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Past SPCUNY Faculty Fellow Projects

Selected images from Faculty Fellow projects from the first two cohorts (since 2021). See the PROJECTS page for descriptions of projects and more examples.

Applications for 2023-24 Faculty Fellows

To upload your application materials, please follow this link and fill in the form by June 30, 2023 (extended deadline).

Applicants will be notified by July 15, 2023.

SPCUNY Faculty Fellows Application and FAQ

For questions not addressed below, please write spcuny@gmail.com

What is SPCUNY?

Conceived by professors and artists Gregory Sholette and Chloë Bass, and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Social Practice CUNY (SPCUNY) is a cross-CUNY network of practitioners, thinkers, and educators who are dedicated to issues of art and social justice. It seeks to turn the untapped assemblage of socially engaged cultural educators at CUNY campuses into a network. Please see our About page for more details.

What are Faculty Fellows?

A significant number of CUNY faculty at all levels make public-facing work at the intersection of art and social justice, collaborating with diverse communities at CUNY campuses and throughout the city. This kind of labor complements and informs faculty members’ scholarly and pedagogic work, but remains largely unassisted, unacknowledged, and isolated. The SPCUNY grants for faculty aim to change this by funding faculty-led projects and assembling a cohort of faculty and students committed to socially engaged art. Fellows will receive $2,000 stipends towards the fulfillment of their project and access to Materials for the Arts.

For examples of past and current projects, visit our Projects page and our Events page.

What will be required of SPCUNY Faculty Fellows?

Faculty will propose and implement a public project at the intersection of art and social justice, to be carried out and presented publicly in the 2023-2024 academic year. The 10 selected faculty will meet with the larger SPCUNY cohort (which includes CUNY MFA students) once or twice per semester, and should expect to share their work once with the cohort and at least once for the public during the academic year.

Who is eligible? 

All CUNY faculty affiliated with any campus who want to develop a project at the intersection of social justice and art are eligible to apply, regardless of title or rank. Applicants can be teaching (including adjunct) or non-teaching faculty, but they must have an active CUNY appointment in at least the fall semester of their fellowship year. Previous experience in creating social practice work is not required, but applicants should have a project idea that clearly incorporates both art and social justice. Our website showcases work from previous cohorts that will give you an idea of appropriate projects. If you think this program might be a fit for you but you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact us!

What kinds of projects are we looking for?

CUNY faculty can apply for $2,000 grants to support social practice art projects. Proposed projects should center partnership with a non-CUNY public or publics. This means that, while your students can optionally be involved, they cannot be the only public for the project. SPCUNY is eager to support faculty projects that do not involve teaching. Submissions that propose a recognizable academic format should show an intention to play with that format. While social practice can take many forms, we encourage you to keep in mind the following definition: collaborative, community-driven artwork that engages with social issues. We will award 10 grants.

How do I apply?

Required application materials will all be submitted via the application form, and include a project proposal and a sample of your work, either from your proposed project or past work relevant to this project.