Almanac Projects Writer in Residence 2022: An open call for a writing residency engaging with Black Cultural Archives collections with support from Art Monthly


Almanac Projects Writer in Residence 2022 is our first open call to support early career art writers and researchers in the development of their practice.

It is meant to respond to artist Rene Matić’s practice as part of our current programme An Almanac of Possibilities: sharing tools for a collective future which, through exhibitions, performances, workshops, online screenings, reading groups, as well as partnerships with Art Monthly, Black Cultural Archives, Lambeth Council, Stockwell Park Community Centre, and Studio Voltaire, seeks to invite reflections on themes of belonging, interdependence, and solidarity.

This is an opportunity to further discuss the artist’s exploration and questioning of themes related to identity and representation from the point of view of a Black and queer subject living in the diaspora, while exploring the histories and heritages of the Lambeth area through the engagement with the materials preserved at Black Cultural Archives.

We are looking for an art writer or researcher to develop an original essay in response to Matić’s practice and in dialogue with Black Cultural Archives’ Collections. Commencing in February 2022, the successful candidate will be awarded £800 to spend one month engaging with the BCA Collections and to produce a text of 1,500-2000 words in length which critically responds to the themes and questions touched upon by Matić’s practice.
The successful candidate will receive guidance on researching the collections at Black Cultural Archives and will be supported by Almanac Projects throughout their residency.

The aim of this project is manifold: we aim at nurturing the literature around Matić’s practice, supporting an early career art writer or researcher in the development of their practice and in the consultation of primary sources, as well as fostering a cross-disciplinary, transhistorical and translocal engagement with archive materials.

The call is conceived for a person of colour who is a UK-based, early career art writer or researcher to respond to Matić’s practice and within the context of the Black Cultural Archives Collections.

The successful candidate will be selected by a panel comprising Rene Matić, Art Monthly, the Black Cultural Archives and Almanac Projects. The winner will be announced by the first week of February.

The final outcome will be published in Art Monthly online, be promoted across the organisers’ channels, as well as later on enter the BCA’s Collections.

Candidates are invited to send their CV, samples of previous relevant writings, and a short abstract stating how they envision their contribution to info@almanacprojects.com by 8 pm, 28 January 2022.

For more information, please email bianca@almanacprojects.com or visit www.almanacprojects.com

Art Monthly is the UK’s leading magazine of contemporary visual art. Published ten times a year in bold black and white, it is known for its in-depth articles, interviews and profiles that assess the complex and ever-evolving art world. Its independence has made it a home for those seeking challenging art and rigorous commentary.

Black Cultural Archives(BCA) is the only national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain. Since 1981 BCA has embarked on the journey to collect and preserve materials which redress the historical balance and representation of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain. Its archive collection is now one of the most comprehensive collections that document the history and cultural heritage of Black Britain. The organisation is based at 1 Windrush Square in Brixton, London where they host exhibitions, educational programmes and public engagement events alongside providing free access to its archives collections and reference library.

The project is supported by Arts Council England.