Mellon Community Fellowships in the Critical Design Lab

The Critical Design Lab at Vanderbilt University, directed by Dr. Aimi Hamraie, is seeking two Community Fellows to work on a collaborative project, Labs for Liberation. Qualified candidates are activists, artists, designers, cultural workers, access workers, and community scholars who do not necessarily have a formal academic affiliation. We are specifically looking for candidates whose work addresses (or seeks to incorporate) disability justice in relation to design justice, Black liberation and racial justice, gender and sexuality liberation, and related areas. Applicants should demonstrate established skills in an area such as creative practice, community organizing, or community archiving. They should be able to work individually, as well as collaboratively. Fellows with disabilities and experience with disability justice frameworks are encouraged to apply. This is a remote position. 

Community Fellows will be members of the Critical Design Lab, a multidisciplinary collaborative of disabled artists, designers, and design researchers. They will work with the Labs for Liberation team of researchers, postdoctoral fellows, community fellows, and students. Labs for Liberation is a collaborative project with Northwestern University’s Digital Apothecary, directed by Dr. Moya Bailey. This project explores the “laboratory” form and structure as a space for integrating justice-centered frameworks into research and design. It is informed by methods from disability culture and community organizing. 

Compensation is $50,000 for a period between June 2024-August 2025. There is an additional project budget. The position is funded by the Mellon Foundation. Successful candidates must be able to be paid as independent contractors in the United States.

Applications are due December 1, 2023. Interested candidates should note that there are also two positions in the Digital Apothecary. Please make sure that you are applying to the lab that you feel would be the best fit for you. 

Responsibilities 

Each community fellow will work on a collaborative project (“Labs for Liberation”) with the Digital Apothecary and Critical Design Lab. Over the school year, they will also:

• Complete an independent project of their own design related to Labs for Liberation, with a personal project budget. They will receive mentorship from Hamraie, Bailey, and other team members.
• Help organize and teach at two summer schools (June 2024 and June 2025). Summer school responsibilities include helping with logistics, providing reading recommendations, helping to plan the syllabus, teaching daily sessions for the duration of the workshop, giving students feedback in small groups, and evaluating completed student work. 
• Attend regular (remote) meetings with a collaborative cohort of postdoctoral fellows, student researchers, and other community fellows. 
• Produce website content, such as blog posts, zines, and social media, to document their project. 
• Present their project at an end-of-year event. 

How to apply 

Applications will be open on October 2, 2023 and will be considered until December 1, 2023. Interested candidates should email the complete application materials listed below to aimi.hamraie@vanderbilt.edu with the subject line “L4L COMMUNITY FELLOW APPLICATION.” Incomplete applications will not be considered, unfortunately. 

1. A current CV or resume outlining your relevant background and experience
2. A cover letter addressed to Dr. Aimi Hamraie, which describes: 

• Why you want to work with the Critical Design Lab, including showing familiarity with the Lab’s work and stating why you think you would be a good fit; 
• Your qualifications for this position, including the skills and areas of expertise you would contribute;
• The values that inform your work or that you hope to learn to integrate through this fellowship;
• How this position fits into your professional, activist, or community goals; 
• A brief statement of the specific project you hope to complete during the fellowship year

3. A work/art/project sample showing documentation of something you have completed in the past and that you feel showcases your approach to disability justice. This could be a mini-portfolio of art/design work, a short narrative, a set of facilitation tools, a social media campaign, a gallery of images or videos, or something else. 
4. A project proposal (3-5 pages), which outlines the specific project goals, methods, timeline, and expected outcomes. Click for example project proposal template.
5. A proposed budget for this project (see template). Imagine that you have $20,000 to carry out your project. How would you spend this money? Click for example budget template.
6. A list of three references that will be contacted should candidates progress through the application process. Please include names, email addresses, and a description of your relationship (such as “former collaborator,” “employer,” etc.)