CRXLAB Katherine Dunham Fellowship Now Accepting Applications

December 14, 2022

The Creative Reaction Lab (CRXLAB) is now accepting applications for its Spring and Summer 2023 Katherine Dunham Fellowship program. Named in honor of the legendary dancer, choreographer and activist, the Katherine Dunham Fellowship was created and funded by Sara and the late Dr. Jack Burke, to give African American individuals the opportunity to explore, gain experience in, and be mentored in, the field of arts administration and to subsequently find employment and achieve success working at local arts and cultural institutions.

Selected Fellows will have the opportunity to work on various creative projects, including CRXLAB’s “Artwork for Equity” and “Seeds of Power” for Black and Latinx youth. Fellows must be of African American heritage, must reside in either Saint Louis City, Saint Louis County or East Saint Louis and have expressed an interest in the nonprofit arts administration field.

In making the announcement, CRXLAB founder Antionette Carroll, and, herself, the first recipient of the Dunham Fellowship said: “The Fellowship solidified my career trajectory and changed my life. Katherine Dunham was a powerful activist, anthropologist, artist, choreographer, and dancer that have inspired so many people across the globe on the power of our creativity and the power of staying centered in our values. To be able to host a fellowship in her name, with support by Sara Burke and the late Jack Burke, not only keeps her legacy alive but also supports young African-American creatives and aspiring nonprofit professionals to start to cement their legacy as well.”

Dunham Fellows gain valuable “hands on” experience in many areas of arts administration, including: designing and facilitating institutional and community-facing youth programming and training; assisting with relationship building and partnership cultivation with local, national and international artists, designers, and arts and cultural institutions; managing outreach, communications and storytelling efforts related to the Art for Equity campaign.

Amaya Wallace, a 2021 Dunham Fellow commented: “The Katherine Dunham Fellowship equipped me with skills I didn’t even know I needed. It provided me with important opportunities that informed my career and personal lives. I am now a Social Work student at UNC Chapel Hill, and I couldn’t have done it without this Fellowship and the support I was given throughout the process. “

One individual will be chosen for each of the Spring and Summer Fellowships and will have the choice of working 24 hours per week for 10 weeks or 40 hours per week for 6 weeks. Fellows are paid $15.00 per hour and must be below the age of 26. The application deadline for the Spring 2023 fellowship is December 8, 2022; deadline for Summer 2023 is February 8, 2023. The Spring term begins March; Summer begins May 8.

Creative Reaction Lab was founded in support of the Uprising in Ferguson. Today, CRXLAB is building a youth-led, community-centered movement, with a new type of civic leader: Redesigners for Justice. Its mission combines education and civic engagement promoting racial justice and healthy living.

Complete information and application procedures for the Katherine Dunham Fellowship can be found here “https://crxlab.org/join-the-team/hsyrth75j0vk2q24qro580jjfsygzz-btg73-wf6g9 or by emailing: maya@crxlab.org