The Cultural Leadership program is a two-year fellowship designed to support artists and cultural producers with high potential as agents of change in Jewish communities and across society.
Donor Name: Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership
Country: United States and Canada
Type of Grant: Fellowship
Deadline: 04/17/2023
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Duration: 2 years
Details:
Wherever Jews settled in the world, artists and thinkers created new traditions and interpretations that enriched Jewish life and responded to contemporary challenges. This creativity enabled successive generations to discover the beauty of Judaism and draw on its resources to imagine new futures. Today, as ever, they need artists and cultural producers to lead the way, harnessing creativity, imagination and courage to shape the Jewish future and more just and democratic societies.
The program will include four seminars, one retreat, online sessions, time to advance creative work, and dedicated work with an adviser. Two seminars will take place in Brookline, MA, where the Mandel Institute is based, and two will be traveling seminars to Israel and a North American community selected by the cohort. The program’s curriculum will be organized around three strands:
- Leadership: Fellows sharpen their visions for impact and build skills in public narrative, arts management, and network leadership.
- Change: Fellows examine the distinctive role of art and culture to catalyze change through study of historical models of arts activism, training in cultural strategy, and inquiry into contemporary social issues.
- Imagination: Fellows deepen their creative wellsprings through Jewish text study, exploration of cultural history, and inquiry into contemporary forms of Jewish art and creativity.
Funding Information
Fellows will receive a $20,000/year stipend, which will support their time in the fellowship’s educational program and independent work on a creative project.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible candidates include, but are not limited to, visual artists, musicians, dancers, actors, theatre artists, writers, filmmakers, new media and multidisciplinary artists, as well as a range of cultural producers, such as journalists, curators, chefs, comedians, video game world builders, cultural organizers and culture bearers.
- Candidates may work independently or in organizational settings such as museums, arts centers, media platforms, and cultural strategy organizations, among others. They know that artists and producers often occupy many roles, and the center of gravity of their work may shift over time. They are looking for candidates whose primary professional focus is in the cultural sector.
- They are seeking fellows who have a body of artistic or cultural work that demonstrates a sustained level of commitment and accomplishment (e.g., it has been published, recorded, presented, distributed, or developed through public engagement). Depending on your discipline and professional path, this may mean that you are at a late-emerging or mid-career stage. Candidates should have 8+ years of generative practice.
- The aim of the fellowship is to develop artists and producers who lead through their art, cultural projects, and organizations. They are looking for candidates who are seeking to reimagine Jewish life and galvanize action on a range of social issues through their artistic and cultural work.
- They will seek fellows who value collaboration and boundary crossing, and whose personal experiences and creative voices represent the diversity of the Jewish people. They especially encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply, such as BIPOC, Mizrahi, Sephardi, LGBTQ+, individuals with disabilities, and others. Candidates must currently live in the United States or Canada.
For more information, visit Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership.
