Black music across the Americas: creative fellowship opportunity at the British Library

Black music across the Americas: creative fellowship opportunity at the British Library

British Library Closing date: Tue, 02 Jun 2026

Artform: Music
Role: Creative
Contract: Temporary
UK-wide

Fri, 01 May 2026 "> published -

Job Summary

The Eccles Institute for the Americas and Oceania is inviting applications to a new creative fellowship around the British Library’s collections of Black music across the Americas.

Job Description

The British Library is one of the great centres for researching Black music in the UK. Following the Library's groundbreaking 2024 exhibition 'Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music', the Eccles Institute is offering the opportunity for a creative practitioner to dive into the Library's collections of Black music from the Americas, and create new work in any art form based on what they discover.

The Eccles Institute will appoint one artist or collective, working in any medium, whose practice is inspired by Black musical artists, forms, and genres from across the Americas (defined here as Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America) and who can create an original and compelling work through in-depth research in the Library's recorded music collections. It could be new music or sound art, visual art, dance, theatre, creative writing, or a cross-disciplinary practice. Although the successful applicant will be supported by curators and subject specialists at the British Library, the fellowship will most suit an artist or collective who can work independently and for whom sustained research is already central to their practice.

The deadline for applications is the 2nd of June 2025 at 10:00.

Job Requirements

We welcome applications from creative practitioners who meet the following criteria:
- Over 18 years old
- Based in the UK (we welcome applications from those based in or outside London in the UK, but please note that there is no separate budget for accommodation or travel)
- Evidence of sustained artistic work over several years (including track record of presenting or exhibiting work in public)
- Demonstrable interest in using collections research to inform their artistic practice
- Ability to work independently
- Genuine interest in sharing their creative process with library staff and the general public.

Job Responsibilities

The appointed fellow will be expected to:
- Spend a time equivalent to 30 days carrying out collections research, joining meetings with British Library staff and colleagues, delivering talks or other forms of public engagement, and developing a new body of work
- Present their research and work in progress to British Library staff and the general public
- Keep a log of their research, visually document the various stages of their project and produce a minimum of 3 blog posts (or other forms of sharing their process online).

Useful Links

Job Overview

  • Job Title: Black music across the Americas: creative fellowship opportunity at the British Library
  • Salary: Under £10K
  • Hours: Part time
  • Artform: Music
  • Role: Creative
  • Contract: Temporary
  • Closing date: Tue, 02 Jun 2026
  • Location: UK-wide

How to Apply

Applicants are required to complete this application form: https://fs12.formsite.com/obk2AX/0fdzhliqtr/index.
The deadline for applications is the 2nd of June 2025 at 10:00.

Shortlisting will take place within a few weeks after the application closing date. Once a shortlist has been selected, unsuccessful candidates will be informed by email, and shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview on the 26th of June 2025. Please note that we are unable to provide any feedback on unsuccessful applications (we will only be able to provide feedback to shortlisted applicants that are interviewed).

Interviews will include a short presentation and a series of interview questions. Please note that we cannot cover travel costs for the interviews.