The CNAP will award two curatorial research grants in 2015. The purpose of the grants is to allow each of the curators to develop a research project centered on the collection of this French cultural institution during the course of a three-month residency in Paris. Fonds National d'art Contemporain is a collection of modern and contemporary art owned by the French nation. The works have been collected for over 220 years from the productions of artists that were still alive at the time of the acquisitions. The collection currently consists of over 95,000 artworks. The grant offers a significant opportunity for experimentation based on new curatorial strategies aimed at approaching the collection from its most experimental dimension to its early and contemporary works. The call is open to anyone with experience in curatorial work. Each of the candidates selected will receive the sum of 9,000 euros to cover transportation, lodging and living expenses. The CNAP manages and exhibits the collection. It also plays an active role in its construction as it endeavors to convey the diversity of current artistic practices through the inclusion of works by artists from different generations and nationalities. It seeks and supports young artists as well as established ones through the acquisition of their recent production. Chronologically into Historical (1791-1904), Modern (1905-1960) and Contemporary (post-1961) sections, the collection is categorized according to the media or technique used, particularly with regards to the graphic, video and photographic works created after 1980. The projects must convey experimental and innovative qualities. They can focus on a period, geographic region or, alternatively, they may address an interdisciplinary approach. The projects will be judged on the originality and innovation of their curatorial approach. The candidates selected will be invited to work with the CNAP team and will be given the opportunity to explore all available documentary resources. At the end of the residency, candidates will be invited to present the results of their research either in a publication, a symposium, lectures, workshops, an exhibition or in any other physical or virtual form. The resulting curatorial research will be used by the CNAP team and founding will be allocated for its implementation. The implementation of the projects will expand for three months, which may be taken consecutively between October 2015 and March 2016, or in not consecutive sessions that must be preapproved by the CNAP. Projects must be original and unpublished. Most of the material will be presented in French, so candidates are expected to be proficient in that language. A hearing with be scheduled for September in which the candidates will present their projects to a jury composed of members of the scientific team of CNAP and to specialists in the fields of art and research. Applications must be sent to: Bourse Curatoriale-Appel à Projet 2015 Centre national des arts plastiques 1 Place de la Pyramide Tour Atlantique 92911 Paris La Défense France The application must include: a letter outlining the project and listing the works that will be involved in it (15,000 characters); a work schedule; a resume that includes academic education as well as work and research experience; and a representative selection of past projects in the same research field. The deadline to submit all applications is August 31, 2015. More information is available at:
bourse-curatoriale.cnap@culture.gouv.fr