» Call for Artists: Visualizing a Liberatory Legacy 

We invite visual artists to assist the College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture with a Spring 2026 digital and physical exhibit. Artists will be invited to engage and interpret archival collections through any artistic medium. The artwork created by the artist will showcase Avery’s collections and highlight important aspects of the African American historical narrative as well as relevant topics around contemporary African American issues. 

Exhibition Description 

The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is commemorating our founding through an upcoming digital and in-person exhibit that builds on the  Avery: The Spirit That Would Not Die, 1865-2015. The focus will highlight the work of our beacons who fought to create an institution recognizing the Avery Normal Institute and organization dedicated to researching, collecting, and documenting African Americans in Charleston, SC. Articulating the work done before us, we will shine the light on the torchbearers who have carried on the mission of our organizers through administrations that have brought Avery to new heights, from the first executive director, Dr. Myrtle Glascoe, to the current executive director, Dr. Tamara Butler.  

Responsibilities 

• Curate and Design (90%) 
  • Develop physical and/or digital artwork and products using newly processed collections, including the records of the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture (AIAAHC), the Avery Research Center (ARC), and papers of Averyites (alumni of the secondary school and teacher training institute). See a list here
  • Work with the Avery Research Center’s Curatorial Committee to develop clear, informative, and comprehensive text (i.e., an artist statement of work) for exhibition panels and exhibition promotional materials. 
  • Assist with the installation of exhibitions 

• Public Programming and Outreach (10%) 
  • Participating in public programming related to the exhibition, including an artist talk with other artists 
  • Promote work and exhibit on social media 
  • Participate in the launch of the digital exhibition and the opening reception of the physical exhibition 

Award: $5,000 (50% deposit) 

Eligibility: 

• Open to all visual artists (painting, photography, sculpture, digital art, mixed media, etc.) 
• Ability to travel to the Avery Research Center in Charleston, SC 
• Familiarity with archival materials   

Application: 

Submit via form a brief bio and artist statement (max 500 words); a portfolio of existing work (prefer a link), and a description of how your work connects to the archives or how you used archival/historic materials previously (max 500 words). 

Deadline: May 15, 2025. Interviews with candidates will be held in June 2025, work is expected to begin in July 2025.  

About the Avery Research Center for African American History at the College of Charleston  
The mission of the Avery Research Center for African American History at the College of Charleston to collect, preserve, and promote the unique history and culture of the African diaspora, with an emphasis on Charleston, the South Carolina Lowcountry, and beyond. Avery has been an educational hub for Black Charleston since its time as the Avery Institute and School, a school established for African Americans (1865–1954). 

For questions, please contact us using this form.