The MDOCS Storytellers’ Institute is a non-fiction arts residency on Skidmore College campus every June. A creative and intellectual community, the institute brings together professional non-fiction storytellers and artists (Visiting Fellows), Skidmore College students/ faculty/ staff (Skidmore Fellows), and Regional community members participating in the MDOCS Co-Creation Initiative (Regional Fellows). The institute is a fully funded opportunity that offers students time to work on personal non-fiction arts projects, networking opportunities, access to high level professional documentarians, opportunities to receive and give critiques, a platform to publicly display work, and an intellectual community to engage with the year’s theme. Join us this year!
Applications now closed and will open for the 2024 institute in the Fall of 2023.
INSTITUTE INFORMATION
The Institute runs from May 31st- June 30th, 2023 on the Skidmore College campus.
We seek to bring together a diverse groups of students, faculty, community members and professionals from a wide range of experiences, disciplines, and mediums for a rigorous creative and intellectual experience where everyone will be inspired, learn from each other, and grow in their practices. Each year we hold two priority spots each for international students and students in the Opportunity Program, in order to make the institute feel especially open to applicants from these groups. We believe that this strengthens the range of experiences present in the institute and, therefore, the richness of the work and conversations. We also try to attract student applicants from a range of class years, mediums, and disciplines working in creative non-fiction.
Skidmore Student Fellowship includes:
- Community and feedback from a renowned group of multidisciplinary artists/storytellers/documentarians
- $1500 honorarium
- Public presentation/exhibition opportunities
- Access to production equipment
- Room and board for the duration of the Institute
- Workspace access to Skidmore facilities
Requirements:
- Admitted Skidmore students are required to take the 2-credit Storytellers’ Institute Prep course that runs during the Spring 2023 semester. During this course students are given the opportunity to develop a project idea that they will work on during the institute, learn about the yearly theme, and work on artistic, and professional development skills.
- Applicants must have taken at leaste one MDOCS class prior to applying, or receive special exemption from the Director of the Storytellers’ Institute, Sarah Friedland (sfriedla@skidmore.edu)
- Applicants must have an interest and some experience in creative non-fiction documentary, art, and/or storytelling
What you need to apply:
- A completed application.
- One letter of recommendation from a professor or an educator who you have worked closely with, sent to storytellersinstitute@skidmore.edu by October 20th. (please ask your recommenders eraly, do not wait!)
- 1-5 work sample that demonstrate your experience in non-fiction, creative work. Samples can be written word, video, photography, audio, performance, etc. and can be submitted through the application. Please see the application for further work sample specifications.
- Students do not need to have a project proposal ready for the application, but rather are encouraged to have some ideas in mind that they are open to workshopping and discussing further during the Storytellers’ Institute Prep class if admitted to the Institute.
“Working with the Visiting Fellows was intimidating at first, then we became not only fellow creators, but very good friends.” Sarah Maacha, Student Fellow ’19
