Summer 2018 Fellowship (June-August)

Preserving Dance: A Community-based Approach to Archiving

 

Dance/USA is delighted to announce its first Fellowships in Dance Archiving and Preservation for master's degree students in library and information sciences.

 

The goal of this program is to develop an engaged, passionate, and well-trained next generation of archivists in the dance field and to advance models for community-based archiving assistance to regional dance communities. Aligned with Dance/USA’s core values of equity, inclusion, and diversity, this Fellowship program invites applicants who are committed to advancing a more equitable and inclusive archives field that reflects and supports the true diversity of voices, practices, and identities within dance communities. Applicants should be interested in building bridges of access to the arts with a wide range of diverse communities.

 

This pilot program builds on the Fellowships in Archiving and Preservation offered by Dance Heritage Coalition (DHC), between 2001 and 2014. Read about DHC Fellows and their projects here.

 

This opportunity is generously supported by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Los Angeles Program Format and Project Descriptions

 

Timeline and commitment: June-August, 2018, approximately 400 hours total.

 

Location: Los Angeles, CA (multiple host sites).

 

Stipend: $8,000.

 

The Fellowship will be supervised and administered by Dance/USA’s Director of Archiving & Preservation. The Fellow will receive orientation and training in dance-specific concepts and resources for archiving, and will work with local mentors and organizations on projects to preserve and create access to unique dance materials.

 

1. Part 1: UCLA Library Special Collections (six weeks)

The Fellow will be paired with a professional mentor who has extensive experience in processing dance collections and creating pathways for access and engagement with dance documentation and legacy materials. The Fellow will be assigned to one or more project(s) that are a good fit for their interests, experience, and learning goals; possible projects include:

·       Assist with cataloging collection of rare dance books;

·       Create item-level metadata for digital objects in the Isadora Duncan Collection;

·       Assist with processing of unprocessed archival dance collections;

·       Opportunities to shadow mentor on donor visits, department meetings, or other institutional activities.

 

Part 2: Practicum (six weeks)

The Fellow will complete a practicum that places them with a local independent dance artist or arts organization to assist with preservation and organization of archival materials. Practicum activities may include creating an archival assessment, setting priorities and developing a work plan to improve the condition of the collection, creating or enhancing inventories and metadata, re-housing materials, and/or consulting on the development and implementation of legacy plans.

 

3. Other professional development activities

 

·       Fellow will keep a blog throughout the Fellowship period that shares their learning and discoveries and engages with the themes of the program. View blogs by former Dance Heritage Fellows.

·       Fellow will attend Dance/USA’s annual conference in Los Angeles and have the opportunity to assist Dance/USA staff with presenting archives-focused programming and consultations.

·       Fellow will assist Dance/USA staff with tracking metrics and evaluating the program’s outcomes. 

 

 

Fellowship Benefits

 

●      Access to mentorship by leaders in the field;

●      Hands-on experience with unprocessed artists’ archives. Fellow will gain experience with making independent judgments, adapting best practices to existing capacity and resources, and working directly with artists to develop systems that reflect unique creative processes and culturally-specific practices;

●      Attendance at the Dance/USA conference, opportunities to network with dance archivists and artists and participated in archives-related programming;

●      Opportunity to share accomplishments and findings on a blog platform that will be disseminated on a national network.                    

 

About Dance/USA

 

Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance, supports the field through research, advocacy, and convenings, including an Annual Conference. Dance/USA has adopted core values of equity, inclusion, and diversity which inform all aspects of the organization’s activities and programs.

 

In 2017, Dance/USA began the process of integrating the archiving and preservation programs of Dance Heritage Coalition (DHC). Formerly a stand-alone nonprofit, DHC was founded as an alliance of institutions holding major dance research collections with a mission to document, preserve, and create access to the legacy of dance. With the integration, Dance/USA has taken on this mission to provide archiving services to the dance field and build skills, resources, and awareness of dance heritage.

 

About the Host

 

UCLA Library Special Collections inspires discovery, cultivates knowledge, advances research, and preserves cultural heritage to create a distinctive learning environment for the UCLA community and society at-large. Located in the Charles E. Young Research Library, Special Collections welcomes researchers to explore their collections of rare books, archives, manuscripts, oral histories, and other materials. Dance holdings range from nineteenth-century ballet to ethnic dance to contemporary modern dance and include programs, photographs, personal papers, and designs. Among the personal papers are those of early modern dance pioneers Isadora Duncan, Maud Allan, and Ruth St. Denis; Duncan's creative collaborator, manager, and lover Edward Gordon Craig and his mother, Ellen Terry; and Mary Desti, a close friend of Duncan's, as well as her son, Preston Sturges. Yuriko Kikuchi, principal dancer for the Martha Graham Company, is represented in the papers of her husband, Charles Kikuchi, and in photographs by Barbara Morgan. Also of note are the collection of dance critic and photographer Arthur Todd; the papers of Ernest Belcher, founder of the Celeste School of Dance and producer of ballets for Hollywood Bowl concerts; Bonnie Cashin's costume designs for the Fanchon and Marco Dance Troupe; Andrew West's photographs of the Guelaguetza; the records of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which featured a world arts and culture festival; and the papers of dancer and artist Marta Becket, founder of the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley, where she has staged performances since 1968.

 

How to Apply

 

Eligibility Requirements:

Current full- or part-time enrollment in an ALA-accredited graduate program through (at least) Spring 2018. Members of underrepresented groups and applicants with a commitment to advancing social justice causes are strongly encouraged to apply. Fellows must be available for June, July, and most of August 2018 (approximately 12 weeks).

 

Application Process

Submit a resume, list of references, and a Vision, Values, and Goal Statement explaining what the application hopes to contribute to and gain from the Fellowship and how this opportunity aligns with career goals. This statement should highlight any experience or connection with dance/performing arts and dance legacy materials.

 

Deadline: May 17, 2018

 

Please send a letter of application, resume, and contact and relationship (e.g. professor, supervisor) information for 3 references as one PDF named "Lastname_Firstname.pdf" to Tevin Giddens, Project Coordinator, at [log in to unmask]. 

Applicant Finalists will be contacted to schedule a phone/videoconferencing interview with Dance/USA staff. Applicants will be asked to provide proof of current enrollment in an accredited program.

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Chicago Program Format and Project Descriptions

 

Timeline and commitment: June-August, 2018, approximately 400 hours total.

 

Location: Chicago, IL (multiple host sites)

 

Stipend: $8,000

 

The Fellowship will be supervised and administered by Dance/USA’s Director of Archiving & Preservation. The Fellow will receive orientation and training in dance-specific concepts and resources for archiving, and will work with local mentors and organizations on projects to preserve and create access to unique dance materials.

 

1. Chicago Dance History Project

 

·       Work with CDHP Executive Director and Joel Hall Dancers Artistic Director to select and digitize a sampling of archival materials for exhibition in CDHP’s digital library

·       Work with CDHP Executive Director to devise a system, organizational structure, and metadata template for cataloguing archival dance footage

·       Digitize archival dance footage in a variety of formats

·       With CDHP Executive Director, conduct visits to local institutions holding dance documentation, in order to assess the scope, condition, and usage of the materials.

 

2. Morrison-Shearer Foundation

 

·       Under the supervision of the interim executive director, assist with organization and inventory of archives to support the eventual transfer of the collection to an archival repository.

 

3. Other professional development activities

 

·       Fellows will keep a blog throughout the Fellowship period that shares their learning and discoveries and engages with the themes of the program. View blogs by former Dance Heritage Fellows.

·       Fellows will have the opportunity to attend at least one professional conference, convening, or workshop.

·       Fellows will assist Dance/USA staff with tracking metrics and evaluating the program’s outcomes. 

 

Fellowship Benefits

 

●      Access to mentorship by leaders in the field. Fellow will work with professional mentors who have extensive experience in processing dance collections and creating pathways for access and engagement with dance documentation and legacy materials.

●      Hands-on experience with unprocessed artists’ archives. Fellow will gain experience with making independent judgments, adapting best practices to existing capacity and resources, and working directly with artists to develop systems that reflect unique creative processes and culturally-specific practices.

●      Support for attendance at professional convenings and workshops.

●      Opportunity to share accomplishments and findings on a blog platform that will be disseminated on a national network.                    

 

About Dance/USA

 

Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance, supports the field through research, advocacy, and convenings, including an Annual Conference and regional forums. Dance/USA has adopted core values of equity, inclusion, and diversity which inform all aspects of the organization’s activities and programs.

 

In 2017, Dance/USA began the process of integrating the archiving and preservation programs of Dance Heritage Coalition (DHC). Formerly a stand-alone nonprofit, DHC was founded as an alliance of institutions holding major dance research collections, with a mission to document, preserve, and create access to the legacy of dance. With the integration, Dance/USA has taken on this mission to provide archiving services to the dance field and build skills, resources, and awareness of dance heritage.

 

About the Hosts

 

The Chicago Dance History Project (CDHP) seeks to investigate, preserve, and present the oral and corporeal histories of theatrical dance in Chicago. It aims to honor the vast number of national and international dance artists with roots in the city; to surface lesser-known individuals, organizations, and venues that have anchored Chicago’s strong local dance community; and to link various collections of historical knowledge and traditions with present and future generations. CDHP pursues three primary modes of research: conducting in-depth interviews with area dancers, choreographers, educators, advocates, and others associated with the form; hosting panel discussions and other events that facilitate collaborative explorations of specific historical topics; and discovering and digitizing ephemera held by individuals within the community. CDHP also establishes partnerships with area institutions and individuals housing dance archives in order to link the various strains of knowledge maintained throughout the city. These recorded interviews and events, along with the digitized supplemental materials, will serve as a public online library and a platform for establishing a body of original and collected research that examines how Chicago has shaped dance — and how, in turn, dance has shaped Chicago — throughout the 20th century and into the present.

The Morrison-Shearer Foundation was established in 1991 to preserve and exhibit the works and documentary materials relating to the careers of photographer Helen Balfour Morrison and dancer-choreographer Sybil Shearer; to maintain the Home and Studio as a source of inspiration for others; and to sponsor new creativity. Since the death of Sybil Shearer in 2005, the Foundation has been managed by a Board of Trustees, named by Ms. Shearer and guided by her wishes as expressed in her document "Purpose and Aims of the Museum" (1985). The Foundation’s current priorities are to complete the publication of Sybil Shearer’s three-volume autobiography, Without Wings the Way is Steep; to preserve and archive all photographs, films, letters, manuscripts, reviews and other memorabilia; to provide modest annual grants in support of current work in the arts, especially dance; to explore the possibilities of creating an artists’ retreat at the home and studio in Northbrook, Illinois; and to share the Morrison-Shearer legacy through a website and other means.

 

How to Apply

 

Eligibility Requirements:

Current full- or part-time enrollment in an ALA-accredited graduate program through (at least) Spring 2018. Members of underrepresented groups and applicants with a commitment to advancing social justice causes are strongly encouraged to apply. Fellows must be available for most of June, July, and August 2018 (approximately 12 weeks).

 

Application Process

Submit a resume, list of references, and a Vision, Values, and Goal Statement explaining what the applicant hopes to contribute to and gain from the Fellowship and how this opportunity aligns with career goals. This statement should highlight any experience or connection with dance/performing arts and dance legacy materials.

 

Deadline: May 17, 2018

 

Please send a letter of application, resume, and contact and relationship (e.g. professor, supervisor) information for 3 references as one PDF named "Lastname_Firstname.pdf" to Tevin Giddens, Project Coordinator, at [log in to unmask]. 

Applicant Finalists will be contacted to schedule a phone/videoconferencing interview with Dance/USA staff. Applicants will be asked to provide proof of current enrollment in an accredited program.