Kislak Collection

The Jay I. Kislak Research Fellowship and Artist-in-Residence

Kislak Collection

The Jay I. Kislak Research Fellowship and Artist-in-Residence

The Jay I. Kislak Collection at the University of Miami Libraries houses a large collection that focuses on cultural encounters and their legacies across the Americas. These materials include rare books, manuscripts, contemporary artists’ books and zines, graphic art, maps, photographs, and broadsides. The Jay I. Kislak Research Fellowship and Artist-in-Residence program is made possible through a generous endowment provided by the Kislak Foundation to promote the collection’s use through scholarly and artistic pursuits.

Award Categories

Research Fellowship

Research Fellowship will support doctoral candidates and faculty who wish to use the Kislak Collection at the University Libraries as a primary resource for a dissertation or scholarly work. Fellowships of $4,000 per month will be granted for periods of one to two consecutive months, depending on the range of materials the applicant wishes to consult and the centrality of Kislak materials to their research.

Artist-in-Residence

Residencies of up to two months will support those who wish to use the Kislak Collection to advance their artistic practice. The artist can be at any stage of their career and in any discipline, such as literary, visual, and performing arts. The artist-in-residence will collaborate with the Kislak Collection and Special Collections to create works inspired by our collection materials. The program requires that all drafts, edited iterations, interviews, sketches, etc., be added to the Libraries’ collection. The artist can retain total intellectual control over the final work(s). The Artist-in-Residence will receive a stipend of $4,000 per month.

Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by a panel based on:

  • Overall substantive merit of the proposal
  • Applicant qualifications and recommendations
  • Ability to demonstrate the relevance of Kislak Collection materials to the proposed project

Eligibility (at least one of the following)

  • All citizens and permanent legal residents of the United States who are enrolled in doctoral programs
  • Foreign nationals residing in the U.S. on F-1 student visas in a doctoral program at a university in the U.S.
  • Faculty at all levels (junior, mid, and senior) in U.S.-based institutions
  • U.S.-based independent scholars
  • Artists and performers, including but not limited to poets, playwrights, short fiction writers, novelists, painters, choreographers, composers, and others in artistic fields

Application Instructions

  • Application Form
  • Current Curriculum vitae, maximum five pages.
  • Research proposal: an overall project description of at least 500 words stating how the project would benefit from using the Kislak Collection.
  • Material List: Kislak Collection materials to be consulted during the fellowship. The list need not be comprehensive; however, applicants are expected to make a convincing case that the Kislak Collection can support their project. Applicants can use the following to find relevant materials for their project:
  • Two confidential letters of reference. Letters may be written in English or Spanish and must speak to the scholarly contribution of the proposed project, the importance of the Jay I. Kislak residence to the applicant, and the applicant’s qualifications. Please submit letters directly to Dr. Daniel Arbino at danielarbino@miami.edu

Fellow and Artist-in-Residence Responsibilities

  • Acknowledge the Jay I. Kislak Collection and the University of Miami Libraries in any publication that results from the program.
  • Author a news story for the Libraries’ website.
  • Facilitate/lead one in-person public event.
  • Partner with Special Collections staff to promote their contributions to the program on social media.
  • The fellow and artist will be in residence for the duration of the program. The fellow and the artist are expected to work in the Kislak Center full-time throughout the tenure of the program without significant interruptions.

Fellowships and residences will take place between June 1 of the award year and April 30 of the following calendar year. The dates of the fellowship and residency must be consecutive. A month is defined as 30 days and does not have to coincide with the beginning and ending of a calendar month.

Questions?

Questions about the fellowship program or application instructions should be directed to danielarbino@miami.edu with a subject heading that includes “Jay I. Kislak Fellowships”.