CALL | Artist in Residence

Open Call https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XIJVX1Nd4JOa7odaJ985wkZoBo4dQdxx/view

Interview Questions https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oDDQPeBvOZM0iwzlRy8CfAJnzdLIe98U6yArLHd9PSM/edit?tab=t.0

Length of Residency not confirmed | Stipend - US$3000

About Brownsville Heritage House

Brownsville Heritage House is a cultural center that collects, preserves, and exhibits original materials, documenting the rich heritage of Brownsville and surrounding Brooklyn communities. Stewarded by community members and dedicated staff, BHH is home to primary and secondary resources that teach and celebrate the contributions of Black people and Brownsville residents to local, national, and global history.

About The Reading Room/Archive 

The Brownsville Heritage House (BHH) Reading Room is a welcoming, third-space-inspired living room where Brownsville’s history, culture, and memory come alive.

At the heart of the Reading Room is a reorganized archive that celebrates Black material culture and preserves stories and objects that have shaped Brownsville. The collection brings together rare books, newspapers, iconic magazines, and other media that illuminates the neighborhood’s cultural legacy.

More than a place to access an archive, the Reading Room invites visitors to immerse themselves in this history and consider their own relationships to it.

The Open Call 

With the Brownsville Heritage House (BHH) Reading Room open to the public and its archival stewardship ongoing, we are inviting an artist, memory worker, or cultural worker to join us as an Artist-in-Residence.

The residency offers an opportunity to spend meaningful time in the Reading Room, engage with BHH’s collections and develop a creative project inspired by the materials, histories, and lived experiences encountered along the way. Through self-guided archival research, reflection, and experimentation, the resident will create  new artwork or installation that draws from, responds to, or reimagines the stories held within the archive.

The resident will be supported by BHH’s Curator and Community Archivist throughout the research and development process. The residency will culminate in an exhibition or installation at Brownsville Heritage House, creating an opportunity for the public to encounter the work and engage with the histories and ideas that shaped it.

We welcome applicants working across artistic, archival, and cultural practices, including those whose work challenges conventional approaches to historical research, storytelling, and exhibition-making.

Stipend

The Artist-in-Residence will receive a $3,000 stipend in recognition of their time, research, creative practice, and participation. Please note that the artist is requested to share a W9 and will receive a 1099 from BHH.

The stipend will be distributed in two installments via cheque.

How to Apply

The application is open and will close on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.

Applicants will be notified of the selection decision during the week of November 16, 2026.

If you have questions, please contact our Curator and Community Archivist at info@brownsvilleheritagehouse.org