Vita's grad school fund!
Donation protected
Hi friends, family, community,
I am pleased to announce that I was accepted into a dual degree master's program at NYU and Long Island University in Costume Studies and Library and Information Sciences! Please help support me and my project.
Fashion as a form of protest is a cornerstone of my work. My artistic and curatorial practice collects, indexes, and preserves garments and adornments that serve as records of Black Histories. I aim to create frameworks where art, design, and various forms of cultural production are understood as tools of resistance and empowerment. Engaging with these frameworks, I am invested in preserving histories that aren't generally valued by institutions. In creating an archive, I am aware that the practice is never neutral: access and literacy are selective. I am committed to an engagement with the ‘hows and whys’ of the archive; always asking whose voices are being heard.
I have always been fascinated by the intimacy of wearable art and design. Growing up, my mother owned a vintage clothing boutique in the Lower East Side and my summers were spent driving up and down the East Coast thrifting. My mother educated me through fashion. While curating her boutique and personal collection she always encouraged me to explore my own style. My impulse to know the world through what is worn is reflected in my work as an artist. My ongoing collection of Black power T-shirts and memorabilia reflects upon the significance of style in Black life and its relationship to resilience. My current focus is on contemporary and historical Black mourning practices, memorial, and fashion.
My acceptance into this program is an opportunity to utilize institutional resources and education to further my project. I am over the moon about going back to school. Graduate school is a privilege that was not designed to be inclusive. Noticing that the deadline for the fall semester was extended, I jumped on the opportunity to apply. However, since I was accepted so close to the academic year I, unfortunately, missed many of the scholarship and grant deadlines.
Since losing my job, at a gallery doing administrative and archival work, in the spring due to COVID19. I have been receiving unemployment which will expire once I enroll in the program. I would ideally like to study full-time, therefore I am asking for your generous donations towards my tuition costs. I am exceedingly grateful for every dollar and every share.
This degree is a unique opportunity for me to further my engagement with fashion as Black cultural memory and leverage the resources offered by these two institutions and to make spaces for unheard voices.
Why I need you:
Tuition costs are $35,796 for the first year. After the grants I am receiving from NYU, there is still a $26,796 gap between my tuition costs and my goals. I am prepared to pay a portion of my tuition costs out of pocket and plan to apply for grants and loans for the following academic year. I would love to have this money raised by the end of September in order to avoid debt and make my next academic year feasible. My goal is to raise $35,000.
Cost breakdown:
$1,300 Computer (for remote learning)
$26,796 Full-Time tuition for the dual degree 2020/2021
$3,400 Health Insurance
Total - 31,496
By pursuing this degree, I can intimately engage with my lifelong passion; and sharpen my skills as a writer, artist, archivist, and curator expressing a keen desire to share and preserve Black cultural memory.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Forever grateful for the support!
I am pleased to announce that I was accepted into a dual degree master's program at NYU and Long Island University in Costume Studies and Library and Information Sciences! Please help support me and my project.
Fashion as a form of protest is a cornerstone of my work. My artistic and curatorial practice collects, indexes, and preserves garments and adornments that serve as records of Black Histories. I aim to create frameworks where art, design, and various forms of cultural production are understood as tools of resistance and empowerment. Engaging with these frameworks, I am invested in preserving histories that aren't generally valued by institutions. In creating an archive, I am aware that the practice is never neutral: access and literacy are selective. I am committed to an engagement with the ‘hows and whys’ of the archive; always asking whose voices are being heard.
I have always been fascinated by the intimacy of wearable art and design. Growing up, my mother owned a vintage clothing boutique in the Lower East Side and my summers were spent driving up and down the East Coast thrifting. My mother educated me through fashion. While curating her boutique and personal collection she always encouraged me to explore my own style. My impulse to know the world through what is worn is reflected in my work as an artist. My ongoing collection of Black power T-shirts and memorabilia reflects upon the significance of style in Black life and its relationship to resilience. My current focus is on contemporary and historical Black mourning practices, memorial, and fashion.
My acceptance into this program is an opportunity to utilize institutional resources and education to further my project. I am over the moon about going back to school. Graduate school is a privilege that was not designed to be inclusive. Noticing that the deadline for the fall semester was extended, I jumped on the opportunity to apply. However, since I was accepted so close to the academic year I, unfortunately, missed many of the scholarship and grant deadlines.
Since losing my job, at a gallery doing administrative and archival work, in the spring due to COVID19. I have been receiving unemployment which will expire once I enroll in the program. I would ideally like to study full-time, therefore I am asking for your generous donations towards my tuition costs. I am exceedingly grateful for every dollar and every share.
This degree is a unique opportunity for me to further my engagement with fashion as Black cultural memory and leverage the resources offered by these two institutions and to make spaces for unheard voices.
Why I need you:
Tuition costs are $35,796 for the first year. After the grants I am receiving from NYU, there is still a $26,796 gap between my tuition costs and my goals. I am prepared to pay a portion of my tuition costs out of pocket and plan to apply for grants and loans for the following academic year. I would love to have this money raised by the end of September in order to avoid debt and make my next academic year feasible. My goal is to raise $35,000.
Cost breakdown:
$1,300 Computer (for remote learning)
$26,796 Full-Time tuition for the dual degree 2020/2021
$3,400 Health Insurance
Total - 31,496
By pursuing this degree, I can intimately engage with my lifelong passion; and sharpen my skills as a writer, artist, archivist, and curator expressing a keen desire to share and preserve Black cultural memory.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Forever grateful for the support!
Organizer
Vita Kurland
Organizer
New York, NY