Weisman Art Museum, at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, invites applications for a Native American Artist-in-Residence. The call for artists opens today, August 1, and the deadline for applications is September 15. The residency period is slated to run from January 2025 - December 2026. The Native American Artist-in-Residence will receive a stipend of $55,000 total, as well as a supplies stipend of $14,300 and payment for travel expenses and per diem over the course of the residency.
This two-year artist residency is informed by an ongoing repatriation process at the Weisman, through which Mimbres cultural belongings and ancestors, currently housed by the University of MInnesota and WAM, are being returned to their homeland in New Mexico. This residency is open to artists who are enrolled, have recognized descendancy, or a proven cultural affiliation with the Hopi and 20 federally recognized Pueblo communities — the tribes with whom Weisman is currently consulting as part of the repatriation process.
This Native American Artist-in-Residence program is part of the Weisman’s larger Truth & Repair project, supported in part by grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Terra Foundation. The Native American Artist-in-Residence program at the Weisman supports meaningful art-making, research, and interaction with University of Minnesota students, staff, faculty, and the MniSota Native community. The residency involves both remote and in-person engagement, culminating in the creation of a new work(s) of art which will be displayed at the Weisman and promoted on museum channels. Applications are welcome from artists working in any mediums.
For information, including the full call for artists, application form, and stipend details, visit z.umn.edu/NAAiR.
Context and Background for the Native American Artist-in-Residence Program
In 2022, Weisman Art Museum received a generous "Museums for America" grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This grant provides vital funding for a multifaceted Truth and Repair initiative at WAM, including support for consultation with Indigenous communities to embark upon repair for harm done by the museum in the past, and to work toward decolonization of museum practice now and going forward.
The Weisman's Truth and Repair work is informed by the materials inventory (which was completed in December 2022) and ongoing repatriation process of Mimbres cultural belongings currently housed by WAM and the U of M. The Truth and Repair work at WAM involves close collaboration with an Indigenous-led advisory board, composed of local Indigenous artists and community members as well as members from Mimbres-descendent tribes from the American Southwest. WAM staff are also working with an Indigenous evaluators cohort, led by the arts-based evaluation firm Inspire to Change, who will help develop institution-wide evaluation practices built around Indigenous frameworks and culturally responsive methodologies.
The Museums for America IMLS grant also helps support this new Native American Artist-in-Residence program at the Weisman, as well as a series of public conversations and topical programs exploring decolonization and Indigenization in museum practice.
Info Session: Register to attend a virtual info session about the NA AiR call for artists on Tuesday, August 7, 7 p.m. (CDT)
