Are.na Grants is a new initiative to support research, writing, and other creative projects that are being developed and built on Are.na. For the first set of grants, we are especially interested in projects that address issues around the shifting nature of “knowledge work,” algorithmic governance, and networked learning, though proposals of all kinds are welcome.
To capture the breadth of thinking on Are.na, grants of $500 (USD) each will be awarded in three categories, and may be used to expand on an existing line of research or start a new endeavor. Three to five recipients will be selected by jury members John-Michael Boling, Laurel Schwulst, and Dena Yago, along with the Are.na team. The announcement of grant recipients along with features on grant projects will be published on the Are.na blog.
The grant categories include:
- Individual projects: Many people already use Are.na for personal and professional research on a range of topics, including gossip as a communication system, the poetry of tools, and social activism as brand strategy. This grant will support new visual, written, or other multimedia outputs based on research collected using Are.na
- Team projects: This grant will support new visual, written, or other multimedia output mounted by a team or organization using Are.na for collaborative research and thinking.
- Web projects using the Are.na API: Some things that have already been built on the Are.na API include print are.na, a tool for turning any Are.na channel into a printable PDF booklet, and Pilgrim, a bookmarklet that aims to provide a better experience for consuming long-form text and exploring related materials on the web. Grantees will receive initial training and regular technical support from the Are.na team.
Submissions should comprise a link to an Are.na channel containing your name, a 150-word statement, a single sketch or image, and a proposed timeline for completion. The deadline for applying is October 27, 2017.
"Are.na" is an Online Tool for Contextualizing the Internet - Here's Why It's Useful to Architects
Outside of our familiar feeds, social or otherwise, the Internet can be a daunting place. While information and interaction have never been easier, developing ways to get a handle on the quantity and pace of this crowded, if not valuable, world can often be difficult - it's all too easy to find your digital life unintentionally isolated.
Background
Our intention behind Are.na is to provide a platform for people, whether alone or with others, to pursue their interests and organize their thinking—without the influence of advertisers or algorithms. Over the course of building Are.na, we’ve seen how digital tools can become addictive and invasive rather than empowering. We’ve also seen the emergence of “fake news,” filter bubbles, an attention economy, an increasingly contingent and precarious workforce, and growing concern over data security and personal privacy.
For us, these issues are intimately related, and they are perpetuated by many of the networked technologies that dominate our lives. We believe in preserving the promise of the internet as a tool for collaboratively creating, organizing, and sharing knowledge. Are.na Grants represent one small way in which we hope to support critical dialogue around the creation of more ethical, equitable platforms that support the dignity and joy of thinking.
Jury
- Laurel Schwulst is an independent designer, artist, and teacher at the Yale School of Art.
- John-Michael Boling is an artist and founder of 3D animation studio CULTURESPORT.
- Dena Yago is an artist and strategy consultant.
About Are.na
Are.na is a platform for creative thinking and research. It’s a distraction-free space where you can collect anything, organize your thoughts, and develop ideas over time. It’s also a community where curiosity and collaboration are more important than algorithms and likes. Whether you’re writing a story, designing a product, or just exploring your interests, we believe Are.na should help you think and discover in a way that feels natural.
Full application instructions
If you don’t already have an Are.na account, sign up here. Make a Closed or Private channel for your submission. The channel name is your project title. Then add the following as individual blocks:
- Your preferred name or team name along with a 150-word project statement as a text block
- At least one sketch or image block
- A proposed timeline for completion as a text or image block
- E-mail a link to the channel to info@are.na.
Title
Are.na Research Platform Launches Grant SchemeType
Competition Announcement (Ideas)Website
Organizers
Submission Deadline
October 27, 2017 10:11 AMPrice
Free