Information about the larger project is online at www.louisianafolklife.org/batonrouge. The Request for Qualifications is below.
Please share this announcement with anyone who might be interested.
Maida Owens
Louisiana Folklife Program
Request for Qualifications (RFQ) -- Folklorists for Baton Rouge Folklife Survey
Louisiana Division of the Arts Folklife Program, FY2014
Overview
The Louisiana Division of the Arts (LDOA) is seeking one or two professional folklorists to conduct a folklife survey of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish. The city is a diverse metropolitan community and the parish includes rural areas. For examples of communities and traditions previously documented and traditions likely to be found, see www.louisianafolklife.org/batonrouge.
Interested folklorists are invited to submit their qualifications. Folklorists will document 40-50 folk artists during a period of approximately 40-60 working days. If two are selected, fieldwork will be divided according to the folklorists' experience and backgrounds with number of days dependent upon rate of pay, and submit multimedia documentation of folk artists, field materials, and multimedia essays suitable for publication on the Folklife in Louisiana website (www.louisianafolklife.org). At least 30 of the folk artists documented should be appropriate for and willing to work at folklife festivals, school diversity and/or arts days, or multicultural arts presentations.
The Louisiana Folklife Program (LFP) will provide preliminary contact information/introductions for folk artists and organizations, but the folklorist would not be restricted to this list. The LFP will also supply folklife survey forms (artist data sheets and releases), audio logs, and photo logs. Contract fees will be $300-500/day depending on experience. Travel and other expenses constitute part of the total maximum contract and will not be reimbursed separately. Up to $20,000 is available for all contracts.
The results of this folklife survey will be used to expand the Louisiana Folklife Database and provide cultural information, including field reports, to local cultural and arts organizations towards the creation of future programs.
All fieldwork documentation will become part of the Folklife Program Collection at Louisiana State University Libraries' Special Collections and the East Baton Rouge Parish Library Baton Rouge Archive. The State will hold copyright to the submitted materials, but the folklorist will have license to use, reproduce, and publish the materials created under the contract. National Endowment for the Arts funds will be used to pay fees for contractors, who will be supervised by LFP Director, Maida Owens.
Work for this project is estimated to begin October 1, 2013, but must be completed by December 16, 2014 (including all paperwork). Fieldwork days need not be consecutive, and, in fact, two field trips would be ideal.
The schedule and deliverables would be negotiated after the selection process.
Qualifications
The successful applicant should have an MA and/or PhD in folklore or related discipline, such as cultural anthropology or ethnomusicology, and at least 5 years' experience in public folklore and folklife documentation. Qualified applicants must have access to, experience with, and technical competence with digital equipment (camera, audio recorder, computer/laptop).
Submission Requirements
Applicants must submit:
A cover letter detailing qualifications, experience and availability;
A resume;
Three relevant references;
Representative online and/or digital work samples of recorded interviews, photography, field notes, and/or published papers.
Applications submitted without all of these items will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered.
Qualifications should be emailed as an attachment to Maida Owens, Louisiana Folklife Program Please put Baton Rouge Folklife Survey in the subject line.
Qualifications must be received by August 28, 2013. For further information, contact Maida Owens at 225-342-8178 or mowens@crt.la.gov.
Evaluation
LDOA staff will evaluate applications based on the following criteria:
1. Years of experience in the field
2. Experience with the type of project specified in the RFQ
3. Proven capacity to deliver the project requirements on time and on budget
4. Work samples
Selected applicants will be contacted by email to begin contract negotiations.
Revisions to the RFQ
LDOA reserves the right to revise any part of the RFQ by issuing an addendum to the RFQ at any time. Issuance of this RFQ in no way constitutes a commitment by LDOA to award a contract. LDOA reserves the right to accept or reject, in whole or part, all applications submitted, and/or cancel this announcement if it is determined to be in LDOA's best interest. All materials submitted in response to this announcement become the property of LDOA, and selection or rejection of a submittal does not affect this right.
