Call for Applications: Writing & Publishing Seminar
July 31-August 11, 2023 • Deadline: April 15, 2023
Photography Network is launching a two-week writing and publishing seminar to support and promote new voices in photography scholarship, curation, and criticism, to take place online from July 31 through August 11, 2023. Six applicants will be chosen to participate. Through structured workshops and mentorship from two established professionals in the field, they will revise manuscripts of in-progress writing projects for submission and publication. Each participant will also receive a stipend of no less than $500.
This year’s mentors are Jeehey Kim, Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Arizona, and Lisa Volpe, Curator of Photography, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Anyone working on research-based writing projects that use photography as the primary object or evidence is invited to apply. Such projects might include but are not limited to journal articles, exhibition proposals, conference papers, and other public-facing writing about photography. No institutional affiliation is necessary: graduate students, postdocs, junior museum professionals, critics, and independent scholars around the world are encouraged to submit applications.
Conducted in English, the seminar will require an average daily commitment of two hours (Monday through Friday), which includes presentations by invited speakers, one-on-one advising, and group meetings to workshop manuscripts in progress. In addition to in-depth feedback on their writing, participants can expect guidance with acquiring images and clearing copyright, preparing a manuscript for publication, and building techniques for a productive writing routine. All participants will complete a full draft or revision of their manuscript by the conclusion of the program.
The deadline for applications is Saturday April 15, 2023.
Successful applicants will be notified in early May.
To apply, please submit the following as a single PDF to yech.zhao AT gmail.com with the subject line: “PN Writing & Publishing Seminar”
CV (1-2 pages)
One-page cover letter that includes:
Previous publishing experience
Current funding and advising support
One-page project proposal
This can take the form of an outline or abstract, and can include 1-2 supporting images
Indicate if the project has already been accepted for publication
Writing sample (1,000-2,000 words with up to 3 images)
Questions about the program or application process can be sent via email to: Yechen Zhao, yech.zhao AT gmail.com
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION: Photography Network fosters discussion, research, and new approaches to the study and practice of photography in its relation to art, culture, society, and history. It serves the interest of members through sponsored sessions at the College Art Association annual conference (among other fora), research conferences and/or professional convenings (regional, national, and/or international), a listserv, publication(s), a website, and social media. Photography Network cultivates a spirit of community and exchange through these programs as well as more informal gatherings, with the aim of advancing innovation in the field.
ABOUT THE MENTORS:
Jeehey Kim is an assistant professor of Art History at the University of Arizona. Her book Photography and Korea is forthcoming in the summer of 2023. She is currently working on another book project on funerary portrait photography in East Asia. She has been writing articles on vernacular photographic practices, documentary films, and visual culture concerning the Cold War and gender politics in East Asia. She is a member of the editorial board of Trans Asia Photography. At the University of Arizona, she launched a series of symposia on Asian photography with the Center for Creative Photography in 2022, including Korean, Taiwanese, and Southeast Asian photography symposia.
Lisa Volpe is Curator of Photography at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Previously, she was Curator of the Wichita Art Museum, held various curatorial roles at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and fellowships at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Her 2021 exhibition catalogue, Georgia O’Keeffe, Photographer, was one of two finalists for the Association of American Publishers Prose Awards. Gordon Parks: Stokely Carmichael and Black Power, published for the 2022 exhibition, was named a “must read” by Esquire and New York magazines.