Indigo Arts Alliance

Supporting professional and emerging artists of African descent

C. Daniel Dawson
Curatorial + Research Fellowship

C. Daniel Dawson is a luminary in the art world—an esteemed photographer, filmmaker, curator, educator, and arts administrator. His work has significantly influenced the discourse surrounding African American and African Diaspora art. His archives, comprising over 10,000 slides, portfolios, and negatives, provide invaluable resources for fellows to delve into his impactful body of work.

With a career spanning over six decades, C. Daniel Dawson’s extensive documentation of the African Diaspora and the art world is a testament to his commitment to focusing his considerable talents and expertise on raising awareness about underrepresented narratives.

Inauguration of the Fellowship
In 2025, Indigo Arts Alliance is launching the C. Daniel Dawson Curatorial + Research Fellowship, a prestigious annual program dedicated to celebrating the remarkable legacy of C. Daniel Dawson. This six-month fellowship empowers Black and Brown artists, curators, and scholars by supporting innovative research and curatorial projects focused on African American art, African Diaspora studies, photography, and art history.

Expanding Opportunities for Underrepresented Artists
As Indigo Arts Alliance’s inaugural New York City-based program, the C. Daniel Dawson Curatorial + Research Fellowship expands upon our existing residency programs, including the Mentorship Residency and The David C. Driskell Fellowship. All these initiatives address systemic barriers in the arts, particularly the underrepresentation of Black and Brown artists in galleries and museums, and seek to create pathways for greater inclusivity and visibility. The C. Daniel Dawson Fellow will be announced in the Spring of 2025.

This inaugural year of the C. Daniel Dawson Curatorial + Research Fellowship, candidates were referred by our New York-based network.

We invite you to join our Artist Research Network to stay informed about upcoming opportunities and fellowship updates. Click here to join the IAA Artist Research Network.

Challenging Traditional Archiving Practices
This fellowship offers a unique opportunity for a photo archivist to focus on the technical and logistical preservation of Dawson’s extensive photographic collection while critically engaging with the colonial narratives that have historically marginalized Black and Brown histories. The fellowship aims to foster innovative, community-centered approaches to archiving that challenge traditional preservation methods. 

Dawson’s archive of photographs, which includes over 10,000 slides, portfolios, and negatives, documents the cultural landscapes and artistic movements of the African Diaspora. Featuring significant figures from Newark, New York, Brazil, Cuba, Argentina, and beyond, Dawson’s collection reflects his evolving focus from personal portraits in the 1960s to thematic explorations of the African Diaspora from the 1970s onward. 

Fellowship Benefits
The fellow will receive a $20,000 stipend and access to Dawson’s rich archives, ensuring they have the resources to explore and amplify Black and Brown artistic expressions. The fellow will collaborate to develop strategies that enhance the accessibility of these archives, bridging traditional preservation techniques with innovative, digital-forward approaches. This initiative positions the fellowship as a vital connection between historical preservation and future-oriented curation.

Fellowship Network
The scholarly direction and development of this fellowship has been shaped by a distinguished network of 11 New York City based scholars, educators, and artists, who each bring profound expertise and insight. This coalition of luminaires will serve as additional points of resource and support for the fellow.

Brooke Davis Anderson – Director, VIA Art Fund, New York

Brent Hayes Edwards, PhD – Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University; Director, Schomburg Scholars-in-Residence Program

Adama Delphine Fawundu – Director of Visual Arts Graduate Studies, Columbia University, Indigo Arts Alliance Board of Directors; Artist in Residence Committee Chair

Henry John Drewal, PhD  – Evjue-Bascom Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Indigo Arts Alliance Circle of Advisors

Barbaro Martinez-Ruiz, PhD – Professor of Art History and Roy Sieber Chair of African Art History, Indiana University

Fred Moten, PhD – Professor and Associate Chair of Performance Studies; Professor of Comparative Literature, NYU Tisch School of the Arts

Robert G. O’Meally, PhD  – Zora Neale Hurston Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University; Founder, Center for Jazz Studies

Marta Moreno Vega, PhD – Founder and Director, Corredor Afro, Ponce, Puerto Rico

Deborah Willis, PhD – University Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography and Imaging, New York University

Michele Washington – Columbia University Community Scholar, Indigo Arts Alliance Circle of Advisors

Acknowledgment
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to The Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Foundation, for their generous support of this program. Their commitment to fostering artistic excellence and cultural enrichment plays a vital role in the success of our initiatives at Indigo Arts Alliance.

Eddie and Sylvia Brown, Credit: Baltimore Community Foundation.

Learn more about C. Daniel Dawson’s work:

Headshot of C. Daniel Dawson: Photographed by Ronald Herard.

Photo Identification in order of appearance: all photos courtesy of the artist.
1. John Houston, 1963. 2. Dawn Finley, 1966. 3. Butch, 1966. 4. Backscape #2, 1970. 5. Judith & Michelle, 1970. 6. #4 – SMH Chair, 1981. 7. Drum, 1965. 8. #1 – Pennsylvania, 1982. 9. Jessica Care Moore, 2014 10. Cabocla, Boi da Liberdade, 2005 11. Caboclo da Fita, 2005