UGA's Willson Center for Humanities and Arts has just launched a new micro-fellowship program called "Shelter Projects," inviting graduate students and community-based artists to develop works that reflect their unique experiences during the pandemic. The call for submissions is open to all create media. 

Read the official statement below. 

Shelter Projects

Willson Center Micro-Fellowships in the Arts and Humanities

Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Willson Center for Humanities and Arts invites proposals for Shelter Projects, a micro-fellowship program to support graduate students and community-based artists and practitioners in the creation of shareable reflections on their experience of the current pandemic through the arts and humanities.

The Shelter Projects program is a partnership of the UGA Graduate School, the UGA Arts Council, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Flagpole magazine, and the Willson Center through the UGA Office of Research. Applications will be open on a rolling basis, with ten $500 micro-fellowships offered initially and more available as funding allows. 

Shelter Projects represent the responses of fellowship recipients to the experience of their current circumstances. Outcomes may include, but are not limited to 

• a poem
• a song
• a journal
• a short film
• a sculpture
• a drawing
• a painting
• a set of observations of the natural world
• some other artistic or humanistic form

The projects must be carried out individually, in self-isolation and adhering to the advice and requirements of both the University System of Georgia and the Centers for Disease Control.

Projects must be available to share online in a rolling virtual exhibition by the Willson Center, which will be broadcast through various university communication channels and Flagpole. This exhibition will be presented as a whole during UGA’s Spotlight on the Arts festival in November, 2020.

To apply, please submit a one-page summary of your artistic or humanistic background and practice, including a brief description of your project, to [email protected]. Shelter Projects will be selected by a committee including representatives of the Willson Center, the Graduate School, and Flagpole.

Eligibility is subject to University of Georgia policies regarding current students and employees, and fellowship funds will be distributed according to university guidelines. Please contact Winnie Smith at [email protected] with any questions.

The Willson Center is a member of the National Humanities Alliance, the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes, and the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru). The University of Georgia is a partner institution of the National Humanities Center.

If you would like to help support further Shelter Projects, please inquire about making a donation to the Willson Center by contacting Winnie Smith at [email protected]. All proceeds from donations marked for the Shelter Projects program will go directly to the micro-fellowship scheme.