Lower East Side Tenement Museum offers digital artists residency
http://www.tenement.org/Virtual_Tour/index_virtual.html)

Deadline Feb. 23

Request for Proposals
Digital Artists in Residence Program
Overview
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is currently accepting proposals for its
Digital Artists in Residence Program (DARP).
The Museum will award one residency to an artist or team of artists. During the
residency, the artist(s) will complete an original, web-based project that explores
an aspect of the contemporary immigrant experience in New York City.
The completed DARP project 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.”
Schedule
Proposals are due February 23, 2007.
The Museum will award the residency in mid-March.
The residency will begin on April 1, 2007.
Artist(s) will have the next six months to complete their project.
The project will launch in September, 2007.
The residency will end when the artist(s) completes any promotion
(interviews, press appearances) of their work.
Criteria for Selection
All proposals must focus on present-day immigration in New York City.
Preference will be given to projects that:
Embody and forward the Museum’s mission.
Display a deep, nuanced understanding of contemporary immigration
issues, especially the topic that the artist proposes to cover in their project.
Focus on a precise aspect of the immigrant experience.
Take an innovative, engaging approach to the proposed subject matter.
Can be successfully completed during the six-month residency.
Make exceptional use of the Web’s dynamic, interactive qualities.
Deploy technology in an innovative but usable way that serves the project’s content and goals.
Are distinct from past DARP projects and other interactive features on the Tenement Museum’s web site, including the Virtual Tour
(http://www.tenement.org/Virtual_Tour/index_virtual.html).
The Museum also encourages:
Projects that are in some way tied to or inspired by the Lower East Side.
If appropriate, projects that are playful and lively.
Technology
All proposed pieces must be web-based; the DARP project does not support physical installations. The completed project must run across platforms and work in both Internet Explorer 6.0 and the latest release of Firefox. The final project will be hosted on the Museum’s web server. The Museum uses a Windows 2000 Server that supports the following technologies:
Server and client-side scripting (PHP, Javascript, ASP)
Flash
Databases: MySQL and MSSQL databases
Java & .jsp pages
XML
HTML, DHTML, CSS
The Museum can also host multimedia files on its server. If your project will involve audio, video or other media, include a careful estimate of the size of these files in your proposal.
Accessibility
Applicants should be aware of users with special needs. Please consult the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative’s Guidelines and Techniques
(http://www.w3.org/WAI/guid-tech.html ) before applying. Final applications must
include a brief statement detailing how your project will meet these guidelines.
Benefits for Artists
The Museum provides artists with a number of benefits, including:
Hosting/Server Use:
During project development, artist(s) will also be able to utilize the Museum’s web server to store and test their work.

Once completed the final project will be hosted and remain on the Museum’s web server.

Financial Support:
The Museum will provide artist(s) with a $5000 stipend for the duration of their residency.
The Artist(s) can also be reimbursed for up to $2500 worth of expenses.
Note that artist(s) will only be reimbursed for expenses that are deemed necessary for the completion of their work.
Promotional Support:
After launch, a callout for the project will be featured on the Museum’s home page (http://www.tenement.org) for six months. After this period, the project will be archived in the DARP section of the Museum’s web site.
The Museum will write and distribute a press release for the final project.
The Museum will coordinate and assist with any press appearances or interviews.
The Museum will draft and run promotional announcements in its monthly e-mail newsletter and quarterly Calendar of Events.
If the artist and Museum agree that printed promotional materials are of value, the Museum will pay for printing and mailing of these items. However, the artist will be responsible for designing­or finding someone else to design­any print materials.
Access to Museum Collections and Library:
Collections: Artists may utilize the Museum’s library, as well as its collections of historic artifacts and images. However, access to these materials will only be granted as is deemed necessary and artists should carefully detail proposed uses of the collections in their proposals.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to read about the Museum’s collections before proposing any uses of these materials. Information about the Museum’s collections is available at http://tenement.org/research_collections.html.

Please note:
This is an off-site residency. The Museum is unable to supply housing, office space or use of its office equipment.
While the artist does not have to be based in New York, the ability to be in the city for some part of the project is strongly encouraged.
This is not a collaborative project between the artist(s) and the Museum.
Artists will be solely responsible for completing all creative and technical aspects of their project. The Museum will only provide the support and benefits detailed above.
The artist(s) may be asked to participate in a launch event for their work. This will include submitting a list of friends, family and colleagues to invite to the event and answering questions, both informally and during a Q&A session, at the event. The decision to hold such an event will be made jointly by the Museum and the artist(s).
Informational Meetings
There will be two informational meetings for all applicants who wish to learn more
about DARP and the Tenement Museum.
First meeting: January 22 at 12:30pm.
Second meeting: January 25 at 5pm.
Attending one of these meetings is strongly recommended. Each meeting will last approximately one hour. The same material will be covered in each meeting. Anyone interested in attending these meetings should contact Jeff Tancil, Web Producer, at 212-431-0233 x.234 or darp@tenement.org .
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. However, we strongly suggest that you visit the Museum in person.
Group Size
Applicants can apply either as individuals or as part of a group. If you apply as a group, you must demonstrate each member’s role of in producing the project. Please note that the stipend and expense reimbursements are the same regardless of group size.

How to Apply
All proposals are due no later than February 23, 2007. The Museum expects to award the residency by mid- March. Electronic proposals are preferred, though applicants submit paper proposals if necessary. All proposals must include:
Project Description
Applicants should submit a 2-5 page description of their project that details the concept, scope and theme of one original work. Applicants should also discuss how their project will specifically address both the immigrant experience in New York City and the Museum’s mission.
Attachments
All proposals must include the following attachments:
Itemized budget of proposed expenses
Schedule
Schedules should reflect the six-month duration of the residency. Schedules must include the following deliverables:
Three formal project reviews with the Museum’s Web Producer and the DARP Advisory Board. One review must focus on the beta version of the site.
Date that a beta version of the site to be completed and reviewed. The beta site must be delivered no later than six weeks prior to the launch of the project.
Launch date.
Resume
A current resume with details of artist’s most recent projects, relevant work experience and related skills. If you are applying as a group, each member must submit a resume.
Work Samples
Applicants must submit 2-3 samples of web sites and/or web-based projects 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.
Submitting Proposals
Applications and attached materials should be submitted to the Museum either by mail or e-mail. The Museum expects to award the residency by mid- March.

Mail E-Mail
Lower East Side Tenement Museum darp@tenement.org
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 (darp@tenement.org) 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 DARP
The Digital Artist in Residence Project (DARP) is an ongoing series of web-based artworks dedicated to the exploration of contemporary immigrant experiences. Through DARP, the Tenement Museum awards residencies to emerging and established web artists. Residencies last for six months and are virtual. To date the Museum has hosted six residencies. The works produced during these residencies have been featured in the New York Times, BBC World, NPR, Metafilter, Wired, Gothamist, TimeOut New York and other major press outlets.

The six DARP projects are:
Gods of Chinatown (2006)
http://gods.tenement.org
Folk Songs for the Five Points (2005)
http://www.tenement.org/folksongs
Banana (2001)
http://www.tenement.org/banana
Hard Place (2002)
http://www.tenement.org/HardPlace.
Code City (2002)
http://www.tenement.org/codecity

The Immigrant Experience (2003)
http://www.tenement.org/immigrantexperience

Source : Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc