UJ ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE APPLICATION 2027

INTRODUCTION

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Artists in Residence (AIR) Programme aims to advance arts-practice as research in one or a combination of Visual Arts and Fine Arts, Music, Theatre, Performance and Dance, Design, Film and Television, and Literary Arts.

ELIGIBILITY

1. The programme is open for applications from emerging and established artists from across the globe, but preferably with a connection to Africa.
2. Applicants are required to hold a relevant post-school qualification. Preference will be given to researchers with master’s and PhD degrees.
3. Artists who are eligible to apply need to be able to develop, produce, implement and present an arts-practice research project remotely (i.e. not physically based at / working from campus). Thus, depending on the nature of the proposed residency, successful artists may work physically at the university on occasion as facilitated by their host department / division at the institution.
4. Applicants may not be affiliated with another South African tertiary institution—this primarily refers to employment as lecturers, research associates, etc.
5. Only proposals for projects that fall within the designated disciplines will be eligible.
6. Artists in Residence positions are awarded on a competitive basis, taking the applicant’s career track record, level of productivity, academic writing experience or potential and residency proposal into account.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of the Artists in Residence Programme is the preparation of no less than one creative output submission within the residency period that complies with the Department of Higher Education’s criteria for creative outputs:

https://www.dhet.gov.za/Policy%20and%20Development%20Support/Creative%20Outputs%20Implementation%20Guidelines_October%202021%20(003).pdf

Additionally, Artists in Residence will be required to:

1. Timeously complete and sign temporary appointment forms and supply supporting documentation.
2. Attend a select number of creative output capacity development workshops and/or presentations as directed by the Creative Outputs Task Team.
3. Artists in Residence together with their host department or division will be responsible for the management and administration of their research projects and creative output and Artists in Residence will be required to submit a 300-word status update to the Artists in Residence Programme every month at the end of the month.
4. Prepare a creative output submission for the Department of Higher Education within the residency period as noted above. UJ reserves the right to request additional revisions, amendments, and/or additions to creative output submissions when it is processed by UJ for submission to the Department of Higher Education, which may fall outside the residency (fixed-term temporary employment) period.
5. Present workshops and/or lectures and/or participate in activities presented by the artist’s host department or division.

UJ Application Process

Applicants will be required to complete an online application, submit a proposal for their arts-practice as research and creative output project together with a CV.

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals should address the following:

1. Introduction and outline description – the overview of the planned output providing a brief introduction to the creation and the research context behind it.
2. Research statement – locate the research within the discipline and clearly state the research problem or question guiding the work.
3. Research approach and development process – provide methodological account of the planned creative process, demonstrating how the work constitutes a systematic investigation.
4. Knowledge contribution within the creative field – specifying whether and how the work advances theory, practice, methodology, or interdisciplinary understanding.
5. Activity plan – clearly outlining the timeframe and milestones.
6. Resources – a breakdown of the human, physical and financial resources the project will require. This section should clearly outline the resources that have already been secured and the resources that are still required for the project to be implemented. This is over and above the monthly stipend.

Guidelines for what Constitutes Creative Research Output

1. The Creative Research Output must demonstrate the application of artistic research methodology and provide new insights into the respective subfield or discipline.
2. The Creative Research Output must demonstrate new research insight; creative originality and competent academic contribution that is contextually situated in the field. It must have contemporary relevance in its subfield and demonstrate new research insights and scholarly rigour in its methodological process. It must show the integration between the final ‘product’ and process. The creative output must demonstrate scholarly rigour and complexity of the process.
3. The Creative Research Output should significantly differentiate itself by demonstrating high levels of artistic thought and illustrating high-quality levels of innovation. It should further advance understanding within fields and across the research spectrum.

Eligible Subfields

1. Fine Arts and Visual Arts
2. Literary Arts
3. Music Composition
4. Film and Television
5. Theatre, Performance and Dance
6. Design

Finance

Successful applicants will be offered a 10-month residency formalised through temporary employment at the institution. A monthly stipend of R12,000 (subject to statutory deductions) will be made available to Artists in Residence. The Programme is designed as a stimulus programme and no additional project/seed funding will be made available through the programme.

Inquiries

Please contact the programme coordinator via email at air@uj.ac.za