Arts and Human Rights Internship Opportunity in Thailand

For the third consecutive summer, the in-tangible institute of Chiang Mai, Thailand, is offering an opportunity for an eligible UChicago student to work and learn with artists and curators working at the intersection of art and activism as part of their Creative in Residence program.

Info Session held Thursday, February 26 at 8 pm CT — view recording:

About the ‘Creative in Residence’ Program 

The Creative in Residence program, initiated by in-tangible institute, focuses on the contexts and experiences of those hailing from the globalizing souths, whose (often enforced and voluntary) migratory experiences have forged transoceanic alliances of exchange and knowledge in the aftermath of colonial violence. The program endeavors to prompt critical encounters with disparate cultural memories, with the hope of challenging the assumptions of our systematized social worlds, whose realities are fashioned by hegemonic economies and histories bound to nation-building.

Inviting a range of creative thinkers—writers, artists, curators, collectors, theorists, social scientists, musicians, architects, filmmakers, and more—this program asks that residents engage our local community in Chiang Mai, Thailand, through research. 

Through various activities—talks, screenings, seminars, workshops, music nights, live conversations, and more—residents are expected to spend time inspiring others rather than producing new work.

Residency Details

The resident is expected to:

• Propose and realize a project that engages members of the artist-curator-activist community in Chiang Mai to explore relevant social, political, and/or cultural human rights issues with critical depth.
• Pursue community collaborations in a way that emphasizes depth of engagement, openness to mutual learning, cultural sensitivity, and care.
• Draw on their own experiences, cultural histories, and practices as artists, curators, writers, activists, educators, community organizers, or other relevant disciplines that intersect with human rights work—placing them in dialogue with those of diverse communities living and working in Northern Thailand.

Interns at the in-tangible institute will:

• Learn about the intersection between contemporary art and activism in Southeast Asia
• Gain practical and theoretical training in the relevance of contemporary art as a social sphere of influence
• Work closely with experienced curators, educators, artists, and disenfranchised populations.

The selected resident will reside at in-tangible’s on-site residency space for a period of 8-12 weeks. Residency dates are flexible, but generally take place during July - September. 

Eligibility

Eligible applicants will have:

• Completed their second or third undergraduate year at UChicago before beginning the internship. Graduate students and students from outside UChicago are not eligible.
• Experience and ethical protocols for working with politically disenfranchised communities.
• Experience working in geographically and/or culturally foreign contexts. Applicants will demonstrate their capacity to be self-driven, highly adaptable, and socially active, and to respect differing cultural norms and possible political sensitivities.
• Practice and commitment to learning with and in community.
• Interest in the socio-political landscape of the decolonizing world and a desire to learn more about Southeast Asian culture and heritage.
• Experience, or at least proven interest, in the arts.
• Skills in research and writing. Experience conducting research on cultural topics, drawing from diverse sources and living archives, is a plus.

Funding

• The intern will receive a stipend of $6000. This will cover airfare, housing, and other living expenses in Chiang Mai.

Application

• Application deadline is Sunday, March 29, at 11:59 p.m. CST.
• A select number of candidates will be invited for a Zoom interview.
• Priority will be given to projects that demonstrate
  • research into the historical, cultural, and political context of Northern Thailand (and Southeast Asia, more generally)
  • propose deep, critical engagement with local communities, are intersectional and interdisciplinary in focus
  • engage with in-tangible institute’s mission to offer education and mentorship towards the development of strong, diverse ecologies for the arts in Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Apply

Contact Cliff Chan at [email protected] with any questions.

ABOUT in-tangible

in-tangible institute offers curatorial mentorship, educational programs, strategic advice, and industry consultation towards the nurturing of productive, critical, and innovative relationships between curators and their various stakeholders in the arts. We work with artists, collectors, writers, teachers, researchers, business entrepreneurs, and more in the interest of building a diverse interdisciplinary ecology for the arts. Our programs are carried out with the community and partners globally.

in-tangible institute is compelled and inspired by the shared cultural histories and rituals of Southeast Asia, a region whose contemporary experimental artistic communities demonstrate particular resilience in the face of government interference, lack of financial support, and educational malaise – symptoms that resonate across much of the decolonizing world.

At in-tangible, we understand that the considerably uneven arts infrastructure across what is problematically referred to as the ‘Global South’ suffers particular political poverty, whose disenfranchised contexts have a significant impact on the visibility of their artists and cultural thinkers. We thus seek ways to share and learn from each other’s experiences, to give exposure to alternate definitions of what constitutes curatorial practice, emphasizing the caring for the intangible labor of artists.

This opportunity is part of an ongoing collaboration with former Pozen Visiting Professor Zoe Butt, the founder and director at large of in-tangible institute.