Creative Research Fellowship

The Structurist Creative Research Fellowship (SCRF) was established to carry forward the critical intentions of The Structurist: an international, interdisciplinary journal founded in 1960 by Eli Bornstein that addresses art, architecture, ecology, culture, and communication. From its inaugural issue, the journal became increasingly concerned with the relationship between art and ecology, and the ways in which creative practices are required and necessary in preserving and protecting our threatened ecospheres. The SCRF supports work that contributes to this discursive field in active and contemporary ways and works to thicken, rather than mythologize, the journal’s prevailing ethos.

The SCRF is available to individuals pursuing research and creative work engaged in the thematics and intersections brought forward in The Structurist. The urgency of these connections and the potential of investigation therein is heightened in this historical moment of climate death, migrant crises, and divisive global policies.

Projects must culminate in a form that will be available to the public, such as:

• Publication
• Exhibition
• Film or other media
• Actions
• Performance

While the above may necessarily occur elsewhere or online, supported projects must also include a seminar, symposium, or public lecture in Saskatoon, Canada, and will be facilitated by the University of Saskatchewan Art Galleries and Collections team.

Proposed projects will have a budget up to 20,000 CAD. Costs associated with travel and accommodations for Saskatoon-based components are separate from that allocation.

Fellows will have full access to University of Saskatchewan archives pertaining to The Structurist, as well as the University of Saskatchewan Art Collection.

The deadline for applications is Monday, August 19, 2024, by 5:00 PM CST. Please direct all queries to structurist.fellowship@usask.ca. 

The SCRF is open to both Canadian and International applicants at any stage in their career.

How to Apply

Application Requirements

• Project/Research Proposal (2,500 word maximum)
• Curriculum Vitae (appropriate to your arena of expertise, including those from outside of an academic milieu)
• Letters of Recommendation/Support (2 letters minimum)
• Work/Budget Plan (annotated and expanded as necessary)

Selection Criteria

Proposed projects will be adjudicated on the following three criteria, with the weightings of each criterion shown in brackets:

1. Relationship to The Structurist (40%)
   A minimum of two of the following must be addressed with great strength in the proposal and specifically identified as such.
   • the processes of creation in art, architecture and nature
   • ideas in architecture and the arts, their histories and their relations to each other as well as to science, technology and nature
   • abstract constructive art, its origins and the future development of media incorporating structure and colour in space
   • art and ecology—how art and architecture can participate in preserving and protecting our threatened ecosphere
2. Overall Excellence of Proposal (30%)
   • Creativity and originality
   • Letter of support and curriculum vitae/portfolio
   • Ability to complete the project within an appropriate budget
3. Benefit of Outcome (30%)
   • Strength of public component
   • Interdisciplinary value
   • Enhances the reputation of the University of Saskatchewan, specifically the College of Arts & Science

Please contact structurist.fellowship@usask.ca for more information.

Application Submission

All applications must be submitted via email.

Please submit your application with the subject line “Your Name_Structurist Fellowship Application” to structurist.fellowship@usask.ca

Applications for the 3rd Structurist Creative Research Fellowship will be accepted until Monday, August 19th, 2024 at 5:00 PM CST.

Results will be announced in September, 2024. 

Website link: https://kagcag.usask.ca/engage/special-projects/structurist/fellowship.php#top