Request for Proposals: Archives and Museums programme | IFA in collaboration with Ever-Living Museum | Deadline Extended: September 08, 2023 (CLOSED)

IFA, in collaboration with the Ever-Living Museum in Shillong, invites applications for IFA-Ever-Living Museum Creative Project and IFA-Ever-Living Museum Scholarly Project, under its Archives and Museums programme. The programme has a twofold objective: to provide arts practitioners and researchers with an opportunity to generate new, critical and creative approaches for public engagement with archives and museum collections; and to energise these spaces as platforms for dialogue and discourse. Read about earlier projects under this programme.

Application Deadline: Friday, September 08, 2023

Click here to read the call in Khasi/English.

About the Ever-Living Museum and its Collections:

Established in 2015, the Ever-Living Museum in Shillong, Meghalaya, is a private initiative owned and curated by Mr Kyntiewbor War. It is nestled in the village of Mawshbuit, a thirty-minute drive from Shillong. The collections and artefacts on display reflect the dedication of Mr War’s effort to preserve the region’s material culture and the priceless contributions of well-wishers. The diverse nature of the collections allows us a glimpse into the material culture of the region, its people and their living.

The museum is divided into three sections:

  • The Heritage section displays cultural artefacts of the various indigenous communities of the region, ranging from household items, ritualistic objects, crafts, textile and jewellery. There is also a small section of Mr War’s personal belongings which gives an insight to his life and journey.
  • The Stone collection houses fossils, stone age tools, minerals, and precious/semi-precious stones found in the state of Meghalaya.
  • The Garden in the museum premises is home to hundreds of native plants and unique flowers that adorn the hills, some rooted deep in folklore.

In addition to these collections, there are photographs, ranging from the breathtaking waterfalls and landscapes to endangered traditional huts of Meghalaya.

For the Creative and Scholarly Projects, the Ever-Living Museum will open up its entire collection.

About the IFA-Ever-Living Museum Creative and Scholarly Projects:

For the Scholarly Project, we encourage proposals that can research and critically engage with the collection, create content that will support the knowledge bank of the institution with tangible outcomes such as revised museum labels and texts, monographs, essays, descriptive catalogue or finding aid etc. and present their research through public programmes both online and offline.

For the Creative Project, we seek proposals which demonstrate innovative curatorial and artistic intervention to reimagine the collection with focus on creating a digital presence of the museum, recording oral history based on the museum objects and the collector, audio-visual documentation, creating programmes and outcomes for greater public outreach and engagement for the museum such as podcasts, films, workshops, exhibitions etc.

We encourage projects that demonstrate an ability to think through interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches and methodologies for their outcomes. Applications can artistically engage with the entire collection. However, this is not mandatory and projects may focus on any one key aspect of the museum as well.

Both projects are envisioned for a period of one year.

Project Coordinators working on the Creative and Scholarly projects will be required to visit, study and research the collections at the physical space of the museum in Shillong, Meghalaya. Project Coordinators will have access to the specific materials mentioned above, over the duration of the project. For more information about the collection and materials available for research, please contact Sashi Teibor Laloo at teiborsashi@gmail.com or Andrew Marwein at andrewmarwein412@gmail.com.

Applicant Profile:

  • We seek applications from curators, artists, researchers, writers, performers as well other creative practitioners, and from scholars with background in research and keen interest in working with archival and museum collections.
  • Applicants with knowledge of Khasi are encouraged to apply, since the familiarity with the language will be essential to conduct research.
  • Since Ever-Living is an object based physical museum in Shillong, applications from in and around Meghalaya will be given preference as the Project Coordinators will have to spend a considerable amount of time at the archives during the project period.
  • Only Indian nationals are eligible to apply. To know more about our eligibility criteria, click here.

Application Guidelines:

Your application must include:

  • A proposal briefly describing the project (as described in the call with outlines of creative outcomes that one can imagine, or research questions if it is a Scholarly project) that could be developed from the visual and textual material mentioned above. The description should include the vision, approach and possible outcomes.
  • A brief note on other public programmes that could be developed from the material.
  • A detailed budget.
  • Your curriculum vitae with a brief description of a project you have been involved with as a curator, arts practitioner, or researcher. This description should comprise the vision, processes, and outcomes from that project. Please send us links and not attachments.
  • You can write your proposal in any Indian language, including English. IFA encourages projects in Indian languages other than English so as to contribute to the discourse in various language contexts.
  • Email your applications or any queries to Ritwika Misra at ritwika@indiaifa.org with the subject line: Application for IFA - Ever-Living Museum

Project Budget:

  • The project cost should not exceed Rs 2,00,000/-
  • You can request for an honorarium not exceeding 35% of the proposed budget for the entire duration of the project. The total amount is inclusive of the honorarium.
  • Funds will cover only project-related costs and activities, and will not pay for infrastructure costs or equipment purchase.

Key Dates:

  • The deadline for receiving applications is Friday, September 08, 2023.
  • Interviews with shortlisted candidates are expected to take place in September 2023.
  • The project will commence in October 2023 for a period of one year.

IFA will implement this project with you directly as Project Coordinator.

Please note that IFA is committed to creating a safe environment that supports, respects, and protects everyone, including children. The applicant must be aligned with this and must uphold it at all times.