Current Duke University seniors, recent graduates of Duke University,
and students and graduates of the Certificate in Documentary Arts
program offered by CDS are eligible
to apply for Lewis Hine Documentary Fellowships. The program is also open to Robertson Scholars Program graduates of both Duke and UNC. Fellowships are
awarded each year in a competitive application and interview process.
Application materials are made available each November, and the
application deadline is in January. For more specific information,
contact the Hine Program office at 919-660-3681 or elena.rue@duke.edu.
Fellows bring a range of talents and interests to the program. All
Lewis Hine Fellows have diverse academic backgrounds, training in
one or more documentary methods, significant documentary field experience,
and direct service experience working with young people. Fellows
are typically proficient in two or more languages.
TRAINING AND LANGUAGE PREPARATION
In preparation for the fellowship year, Lewis Hine Fellows are supported
in pursuits that expand the abilities and knowledge they take to
their host organizations. Fellows who do not speak the language
or dialect of the host region undergo intensive language training
prior to the fellowship, typically in the host country. Fellows
may also choose to enroll in classes that provide further training
in documentary techniques and/or children’s issues. For some
domestic placements, language training may also be necessary.
PLACEMENTS
Lewis Hine Documentary Fellowships are granted for ten- to twelve-month
terms, with the potential to extend to eighteen months. Fellows
are matched with host organizations whose expertise and needs fit
their particular interests and skills.
Each Fellow works as a full-time staff member of the organization,
taking on a job title and a defined scope of work. Experienced mentors
are chosen within each organization to guide work throughout the
fellowship.
SUPPORT
Fellows receive support from their host organizations and the Lewis
Hine Documentary Fellows Program. Funding covers all travel and
housing arrangements, health insurance, a living stipend, and training
and resources for documentary fieldwork.
POST FELLOWSHIP RESIDENCIES, PROJECT
DEVELOPMENT, AND DISSEMINATION
Upon completion of their fellowships, some Lewis Hine Fellows will
have the opportunity to complete a residency of up to six months
at the Center for Documentary Studies. These Fellows have access
to CDS and Duke University facilities and resources, including darkrooms,
digital photography labs, and video and audio editing equipment
and software.
Resident Fellows work with the Hine Program, CDS staff members,
their host organizations, and collaborating institutions to shape
and present their documentary materials in meaningful ways. These
documentary products are designed both to address the specific dilemmas
that confront communities and to evoke ethical issues and policy
questions that cross cultural boundaries.
The dissemination of Lewis Hine Fellows’ work is intended
to reach a broad spectrum of audiences. Within the host region,
Fellows share their projects in community centers, schools, and
other public venues. Among the host organization's community, documentary
materials become part of reports and presentations that are circulated
to collaborating NGOs, nonprofits, government agencies, and donors.
For public audiences worldwide, Fellows’ work is shared through
exhibits, publications, and Web presentations.
banner image:
Mother of seven, Elsie, lifts her three-week-old
son in front of the entrance to her home. Grassland Phase II, Bloemfontein,
South Africa, 2004. Photograph by Kate Joyce.
From the exhibition Grassland
Phase II: Residents and Government Reshaping South Africa’s
informal Settlements, a selection of
photographs created over the five months Joyce spent with residents
in a government- subsidized settlement named Grassland Phase II, located
on the fringe of an expanding township in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
