AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions, with the support of artist Manuel Mathieu, is launching the first edition of the Marie-Solanges Apollon program with the goal of giving visibility to women¹ artists from the Black Atlantic diasporas, from the 19th century to today.

“The funding of this programme by the artist Manuel Mathieu is a historic moment: it is the first time that a male artist has financially supported the AWARE association. This is a powerful gesture on the part of Manuel Mathieu who, through this collaboration, is showing that a man artist can be involved in the inclusive rewriting of art history and questioning the historical invisibilisation of women artists from the very place of creation.”

Camille Morineau, co-founder of AWARE

“In this age of fragility and interdependence, we need to stand together to secure our future. It is imperative to create space to highlight all the rich and complex histories and imaginaries that form the core of our humanity. I hope this programme will serve to highlight new ways of looking at things that will enrich our perspectives of the world and the precious heritage of black people.”

Manuel Mathieu, artist

This program is named after Marie-Solanges Apollon, Manuel Mathieu’s grandmother, who was a Black immigrant woman living in Canada and a true potomitan. This polysemous creole term comes from the Haitian Vodou traditions and refers to a person, often a woman, who is the central pillar of their home, family, and community. The eponymous scholarship and residency are an homage to her and to the women whose lives have historically been kept in the shadows.

The Marie-Solanges Apollon program seeks to encourage research that highlights the artistic practices of women in transcultural situations related to the Black Atlantic, according to Paul Gilroy, or to the Global South. Special attention will be given to propositions that focus on artists who have lived with overlapping issues related to migration, métissage, Afro-descendance, Africanness, and/or gender.

Projects that are part of a current re-reading of art history through archival excavation, curatorial, academic, or community-based research will be particularly appreciated.

In the context of this two-part program, AWARE proposes:
– One scholarship of 3,000 euros, distributed over three months,
– One three-month residency at the Villa Vassilieff.

Conditions of the scholarship

Financial conditions: The scholarship amount awarded will be 1,000 euros/month over 3 months, corresponding to 3,000 euros in total.

A dialogue will be established with the AWARE team during the three months of scholarship.

The scholarship holder is expected to provide a research article, based on the funded research, to be published on the AWARE website.

Conditions of the residency

Length of the residency: 3 months (from April 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024)

Accommodation: The resident will have an independent living and working studio of 44m² within the Villa Vassilieff. The resident will also have access to AWARE’s resource and information center, which contains over 3,200 references on women artists (monographs, critical essays, exhibition catalogues, etc.).

Financial conditions: Payment of a round trip ticket between the place of residence and Paris, living allowance of €1000/month, i.e., €3,000 for the entire residency.

Support offered by AWARE: The AWARE team will make available its expertise and its institutional, artistic and academic networks.

During the residency, the resident will be invited to host a meeting at the Villa Vassilieff (conference/round table/masterclass) to present their research work. At the end of the residency, they will be expected to provide a research article which will be published on the AWARE website.

Applications

Applicants must have at least completed a master’s degree, or equivalent. They can be academic researcher, art worker or curator. Possible collaborations with partner institutions or archives should be highlighted.

Applications should be sent to appelaprojets@aware-art.org before August 14, 2023, and include:

– A research proposal of 500 words maximum in English or French,
– A short letter of motivation (Please specify if you apply for the scholarship, the residency or both. Regarding the scholarship, please highlight the period in which you are available.),
– A CV.

The quality and originality of the project and possible links established with structures outside AWARE will be taken into account.

Interviews with pre-selected candidates will take place in September 2023. The selection committee will be composed of:

– Françoise Vergès, author, feminist political scientist, artivist

– Marie-Ann Yemsi, curator and contemporary art consultant

– Two AWARE representatives