ICAST Summer Arts Fellowship

Any member of the OU regular faculty, regardless of discipline, whose creative activity falls solidly within the frameworks of performing and studio arts, or design. Regular faculty include tenured, tenure-track, and ranked renewable term faculty.

Selection preference will be given to faculty who have achieved tenure, given the support for Junior Faculty already provided by the VPRP through the Junior Faculty Fellowships.

The faculty member who is selected for this fellowship will be expected not to teach during the months of June or July, so as to focus all of their attention on their creative activity.

Proposals must be single spaced and use a font of 11 points or larger. Page margins should be 1” on all four sides.  

Please be certain that you have included all required components, in order. Late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed.   

Proposals must include each of the following components and be submitted as a single PDF file. Email completed applications to <humanities.forum@ou.edu> with the subject line “[LAST NAME] - ICAST ARTS FELLOW APPLICATION”.

• Cover Sheet: Complete the proposal cover sheet (PDF)  including 200 word project abstract.
• Portfolio of Past Work:
  • Two (2) to three (3) hyperlinks to past work that exemplifies your expertise in various styles. These can be links to audio or videos of past performances, or they can be links to virtual exhibitions. For composers, choreographers, and dramatists, the videos can be of performances of your original work. For performers, we are particularly interested in solo performances or performances where you are the focus. The committee needs to see the depth and breadth of your creative practice.
  • For each hyperlink, please include information about the work: this may include composer, artist, title, instrumentation, gallery of exhibition, name of performance space or theater, etc.
• Project Narrative (limited to 3 pages, formatted as described above): Keep in mind that your proposal will be read by a diverse group of faculty across the arts and humanities disciplines, some of whom might have limited knowledge about the performing, studio arts, and design. Therefore, the project narrative should keep jargon to a minimum. The following six sections (A-E) should be clearly delineated in the Project Narrative:
  • Section A: Artist Statement
    • In a few sentences please introduce yourself, your background, your studies, and your general area of concern. Give us a general sense of your influences and describe your creative mediums. Tell the committee who you are, what you do, and why you do what you do.
  • Section B: Project Proposal
    • Describe your artistic vision and goals for this summer fellowship.
      
    • What work are you specifically proposing to create during the period of the fellowship? How will this work further your artistic goals?
    • We are interested in what makes this project unique: how is your work different from that of other artists? How does it build upon or diverge from what has come before? What kind of impact do you hope that it will have?
    • Remember you are writing for a diverse group of artists and humanists, so please explain the kind of work you want to create in a way that will be broadly legible.
      
  • Section C: Work plan during June/July 2025
    
    • Provide a complete timeline for the proposed project, and make clear the current status of the work.
      
    • Describe activities already completed for the project (including site visits, interviews, a bibliography, project-specific equipment already secured, gallery exhibitions already scheduled for the work, etc).
      
    • Describe in detail the portion of the project that will be supported by the fellowship, including where the work will be conducted and how you will be spending your supported time. The committee is looking for clearly stated and achievable project milestones, especially in support of creative time.
      
    • If the Summer Fellowship will not take a project to completion, explain your plan for finishing the work.
      
  • Section D: Competencies, skills, and access
    • Discuss how the proposed project aligns with and extends your demonstrated expertise and track record (creative activities). How does the project relate to work you have already done, and in what ways does it move your creative practice in a new direction?
    • If relevant, explain your plans for acquiring necessary materials or access.
    • If working with human subjects, include plans for acquiring IRB approval.
  • Section E: Final product and circulation
    • Explain the intended project outcome(s), with special attention to plans for dissemination. Who is the audience? If the project has a digital component/outcomes, indicate how that digital project will be sustained beyond the period of the grant. Make sure to explain how your plans for the final product and dissemination align with your intended audience(s) for your work.
      
• Statement of Contribution to Fellowship Theme "Access to Opportunity" (1 page): How does your proposed creative project help to deepen our understanding of complex societal problems? How are you conceptualizing access, opportunity, and barriers to these things, and how does your creative work provide commentary and/or critique on them?  If your project aims directly to amplify the work of ICAST’s affiliates (the Early Childhood Education Institute (ECEI), the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, and the OU Native Nations Center), please mention that here.
• Budget and Budget Rationale (1 page): The applicant should include an itemized budget with a compelling narrative for how funds will be spent and why they are needed. It is especially important to demonstrate a direct linkage between budget items and the proposed activity. The support can be used for any legitimate purpose associated with the project if justified in the proposal, including in its entirety as a summer stipend. Note that proposals must adhere to State of Oklahoma travel guidelines, student stipend rates, data collection practices, tuition, equipment, and support for staff.
• CV/Resume/List of Works (2 pages): Submit a two-page CV, resume, list of works or repertoire. The committee is particularly interested in reviewing your record for information that will help establish your competency for successfully completing the proposed project (or portion of the project) with the funding requested.

The Forum’s Faculty Advisory Committee will review all proposal materials in consultation with the ICAST Leadership. Proposals will be evaluated for originality, creativity in dialogue with the theme, scope of project impact, evidence of past success, and potential for substantive contribution to the mission of ICAST. Collaborative projects are encouraged, but not required.

• By September 30, 2025, the fellow is required to submit a brief (1–2 page) report on work achieved during the period of the Fellowship.
• The ICAST Summer Fellow in PSAD is expected to apply for ICAST Affiliate Status, and to attend ICAST events during the 2025-26 academic year.
• The ICAST Summer Fellow in PSAD is expected to present on their research for an ICAST audience at some point during the 2025-26 academic year.
• All performances and exhibitions of material should acknowledge the support of the Institute for Community and Society Transformation the OU Arts & Humanities Forum, and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Partnerships.