The Whiting Foundation has invited the Council for Museum Anthropology to nominate 1-2 individuals for their Public Engagement Programs in the 2021-22 award season. This is a wonderful opportunity for CMA to help further the work of public-facing museum anthropology.
The Whiting Public Engagement Fellowship ($50,000) and Seed Grant ($10,000) are designed to celebrate and empower faculty who embrace public engagement as part of the scholarly vocation. They fund ambitious, often collaborative projects to infuse into public life the richness and nuance that give the humanities their lasting value. Over time, they hope the two programs together will also build a community of faculty dedicated to this form of service; underscore just how essential history, philosophy, culture, and the arts are in helping us absorb the news of the day, participate as citizens, and live meaningful lives; and ultimately help to broaden understanding of the value of advanced work in the humanities.
Please note that applicants must be CMA members and the guidelines specify that “nominees must be full-time humanities faculty at an accredited US institution of higher learning… and early-career” (defined as pre-tenure, untenured, or having received tenure in the last five years, including full-time adjunct faculty at an equivalent career stage).
To be nominated by the CMA board, we are asking for interested applicants to send us a 2-page letter detailing the public-facing project that you seek to do as part of the fellowship, as well as a CV by May 1. All applicants must be CMA members. The CMA Awards Committee will review applications and make decisions based on: 1) Creativity: Is the project a unique way to make the work of museums more accessible? 2) Timeliness: Does the project say something important about museum anthropology and museum’s current predicaments? 3) Impact: Does the project have the potential to make broad and lasting impact through engaging a diverse and underrepresented public? Letters of interest and questions can be sent to avanallen@calacademy.org.
Please refer to the Whiting Foundation’s Guidelines for Nominators and Nominees (particularly the two appendices) for additional information on application procedures following your successful nomination by the CMA Awards Committee.
Application: CV and 2-page proposal sent to CMA Awards Committee by May 1, 2021.
