In partnership with the New York State Canal Corporation (Canals), the Erie Canal Museum is seeking two (2) Artists in Residence for a period of one (1) year. The Erie Canal Museum is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We strongly encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply. The Residencies will focus on a year-long photographic study of the Erie Canal, reflecting on its past, contemplating its current condition, and considering its future. These Residencies are for Artists who wish to engage with the Canal and adjacent Erie Canalway Trail, Canals and Museum staff, Canal facilities, New York’s Canal communities, and Canal visitors.
The 2024 Residencies will be dedicated to Photography-based projects that reflect upon the Canal’s physical, environmental, and social condition and history; materiality; and context. The Artist’s project must directly address the Canal. Projects focused on ecology and Indigenous history may be given preference.
Applicants shall propose a specific photography-based project for their Residency. Projects may be journalistic,
documentary, or conceptual, and may include and/or be accompanied by text/writing. The subject of the project shall be identified by the applicant, but proposals must be a creative inquiry of the Canal and consider a fuller, more complete account of the Canal’s past, present, and future than what has traditionally been told. The applicant shall identify their target audience(s) and how their project will be shared with that audience and with the public-at-large. While studies of Canal communities are encouraged, the Canal and its context must be central to the project.
Two (2) Artists will be selected for Residencies in 2025. The NYS Canal Corporation will facilitate introductions and connections to Canals staff and access to Canal facilities as
needed. Artists must engage with the public. The two (2) selected Artists will participate in one (1) joint panel discussing their work, and then must individually develop at least one (1) additional public-facing event during the course of the Residency for the public to engage with and understand the Artist’s process.
Each Artist’s project should be photography-based. Artists may incorporate text and other media into their work. It is intended that final products from the Residencies will be used to develop a joint exhibition and catalog in 2026, as well as add to the Erie Canal Museum collection. In consultation with the Artist, project organizers will retain work(s) from the project, as well as the right to publish, with prior Artist approval, selections from the project.
Throughout the Residency, the Artist, Erie Canal Museum, and Canals, will have regular virtual or in-person check-in meetings to assist in project development.
09/08/2024
All Artists interested in applying are required to submit the following:
1. Statement of Interest and Proposal (up to 500 words): Explain why this Residency is of interest to you
and what you plan to explore during the Residency. Describe your proposed photography-based project,
including how it relates to the Residency goals, which geographic section of the Canal system your project
will focus on (if applicable), how you might approach sharing your work during the Residency with the
public, and your proposed final product. State how your previous work relates to the Residency focus area
and ways you have previously engaged with the public.
2. Artist’s Statement (up to 300 words): Provide a statement describing your artistic practice.
3. Resume or CV (maximum three pages): Provide a resume or CV highlighting any experience relevant to
this application.
4. References: Provide the names, phone numbers, and email addresses for (2) two professional
references.
5. Work Samples: Provide (5) five examples of recent work. If written work is included, please limit it to (3)
three pages each. Provide a list of the submitted work including title, date, materials, size. Provide short
descriptions of each work as needed.
Selection Process: The applications will be reviewed by a panel of representatives from the Erie Canal Museum
and Canals, and the following invited arts professionals:
• Emily Blumenfeld, Partner, Via Partnership;
• Soudabeh Moradian, Filmmaker, and Assistant Professor, Dept. of Film and Media Arts, Syracuse
University;
• Additional Arts Professional TBA
The applications will be evaluated for the following:
• Clarity of the Statement of Interest and Proposal, and relevance to the Residency focus area and goals:
o Engage with the Canal and adjacent Erie Canalway Trail, Canals and Museum staff, Canal facilities, New York’s Canal communities, and Canal visitors
o Reflect directly upon the Canal’s physical, environmental, and social condition and history
o Consider a fuller, more complete account of the Canal’s past, present, and future
• Scope of reach, feasibility and clarity of the plan to share the Artist’s project with the Artist’s intended
audience(s)
• Clarity of the Artist’s plan for engaging with the public–including one (1) public-facing event–during the
course of the Residency
• Proposal of a final product that can be used in an exhibit and catalog
• Quality of prior work and relevance to the Residency focus area
Finalists will be asked to interview with the Selection Panel.
Eligibility: The selected Artist should be deeply interested in exploring the New York State Canal system and the
physical landscape of upstate New York. Experience with social practice and working within government systems
is preferred. Additionally:
• Preference may be given to artists who have lived or worked in Canal communities
• Only individual artists or artist collectives may apply; artists representing non-profit and for-profit
organizations may not apply
• For artists applying as a collective, only one $10,000 stipend will be awarded to the group
• Artists must obtain General Liability Insurance
• Artists must be (18) eighteen years of age or older
• Artists may not be currently enrolled in school on a full-time basis
Location: The Artists shall focus on the New York State Canal system which includes the Erie, Oswego, Cayuga- Seneca and Champlain Canals, and the Erie Canalway Trail. A workspace is not included in this Residency.
Artist Stipend: The total funding for each Artist for the one-year Residency is $10,000, which will be paid in (4) equal quarterly payments. Up to an additional $2,000 per artist is available for reimbursement for production of a final product.
