Grants | 23 May 2025

CFA: Apply to be a THI Moving Image Lab Curatorial and Research Public Fellow (Summer and Fall Quarters 2025)

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Application Deadline: June 6, 2025

Stipend Amount: $24,000 ($10,000 for Summer and $14,000 for Fall Quarter, including tuition, fees, and health insurance for Fall)

Number of Fellowships: 1

Location of Fellowship: Summer in Santa Cruz, Fall in Santa Cruz and London (may include travel to London)

The Humanities Institute is excited to announce one new THI Public Fellowship through the Moving Image Lab funded by the Mellon Foundation. The Moving Image Lab is a platform from which moving images, photographic works, exhibitions, and publications are produced, and it serves as a space for developing innovative pedagogy that prepares students for understanding and engaging with the diversity of human experience in cultural, historical, and social contexts, and for participation in crucial public conversations and social connectivity through contemporary art. The project is led by world-renowned British installation artist and filmmaker, Sir Isaac Julien KBE RA, and his long-time creative collaborator, producer, and international curator, Mark Nash. Julien and Nash are Professors in the Arts and Humanities Divisions at UC Santa Cruz

The Moving Image Lab’s public fellowships, which began in Fall 2024 and placed students at various sites–the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Kramlich Collection in Napa, and the Isaac Julien Studio in London–are a re-envisioning of the apprenticeship pedagogic model that emphasizes working as apprentice fellows alongside a highly productive professional artist and curator while gaining insights into their practice and skills. The focus is on honing creative skills as well as developing the professional skills necessary for students to develop and succeed as artists, producers, and curators after graduation. The fellowships provide an educational experience and transformational opportunity for students to engage in the professional practice of great artists. In particular, this initiative aims to support students and artists of diverse backgrounds who are interested in pursuing careers in the global fields of art, media art, moving images, and arts curation and research. 

Fellowship Description:

This new fellowship, the THI Moving Image Lab Curatorial and Research Fellowship, offers a unique opportunity to engage at the intersection of artistic production, film research, and academic practice. This is an intellectually stimulating opportunity for a student who is seeking to build experience at the convergence of artistic research, moving image practices, and critical theory. The fellow will work directly with artist Isaac Julien, curator Mark Nash, and their Isaac Julien Studio team in London, UK, gaining insight into the everyday practices of interdisciplinary film work that spans the studio, the archive, and the university. This fellowship is ideal for individuals with a background in film studies, visual culture, curatorial practice, media theory, or related disciplines who are interested in deepening their engagement with contemporary art, filmmaking, research-based artistic practice, and interdisciplinary pedagogy.

The fellow will be closely involved in the postproduction of an existing film project in Santa Cruz, providing support to the director, producer, and the London studio. This process will offer insight into the collaborative nature of postproduction and will include opportunities to contribute to the creative dimensions of the project. In parallel, the fellow will assist in the early-stage development of two new film works currently in research and script developing phases. This will involve sourcing and analyzing archival materials, contributing to visual research, and participating in conceptual discussions surrounding structure, methodology, and form of the works.

We encourage applications from individuals who are self-motivated, research-driven, and comfortable working both independently and collaboratively. Strong writing, organizational, and communication skills are essential, as is an interest in political, historical, and experimental approaches to contemporary art and cinema. Prior experience with video editing, research methodologies, or curatorial planning is a plus, though not required.

Applications will be evaluated based on a range of criteria. Please consider the following questions while writing your application:

  • What makes you excited about this fellowship?
  • Why are you particularly well qualified for the proposed position? What skills will you bring?
  • How does this opportunity advance your PhD and open up opportunities for your career after you graduate?
  • How do you envision diversifying the academy, museums, and arts organizations? 

Fellows will receive:

  1. A fellowship stipend of $24,000 ($10,000 for Summer 2024 and $14,000 for Fall 2025, including tuition, fees, and health insurance for Fall). 
  2. Each fellow will have access to research and travel funds during the duration of their appointment, amount TBD.
  3. Mentoring from the Moving Image Lab project, The Humanities Institute, and the Isaac Julien Studio in London

Eligibility: The student must be:

  1. Enrolled in a doctoral or MFA program at UC Santa Cruz. 
  2. Be within normative time and in good academic standing
  3. Enrolled in at least five credits of graduate-level coursework. Students are ineligible to apply while on leave.
  4. Enrolled in the program at least through Fall 2025.
  5. Interest in contemporary art and moving image is essential.

Application consists of:

  1. Application in InfoReady 
  2. Cover Letter (1-2 pages) outlining your interests in the position and your qualifications (your research focus can but does not have to align with the projects).
  3. Resume (1-2 pages)
  4. Writing sample (please provide a sample that shows your relationship to contemporary art, moving image, film, and/or film production).  
  5. Contact information for your department Graduate Director who will be required to confirm through InfoReady that you will be within normative time and in good academic standing during the 2025-2026 Academic Year (they will be prompted to do this after you submit your application).
  6. Brief letter of support from a faculty member. References should submit their letters via InfoReady. When you click “Send Reference Letter Request” on a saved InfoReady draft application, the person will receive an email containing a unique link to a web page to upload their letter.

APPLY

Make sure you use the “Login for University of California, Santa Cruz Users.” Please follow the steps in our InfoReady Guide if this is your first time using InfoReady. We encourage you to start your application as soon as possible to familiarize yourself with the InfoReady platform. 

Once the application closes, top candidates will be selected for an interview via Zoom. 

Questions? Please contact The Humanities Institute at thi@ucsc.edu

Banner image: Isaac Julien, Lessons of the Hour, installation view, Tate Britain, 2023. Courtesy the artist.

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