Petition for the Arts

We the undersigned have the following requests:

1. A fully funded, yearlong post-graduate fellowship exclusively for artists.

Currently no such grants exist.

2. A yearlong artist in residence program exclusively for Harvard graduates more

than one year out of college, with preference given to artists early on in their
careers. Though the fifth floor of the Carpenter Center was constructed to provide
for an artist in residence, it has yet to fulfill its original purpose.

3. An institutional commitment to one show a year in the Carpenter Center main

gallery exclusively for Harvard artists, open to both those who have graduated
and those who have not. VES in conjunction with the Carpenter Center should
actively solicit works from artists who have graduated. Community should not be
ephemeral. Foster an ecosystem that survives beyond a four-year lifespan.

4. An OCS officer dedicated to finding and facilitating artist residencies, museum

internships, and other opportunities to foster the growth and income of artists,
both those who have graduated and those who have yet to do so.

These requests stem from a simple challenge to administrators and faculty alike: follow
through. If we were good enough to be accepted into Harvard, we’re good enough for
Harvard to support us.

We recognize it is not enough to ask for things. We also call on students to collaborate
with thicker intensities. Perhaps the only student curated show occurs once annually in
CGIS. We encourage students across all disciplines, and in light of future career paths
particularly those in HAA and VES, to plan and execute shows together. A vibrant art
community requires the belief of its participants. Currently there are great amounts of
space in Hilles that go unused for the majority of the year, and it behooves those who
would ask for more to make use of what already exists.

To sign please email HarvardArtists@gmail.com with your first and last name and class
year or faculty affiliation.

Addressed to: Jack Megan, Director of the Office for the Arts; Paul Bohlmann, Associate
Director of the Office of Career Services and the Director of Fellowships; Robin Kelsey,
Chair, Harvard University Committee on the Arts and Shirley Carter Burden Professor of
Photography; D.N. Rodowick, Chair of VES and Interim Director of the Carpenter
Center; Drew Faust, President of Harvard University and Lincoln Professor of History.

Sincerely,
Your Students