Open Call for the Marie-Solanges Apollon programme

AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions, with the support of artist Manuel Mathieu, is launching the second edition of the Marie-Solanges Apollon programme with the goal of giving visibility to women artists from the Black Atlantic, from the 19th century to today.

This programme is named after Marie-Solanges Apollon, Manuel Mathieu’s grandmother, who was a Black immigrant woman living in Canada and a true potomitan. This polysemous creole term comes from the Haitian Vodou traditions and refers to a person, often a woman, who is the central pillar of their home, family, and community. The eponymous residency is an homage to her and to the women whose lives have historically been kept in the shadows.

The Marie-Solanges Apollon programme seeks to encourage research that highlights the artistic practices of women in transcultural situations related to the Black Atlantic, according to Paul Gilroy, or to the Global South. Special attention will be given to propositions that focus on performance art by women artists from Africa and of African descent.

Projects that are part of a re-reading of art history through archival excavation, curatorial, academic, or community-based research will be particularly appreciated.

In the context of this programme, AWARE proposes a three-month residency at the Villa Vassilieff.

Conditions of the residency

• Length of the residency: 3 months (from April 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025)
• Accommodation: The resident will have an independent living and working studio of 44m² within the Villa Vassilieff (Paris, 15th arrondissement). The resident will also have access to AWARE’s resource and information center, which contains over 3,700 references on women artists (monographs, critical essays, exhibition catalogues, etc.).
• Financial conditions: Payment of a round trip ticket between the place of residence and Paris, living allowance of 1000 €/month, i.e., 3,000 € for the entire residency.
• Support offered by AWARE: The AWARE team will make available its expertise and its institutional, artistic and academic networks.

During the residency, the resident will be invited to host a meeting at the Villa Vassilieff (conference/round table/masterclass) to present their research work. At the end of the residency, they will be expected to provide a research article which will be published on the AWARE website.

Applicants must have at least completed a master’s degree, or equivalent. They can be academic researcher, art worker or curator. Possible collaborations with partner institutions or archives should be highlighted.

Applications should be sent to [email protected] by 18 August 2024 at the latest, and include:

• A research proposal of 500 words maximum in English or French,
• A short letter of motivation,
• A CV

The quality and originality of the project and possible links established with structures outside AWARE will be taken into account.