The Archives maintains an open window for proposals, offering 2-3 opportunities per year for selected guest curators to collaborate closely with Archives staff. Each exhibit remains on display between 2-4 months.

Each exhibit follows a roughly 5-month production cycle (excluding holiday and summer breaks).

Month 1-2: Research & Production

Month 2-3: Exhibit Duration

Month 4-5: De-install

The Research Room is located on the 7th floor of the University Center. This is the second floor of the Library.

Each exhibit must use all three display cases that face out from the glass wall in the Research Room onto the Library. The glass wall, column, and walls of the Research Room may also be used.

The New School Archives provides a limited supply of exhibition and production materials, as well as staff support in the development of Research Room exhibits, but provides no direct funding. Curators may seek departmental or institutional support to cover expenses related to their exhibit.

All full and part-time students, faculty, alumni, and staff of The New School are eligible to apply. Small collaborative teams are welcome to apply. Student proposals for class credit must receive prior approval by the student’s faculty advisor.

Note that this program does not include course-based curatorial projects. Faculty, please contact us at archivist@newschool.edu to discuss your proposal for a course-based project. 

Complete and submit this form.

• Is your exhibit primarily designed to explore materials in The New School Archives and/or Special Collections (this can include materials that will become part of the collections at the close of exhibition).
• Do I have time to commit to research, write, edit, plan, produce, design, install, and promote my proposed exhibit? View timeline listed in the deadlines section above.
• Does the scope and feasibility of my proposal align with the location and size, development and production window?
• Does my proposal have a strong central idea?
• Does my proposal have a strong visual component/concept?
• Can my proposal be realized without funding? (No direct funding is provided by the Archives for honoraria, image rights, promotion, production, design, or display.)

The Archives Research Room Exhibits Committee is comprised of New School Archives staff.

Criteria for evaluation of proposals:

• Alignment with Archives Research Room mission
• Strength and originality of curatorial/exhibition concept
• Strength of plan for use of New School Archives and/or Special Collections material
• Clarity of proposal
• Evidence of organizational skills
• Understanding of time commitment

The Exhibit Committee may contact proposal finalists during the proposal review period to gather further information, request clarification, and/or engage with applicants about their idea. Note that this meeting does not constitute acceptance of the proposal.

For rolling submissions of proposals, the Exhibit Committee will respond within four weeks.