research and meetings, administrative support in connecting the Artist with individuals and institutions who may support their research; platforms for publishing findings (including Dance Place social media and the Dance Place website) and support in producing an informal public event at the conclusion of the residency.
What is the expected time commitment from the selected artist?
Dance Place will not track the selected artist’s hours over the course of the four-month engagement; the Artist may utilize funds and hours as needed to achieve goals set at the beginning of the residency. The $4,000 stipend breaks down to approximately 10 hours per week at $25/hour over the course of four months.
Why this residency now?
As a Native-led dance presenter working across a wide range of styles and genres, Dance Place understands that it is essential to acknowledge and be in community with the occupied land in Northeast DC on which our physical building is located. We also understand that an incredibly important facet of our diverse geographic community are the Native peoples who live on and near this land. As we work to be accountable to Native communities in our work and strive to center equity and justice in everything we do, providing direct support to Native artists must be part of our work.
How did Dance Place assemble the Call for Proposals?
Dance Place engaged four Native artists, with a variety of histories and connections with and to Dance Place, to consult on the development of this proposal:
Maura García (non-enrolled Cherokee/ Mattamuskeet)
Ashley Minner (Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina)
Christopher K. Morgan (Native Hawaiian)
Rose Powhatan (Pamunkey/Tauxenent)
How will the artist be selected?
The application is open to any individual who self-identifies as Native/Indigenous, an artist and/or researcher, and who is currently based on the land known as DC, Maryland and Virginia. The application asks artists to answer the following questions either through written text or recorded audio or video statements:
- What Native/ Indigenous communities are you connected with? What is the nature of these relationships? *We acknowledge the sensitivities surrounding this question and recognize this may include tribal affiliations, ancestral lineage, non-enrolled status, and affiliations with groups not recognized by the US federal government.
- How does your artistic work and/or research connect with or serve those and other Native and/or non-Native communities?
- Describe your artistic and/or research practice. What is the motivation for the work you do? What form(s) does your work take?
- What are your artistic and/or research goals for this residency?
- How do the work samples provided reflect these goals? (optional)
An independent panel of Native/ Indiginous consultants and Dance Place staff will select the artist through the following criteria:
- Vision/ethos behind work
- Demonstrated history of Indigenous and/or artistic research and scholarship, or timely opportunity for an applicant to begin engaging in these practices
- Connection of proposed work/research to lands known as Northeast DC
Priority consideration will be given to:
- Applicants with both an artistic and a research practice
- Applicants whose ancestral, familial, or tribal background is located in close geographic proximity to land known as Northeast Washington, DC.
Following the initial application, interviews may be conducted with finalists prior to final selection.
Header photo by Brian Allard