2023 Art & Design Competition: James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award for Diversity Scholarship

Exhibition: Wednesday, October 11–Friday, October 27

Artist Reception: Thursday, October 19, 5:00–6:00 p.m. (open to the public)

Location: Shapiro Library (3rd Floor, Undergraduate Library)

Artist Statements

The University of Michigan’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) and the National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID) invite students to propose and create a work of art and/or design to be presented to the recipient of the 2023 James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award for Diversity Scholarship. This distinguished career award is given biennially and recognizes significant contributions of a senior U‑M faculty member whose research and scholarship – as well as teaching, mentoring and public engagement – have focused on diversity throughout their career.

We are seeking a broad representation/interpretation of diversity to honor the longstanding scholarly contributions the award recipient has made to understanding diversity, equity and inclusion while addressing disparities in contemporary society. Please visit NCID’s website on diversity research and previous award recipients to learn more of the types of scholarship this award represents.

The proposed design and/or artwork can be produced in any medium and must be suitable for presentation at an award ceremony, i.e., able to be physically presented on stage and for display on a shelf or wall or in a public space. See designs from the 2021 Competition.

• Friday, February 24, 2023: Art & Design Competition opens.
• Monday, May 8, 2023: Art & Design Submissions due.
• Tuesday, May 16, 2023: Three to five designs identified as finalists. Each of the finalists will be provided a $300 materials stipend for prototype production.
• Monday, September 18, 2023: Finalists deliver completed designs.
• Wednesday, October 11–Friday, October 27, 2023: Exhibition of final designs and final piece selected for presentation to the James S. Jackson Award recipient. An exhibition of completed designs presented together with an artist panel and reception will be scheduled. A panel of judges will select one final piece to be presented to the recipient of the James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award for Diversity Scholarship. The artist/designer of the design selected will receive a $1,500 stipend award. The artist/designer will be invited to the ceremony where the piece will be awarded to the James S. Jackson Award recipient. The runner-up finalists will receive a $500 stipend award and an honorable mention. 

Each application should include:

• Cover sheet with name, email address, graduation date (anticipated), and, if applicable, the name of a faculty advisor/sponsor and their email address
• Proposed design for the distinguished career award (can be a drawing/sketch, digital rendering, or mock-up)
• Dimensions of the proposed work
• Budget: Material costs for producing the work
• Brief description of the proposed idea, including the significance of DEI to the artist/designer and their work (500 words max)
• Artist/Designer CV (no more than 3 pages)

Upload the images and the text with cover sheet as a single pdf document saved as: “Your last name_your first name_2023_JJA Design” to 2023-JJA-Design.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor students (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, and medical) who are enrolled in at least the Winter 2023 term may apply. Students who are graduating in Winter 2023, Spring/Summer 2023 or Fall 2023 may apply, but need to meet the competition deadlines and requirements if chosen as a finalist.

For questions about this competition, please email: jja-design@umich.edu