Title: Visiting Artist Fellowship at the Mittal Institute
School: Multiple Schools - Joint Search
Position Description: The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University, Visiting Artist Fellowship ( VAF ), is an eight-week research fellowship at Harvard that connects visual artists from South Asia to Harvard's intellectual resources. The Fellowship provides a platform for conducting independent research that explores critical issues in South Asia through the lens of art and design. The program welcomes applications from mid-career visual artists in South Asia to come to Harvard University to participate in interdisciplinary discourse with students and faculty on global issues relevant to South Asia.
Four artists are selected each academic year for the VAF at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. The review committee will consider the applicants experience, as well as the quality of their work and personal statements.
Please note: This is not an artists residency, rather it mirrors our academic fellowships in that VAs are expected to utilize Harvard's academic resources to pursue individual research interests.
Basic Qualifications:
A visual artist who is a current resident of South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Maldives).
A mid-career artist with an established body of work, who is actively exhibiting current work in professional artistic venues, such as gallery and museum spaces. Although formal professional training at an accredited institution is not a requirement, artists with professional training are preferred.
Demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship. Special consideration will be given to artists whose proposals directly relate to pertinent issues in South Asia
Able to provide a plan and rationale for utilizing Harvard resources including: specific classes, archives, libraries, or museum collections.
Special Instructions: Create a pdf with up to 15 images, and upload it in the "Design Portfolio" category. Work samples may be accompanied by a brief description. You can find an example of the work portfolio PDF here
Contact Information: Mittal Institute Arts Program Manager, Sneha Shrestha
Contact Email:
shrestha@fas.harvard.edu
Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.
Minimum Number of References Required: 2
Maximum Number of References Allowed: 2
Keywords: Arts, South Asia, South Asian Art, Artist
Supplemental Questions: Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
* Please state your preference for which session you would like to attend the Visiting Artist Fellowship (Fall 2025, Spring 2026 or No Preference)
Fall 2025
Spring 2026
No Preference
* Artist Statement (Max. up to 300 words) (Open Ended Question)
* This written statement should describe your preliminary proposal and how it will benefit from being hosted by the Mittal Institute and Harvard. Please list in as much detail as possible which resources, departments, and faculty at Harvard would be pertinent to your research. Also, please state if you would be drawing on the collections of the Harvard Museums for your research. Anything longer than 500 words will not be considered. Some questions to consider include: How will you utilize 8 weeks of your time at Harvard to inform your work? What resources at Harvard do you plan to use? How do you use your work to draw attention to the areas of economic, policy, and social issues of your particular context of South Asia? Please spend most of your narrative about work you have already completed, as your stay at Harvard will focus on these works. (Open Ended Question)
