Job Description

Please send all applications to alexis@freedomtogrow.com. LinkedIn Applications will not be accepted. This is an on-site opportunity in New Orleans.

Freedom to Grow is excited to announce an open call for a five-month Archivist fellowship, welcoming applicants who are able to work in person in New Orleans at least two days a week. Applications from individuals who have been directly impacted by the criminal justice system are particularly encouraged.

This residency offers a unique opportunity to preserve, document, and uplift the histories of movement leaders who began their organizing journeys while incarcerated . The archivist will conduct research, collect oral histories, and work closely with the Freedom to Grow team to build the foundation for the John Thompson Legacy Center’s permanent archival collection . Their work will also be shared with an Artist in Residence to create a piece for the collection of the John Thompson Legacy Center in New Orleans. 

About Freedom to Grow

Freedom to Grow is an abolitionist-driven initiative that merges art, land-based healing justice, community power, and archival practices. Over the next three years, we are developing the John Thompson Legacy Center for Abolition and Beyond in New Orleans— a space that uplifts the stories and contributions of those who began organizing while incarcerated. The Legacy Center will serve as a site for radical history, cultural preservation, and community engagement. The work of the archivist will enter into the permanent collection of the John Thompson Legacy Center’s Resurrection Archive. 

Residency Details

• Who Can Apply: Archivists and journalists, with special encouragement for those directly impacted by the criminal justice system. Applicants should be able to work in person in New Orleans at least two days a week.
• Residency Duration: Five months, starting in late April. Public Exhibition will be held in September. 
• Support Provided: Stipend, access to research materials, workspace, and opportunities for public engagement.
• Outcomes: The resident archivist will research and document the legacy of movement leaders who organized while incarcerated, present their findings in a written piece and a public installation at the end of the fellowship, and will share their research with the Freedom to Grow Artist in Residence. 
• Time Commitment: Deliverables are outcome-based, but time commitment is estimated at 20-25 hours a week
• Research Stipend: $16,000
• Materials: $4,000

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit in one PDF :

• A brief statement (500 words max) that answers these questions: 
• What does the word archive mean to you?
• How do you see the role of archives in disrupting systems of mass incarceration?
• Examples of previous written archive and research work.
• A CV or bio outlining relevant experience.

We strongly encourage applications from system-impacted individuals, particularly those whose work challenges dominant narratives and preserves histories of resistance. We are open to applications from candidates with non-traditional archive backgrounds, and at all stages of their careers. 

Deadline: April 1st

Send Application to: alexis@freedomtogrow.com

For questions or more information, contact alexis@freedomtogrow.com

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