Tenement Museum Call for Proposals

Overview
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is currently accepting proposals for web-based exhibits that will be produced through its Digital Artists in Residence Program (DARP).

The Museum will host two virtual residencies. During these residencies, artists will work off-site to complete web-based exhibitions that explore some aspect of the contemporary immigrant experience.

All works completed through the DARP program will forward the Tenement Museum’s mission to “promote tolerance and historical perspective through the presentation and interpretation of a variety of immigrant and migrant experiences on the Lower East Side, a gateway to America.”

Duration and Exhibition Dates
Each residency will last for six months.

First residency: Begins April 2005. Exhibition/site launches in October 2005.

Second residency: Begins June 2005. Exhibition/site launches in July 2005.


Criteria for Selection
Preference will be given to proposals that:

•Embody and forward the Museum’s mission.

•Make exceptional and innovative use of the dynamic, interactive qualities of the Web.

•Are produced by and/or focus on contemporary immigrant experiences.

•Display a deep understanding of and innovative approach to the project’s subject matter.

•Can be successfully completed during the six-month residency.

Technology
All proposed pieces must be web-based and be able to be viewed with 4.0 and higher-generation browsers. All completed projects must be able to function on the Museum’s web server. The Museum runs a Windows 2000 Server and supports the following technologies:

•ASP
•PHP
•Flash
•MySQL Databases
•MSSQL databases
•Java
•Javascript

Accessibility
Applicants should be aware of users with special needs. In turn, applicants are must consult the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Content Accessibility Guidelines (http://www.w3c.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT ) and detail how they will respond to the needs of these users.


Benefits for Artists
All projects created by DARP residents will be hosted on the Museum’s web server. In turn, each DARP site will be featured on the Museum’s home page http://www.tenement.org) for three months and will continue to reside on the site after this period, if requested by the artist. Artists selected for the residencies will also be able to utilize the Museum’s web server to store and test their work during development.

The Museum will provide artists with a $5000 stipend for the project and may also reimburse artists for up to $2500 worth of expenses. Artists will only be reimbursed for expenses that are deemed necessary for the completion of their work. Artists must submit a list of proposed expenses with their proposals.

The Museum will also help promote the exhibits. The Museum’s PR & Marketing department will help write and distribute a press release for each exhibit, as well as promotional announcements that will appear in its e-mail newsletter and Calendar of Events. Artists who wish to utilize the collections should detail how they plan to do so. The Museum will pay for printing and mailing.

Artists may utilize the Museum’s library, as well as its collections of artifacts and historic images. Access to these materials will only be provided as is deemed necessary. Artists should detail how they wish to draw on the collections in their proposals. More Information on the Museum’s collections is available at http://tenement.org/research_collections.html.

Please note that this is a virtual residency. The Museum is unable to supply housing or office space.



Informational Meetings
The Museum will hold informational meetings for all applicants who wish to learn more about the Museum and the DARP project. The first meeting will be on January 10th at 2pm; the second meeting will be on January 24th at 4pm. During these meetings, applicants will take a tour of the Museum’s tenement building and will also have to time to discuss the DARP project with the Museum’s Web Producer.

Attending this meeting is strongly recommended. Anyone interested in attending these meetings should contact Jeff Tancil, Web Producer, at 212-431-0233 x.234.

If you are unable to attend either meeting, we suggest that you take one of the tours of the tenement at 97 Orchard Street. Information about these tours is available online at http://www.tenement.org/tours.html.

If you are unable to visit the Museum, you can also take a virtual tour of the tenement: http://www.tenement.org/index_virtual.html. If possible, however, we strongly suggest that you visit the Museum in person.


How to Apply
Proposal Overview
Applicants should submit a 2-5 page proposal, not including attachments, to the Museum (contact information is provided below). In their proposal, artists should detail the concept, scope and theme of one original work. Applicants should also discuss how their project will specifically address both the immigrant experience and the Museum’s mission.

All proposals are due no later than February 15, 2005.

Attachments
All proposals must include the following attachments
•Budget of proposed expenses

•Schedule
Schedules should reflect the six-month duration of the residency. Schedules must include the following deliverables:
oThree formal project reviews with the Museum’s Web Producer and the DARP Advisory Board.
oA beta version of the site to be completed no later than six weeks prior to the launch of the project.
oLaunch date.

•Resume

•Work Samples
Applicants must submit 2-3 samples of web sites and/or web-based exhibits that they have created. Applicants can either submit a list of URLs or CD-ROMs that include their work. Please specify the work that you performed on each project. Applicants can also submit additional samples of work completed in other mediums.

Group Size
Applicants can apply either as individuals or as part of a group. If you are applying as a group, you must demonstrate the unique role of each member in producing the exhibition. Please note that the stipend and expenses are the same regardless of group size.


Contact Information
Applications and attached materials should be submitted to the Museum either by mail or e-mail. All proposals are due no later than February 15, 2005.

E-Mail
[email protected]

Mail
91 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10012
Attn: Jeff Tancil

Please direct any questions to the Museum’s Web Producer. He can be contacted by e-mail ([email protected]) or phone (212-431-0233 .234)


About the Lower East Side Tenement Museum
The heart of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum is the tenement at 97 Orchard Street. From 1863 to 1935, 97 Orchard was home to an estimated 7,000 people from over 20 nations. The Museum uses the stories of 97 Orchard Street residents to raise public consciousness on social issues, which endure to this day, including: welfare, immigration and child labor. Museum walking tours and tenement building tours, dramas, readings, media presentations, publications, exhibitions, and research projects reinforce this new approach to history and breath life into this neglected and vital area of our national experiences.

About the DARP Program
The DARP program was started to encourage the creation of web-based art that explores issues related to the Museum’s mission and work. The first series of DARP residences began in the Fall of 2001. During this first round of residencies, DARP provided funding and support for three new projects created by local artists and one work that was created by two New York high school students.

The works produced during the first round of residencies were:
oClaudia Chow’s Banana
http://www.tenement.org/banana

oJenny Polak and Lauren Gill’s Hard Place
http://www.tenement.org/HardPlace.

oCUP and HONEST’s Code City
http://www.tenement.org/codecity


oLa Lutta’s The Immigrant Experience
http://www.tenement.org/immigrantexperience