A Studio in the Woods envisions an open call to select a local artist to work with Tulane biologists to raise awareness about lead contamination in New Orleans with themes related to both public health and the wellbeing of all living creatures. As in many older cities around the world, lead contamination represents an important health risk to both human and animal inhabitants of New Orleans. Ongoing work by Dr. Jordan Karubian and colleagues suggests that high levels of lead in some New Orleans neighborhoods may impact the behavior and reproductive success of urban songbirds. In this way, these songbirds may serve as “canaries in the coal mine” for the risks associated with lead contamination, with the potential to raise awareness about this important but sometimes under-appreciated issue.

The artist will collaborate closely with scientists from Karubian Lab and staff at A Studio in the Woods to understand the effects of lead and develop provocative community engagement using the shared platform of Mardi Gras as a vehicle to reach a broad swath of local residents. The program period will be September 2019-April 2020, and the artist should plan to be in residence at A Studio in the Woods for three weeks during this time. FATHOM: Volume I, Lead is a pilot effort between A Studio in the Woods, Karubian Lab, and ByWater Institute to support and examine the real-world impact of art/science collaborations. If successful, this project has the potential to extend an additional year. ByWater Institute researchers will study the collaborative process between the artist and scientists through interviews and observations, and will evaluate the project’s impact on participants through surveys.

APPLICATION AND DEADLINE – See below for details and application instructions. Proposals are due June 14, 2019. Residencies will be awarded by July 15, 2019.

DATES – The program period will be September 2019-April 2020, and the artist should plan to be in residence at A Studio in the Woods for three weeks during this time. Research and development to take place September – December 2019; project to debut during Mardi Gras 2020; post project evaluation to be completed by April 2020.

ARTIST ELIGIBILITY – Visual, multimedia, new media, and interdisciplinary artists living in Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, Saint Bernard or Saint Tammany Parishes. Both established and emerging artists are encouraged to apply, but a rigorous work ethic, demonstrated ability to collaborate and a commitment to public engagement are expected. Students are not eligible.

SUPPORT – Recipients will be supported with $2,000 as a stipend and $2,000 towards materials. A Studio in the Woods will provide three weeks of room, board, studio space and precious protected worktime in our bottomland hardwood forest. Staff will work with the artist to confirm residency dates, however the project is expected to develop throughout the timeframe above.

FATHOM: Volume I, Lead is a pilot effort between A Studio in the Woods, Karubian Lab, and ByWater Institute to support and examine the real-world impact of art/science collaborations. If successful, this project has the potential to extend an additional year.

ABOUT THE PARTNERS

Karubian Lab explores how the environment that organisms experience shapes their ecological, behavioral, evolutionary, and conservation trajectories. They focus their research on animal and plant and plant systems around the world, with active studies on plant-animal interactions, mating systems, demography and survival, signal evolution, movement and dispersal, and endangered species. The lab takes a socially aware approach that combines community-engaged participatory research with capacity building, training, and education in the biodiversity hotspots where they work. http://karubian.tulane.edu/

A Studio in the Woods, a program of the ByWater Institute at Tulane University located in 7.66 forested acres on the Mississippi River in New Orleans, is dedicated to preserving the endangered bottomland hardwood forest and providing within it a peaceful retreat where visual, literary and performing artists can work uninterrupted. For more information, visit: www.astudiointhewoods.org.

The Tulane ByWater Institute advances applied, interdisciplinary research and community engagement initiatives around coastal resilience and the urban environment. https://bywater.tulane.edu/content/bywater-institute

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

• Completed application form and references https://forms.gle/WFrANfZTAuMhSYy27
• A narrative no more than two pages in length.
  • Describe public engagement projects you have done in the past.
  • Describe how your work has been used successfullyas a tool for communication and/or inspirationfor action
  • Please share any similar or relevant projects working in collaboration withindividuals outside of your field.
  • Give evidence of your capacity to deliver project requirements on time and on budget.
  • How might you imagine engaging community during Mardi Gras and what if any connections do you have with krewes?
• A current resume that includes important or significant publications, awards, or reviews.
• Work samples: 10 images or 10 minutes of video clips representative of your most recent work. You may also include an image list with title, date, size, media and brief description of each sample.

Note this is a Request for Qualifications and we are intentionally leaving the project proposal open ended so that the selected artist and scientists can work together to establish mutual goals.

Proposal, resume and work samples should be submitted via Dropbox. Please submit all materials as individual documents in a Dropbox folder. (Note some people have had trouble accessing the free Dropbox level, it is called basic and can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/basic ) “Share” your folder with info@astudiointhewoods.org and include link to Dropbox folder in the online application form. Title all files with LEAD, your name (last name first), the item, and no extraneous spaces or punctuation. For example: LEADLastnameFirstnameProposal.doc, LEADLastnameFirstnameResume.doc, LEADLastnameFirstnameWorksample1.jpg, etc. Please format all as PDF, JPG, DOC, or PPT files. Due to their large size, please send audio/video samples as links if possible or contact info@astudiointhewoods.org for other submission options.