Call to Creatives – 2 month spring residency for Crafting Stories, Making History

Call to Creatives

African American creative performers, artists, photographers, writers, technologists and other culture makers are invited to apply for a two month residency to create an original work for our Spring Celebration of Crafting Stories, Making History: the African American experience in the Eastside of Covington to be held on at Lincoln Grant Scholar House.

Since April 2022, we have been researching and exploring the rich history of African Americans in Eastside of Covington and its relationship with the Library of Congress’ digital collections. This work has been funded by the Connecting Communities Digital Initiative (CCDI), through the Library’s Mellon-funded Of the People: Widening the Path, opens a new window initiative.

View the information session from January 10th.
Please submit any questions about the residency along with your contact information with this form.

Application for the residency is at: https://www.kentonlibrary.org/calltocreatives/

To apply, please learn about the project's history by reviewing the following:

1. Attend or watch the overview of the Library of Congress Digital Collections and "Q & A."
2. Watch Library of Congress seeks diverse archivists and storytellers
3. Watch the Connecting Communities Digital Initiative Summer Symposium; Read "Celebrating Now: CCDI’s Summer Fuse Event"
4. Read "Meet the Inaugural Connecting Communities Digital Initiative Grant Recipients" and "An Interview with Kenton County Public Library, CCDI’s Libraries, Archives, Museums Grant Recipient."

What will you create? (The following are examples but work is not limited to this list)

• New poems or songs about Covington or perform songs/poems found in the Library of Congress Collections
• Create posters for historic Eastside landmarks inspired by the Library of Congress WPA posters or create new artwork featuring the Free to Use and Reuse Collections
• Research your family history and make a short film or article about their story
• Create a historical display featuring African American history using resources from the Kenton County Public Library and/or Library of Congress Collections
• Create a portrait of one of our History Fellows (see staff for list)
• Write an in-depth article about issues important to the Eastside of Covington and its connections to larger historical themes found in the Library of Congress
• Use your artistic medium to honor a person or place from Eastside history
• Document the Eastside today inspired by the Library of Congress photographic collections
• As a social practice artist, engage the community in a collective creation

Award details:

• An Artist will be selected by the KCPL grant team and community members.
• The artist stipend for the two month residency is $10,000.
• Applications are due by January 31, 2023 at 5pm * Extended to February 6th
  
• Award recipients will be notified by February 14, 2023
• Work must be completed by April 15, 2023 to be performed or displayed at the Spring Celebration at Lincoln Grant Scholar House