The OSUN Center for Human Rights and the Arts at Bard College is pleased to announce the inaugural (2020–21) recipients of grants supporting faculty research and student-led initiatives at the intersection of human rights and the arts. The grants were awarded after an open call for proposals for faculty and students across member institutions of the Open Society University Network (OSUN). Selections were made by a committee of the core team at the Center for Human Rights and the Arts along with two faculty representatives from OSUN members.
The annual faculty research grant program is designed to support OSUN faculty research on the intersection of human rights and the arts—including scholarly research, investigation/documentation, or research-based art practices. The eleven inaugural faculty grantees span seven of OSUN’s member institutions: American University of Beirut in Lebanon; Bard College in Annandale, NY; Bard College at Simon’s Rock in New York; Bard College Berlin in Germany; Brac University in Dhaka, Bangladesh; School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, United Kingdom; and Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. Grantees received between $3,000 and $8,000 in support of research to be completed during Spring and Summer 2021.
The annual student-led initiative grant program is designed to support OSUN student initiatives and engagement in the intersection of human rights and the arts. The eight inaugural student grantees span four of OSUN’s member institutions: al-Quds Bard College in Abu Dis, Occupied Palestinian Territories; American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Birkbeck, University of London in the United Kingdom; and the School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Grantees received $1,000 in support of initiatives to be launched during Spring and Summer 2021.