This collaborative fellowship program from Chapman Cultural Center and Hub City Writers Project is possible by grant funding from the Watson-Brown Foundation. This first-of-its-kind program will bring one early-career artist and one early career-writer to Spartanburg, South Carolina, for a nine-month fellowship of research, creativity, teaching, and travel, culminating in a collaborative project informed by the region. This program is geared toward artists and writers who are interested in immersing themselves in the culture of the American South. Read FAQs here.
Timeline:
April, 15 2023—applications close
April-May 2023—interviews with selected finalists
June 2023—finalists announced
September 2023—fellows move to Spartanburg and begin collaborative project
May 2024—fellows complete and present project to the public
Fellows will travel throughout the Southeast to conduct research at cultural and educational institutions as they develop ideas for a collaborative project that expands the understanding of the modern South.
In addition to focusing on their own creative projects, the Southern Studies Fellows will have opportunities and requirements for educational community service in Spartanburg County; these will include regular college and high school classroom visits/lectures, readings, open studios, workshops, and projects affiliated with the host organizations. (Among the educational organizations that have committed to participate are: Wofford College, Converse College, the University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg High School, and Dorman High School.) The fellows will be expected to contribute up to 20 hours per week in the following areas: community service, artist-writer collaboration, and out-of-town travel for project research.
A key component of this unique fellowship is the opportunity to interact with leading scholars, artists, and writers throughout the South. Each fellow will receive funding for 6-10 days of travel in the Southern region to conduct research at cultural and educational institutions. These institutions can include but are not limited to: the Center for Southern Culture in Oxford, MS; the Institute for SouthernStudies in Durham, NC; the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, GA; The Penn Center on St. Helena Island, SC; and the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte. These trips will inform the work of the fellows going forward and will be critical in the development of their ideas for a collaborative project that expands the understanding of the modern South. Travel funding will pay for mileage or car rental, hotel rooms, meals, and other expenses related to research. Before traveling, the Fellows will be required to submit a proposal for travel research to their supervisors; upon returning, they will submit a one-page report of the visit and how it applied to their field of study.
Additionally, fellows will have ample opportunities to visit with some of the region’s top literary writers and artists through relationships already developed by Hub City and Chapman.
Upon completing the Fellowship, participants will take part in exit interviews that will help the host organizations hone and improve the program going forward.
The application deadline is April 15, 2023. The application fee must be paid in order to be considered.