Empowering Textile Innovation: MAP Academy and Nalli Fellowships Open for 2024–25 Applications

South Asian textiles form a crucial part of local as well as global histories. The MAP Academy and Nalli Fellowships will support South Asia-based projects that generate new interest in the region’s textile practices among diverse audiences. The Fellowships combine Nalli Silks’ focus area of textile production and design, with the MAP Academy’s vision of fostering incisive research in the study of art histories from South Asia.

About the Fellowships

Two types of Fellowships are offered: a Research Fellowship and an Educator Fellowship. Each will have a budget of up to INR 5,50,000. They will support projects that focus on textile practices in South Asia and may include inquiries into handmade, machine-made, semi-mechanised or digitally produced objects and processes. The grant money is intended towards unique project costs including technology, research fees, maintenance costs, procuring equipment, training material, travel within South Asia and other essential resources towards project execution. Each Fellowship may be combined with other grants or funding based on project requirements.

Applications will be reviewed by a five-member Advisory Committee comprising representatives from the MAP Academy and Nalli, and three external specialists in the fields of textiles, design and arts education.

Applications are open for 2024–25, until 30th September 2024, 11:59 PM IST.

The Research Fellowship

The MAP Academy invites proposals focusing on lesser known and studied textiles, practices, communities and histories in South Asia. The Research Fellowship will support and encourage projects that meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Contribute towards expanding either academic or practice-based inquiry into textile research
• Draw on existing textiles and practices as sources of learning or inspiration, ideally including objects and techniques, using field research and documentation, or national archives, cultural institutions and collections
• Approach written, documented and oral histories of textiles critically and sensitively
• Situate tool-making, finished objects, or motifs and designs as significant in the purview of textiles
• Potentially contribute to or propose the dissemination of knowledge in South Asian languages through translation-based projects
• Explore or involve textile-making practices as a way to innovate further; or experiment with or revive historical practices, techniques, materials and processes
• Critically approach concepts of sustainability, fast fashion, equitable distribution of resources and upcycling in the production and consumption of textiles

The projects should lead to concrete and meaningful impact through one or more outcomes including but not necessarily limited to:

• The publication of written work (online, or in print)
• The development of multimedia outcomes such as a film or podcast, or other audio-visual or digital programmes and initiatives
• An exhibition, workshop, conference or other public programming
• The creation of a new artwork, design or fashion objects, or any other creative output
• Other experimental projects or programmes

The Educator Fellowship

The MAP Academy invites proposals for projects that help disseminate knowledge on South Asian textiles. These may involve building curriculums, developing workshops, conducting fieldwork, working with schools and other educational or cultural institutions to spread or democratise knowledge on South Asian textiles, practices, techniques or histories.

The Educator Fellowship will support and encourage projects that meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Build a course curriculum on the histories of South Asian textiles for learners who may not have prior knowledge of the subject. Applicants may use the MAP Academy’s Textiles from the Indian Subcontinent as an introductory resource.
• Allow for the dissemination of resources — either in training teachers or in building pedagogical tools
• Encourage a teaching practice that is grounded in fieldwork and embodied community experiences in textile-making
• Empathetically approach the relationships between different stakeholders in the industry, such as artists, designers, artisans, brands, labourers and consumers
• Reflect on the manner in which knowledge is currently and typically produced amongst researchers, educators, practitioners and learners
• Critically approach concepts of sustainability, fast fashion, equitable distribution of resources and upcycling in the production and consumption of textiles

The projects should lead to concrete and meaningful impact through one or more outcomes including but not necessarily limited to:

• Special classroom and curriculum interventions at educational or cultural institutions
• Local conferences, workshops or symposia, especially those mounted in unconventional spaces or targeting diverse audiences in an inclusive manner
• The publication of work (online or in print) relevant to textile-based pedagogy
• Training personnel such as teachers and facilitators to teach textile histories and other relevant subject matter to diverse learners
• The use of digital technologies and tools to disseminate knowledge to wider audiences
• Other experimental projects within the realm of education around South Asian textiles

Application Process

Applications to the MAP Academy and Nalli Fellowships are open for 2024–25. Along with the project proposal, individual applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria and furnish proof where required as part of the application process:

• Applicant is over 18 years of age
• Applicant is based in South Asia
• The applicant’s proposal and previous work demonstrates a familiarity with the histories, practices, techniques and existing research relevant to their area of study and interest
• The applicant’s engagement and approach should meet the highest standards of ethics, sensitivity and inclusivity, particularly when dealing with representations of communities
• The proposed project should have tangible outcomes, as outlined above, within a year of the commencement of the Fellowship
• For community or institution-specific projects, applicants must demonstrate access as required
• Applicant must furnish proof of further sources of funding if the project requires a larger budget than what the current Fellowship offers

For further queries regarding the application process please contact the MAP Academy at: fellowships@map-india.org. The last date for submitting applications is 30th September 2024, 11:59 PM IST. Shortlisted candidates will be notified for further steps by the end of November 2024.

Apply Now

The MAP Academy is currently accepting applications in English only, and aim to welcome those in other South Asian languages in the future.