Theme: Slow Care
Deadline for Submission: November 16, 2025
Event Date: Spring 2026
About
Master’s and Doctoral students in any discipline at UW-Milwaukee are invited to propose an event or program to the Center for 21st Century Studies for the Spring 2026 semester. Selected submissions will be developed in collaboration with C21 staff and will be provided with a working budget of $1,000. This event programming offers a hands-on opportunity that will make a strong addition to any graduate CV. Applications may be submitted by individual students or groups. C21 reserves the right to have final approval of all projects.
C21 is seeking proposals that take up the theme of Slow Care. The theme invites graduates to investigate critical questions surrounding slowness, attention, and practices of care for the self, community health, and mutual aid. Proposals might consider how thoughtful and deliberate care can support resilience, foster collective well-being, or address the social and health needs of Milwaukee communities.
Proposals MUST:
- Be rooted in, or linked to, humanities practices
- Include a component that is accessible to the public
- Be achievable by May 17, 2026 with a $1k budget
- Must comply with UWM rules, regulations, and spending restrictions
Possible events might include (but are not limited to):
- Public workshops
- Symposium
- Visual art exhibitions
- Original live performances
- Film screenings
- Experimental museum education programming
- Other public humanities programming
In addition to funding, C21 staff can provide in-kind support in coordinating logistics, making connections, and communicating about the project or any public events, and limited graphic design support. The event(s) will be included in C21’s event calendar and promoted as a C21-supported program. C21 can also provide a dedicated working space for programming endeavors, which may include private office space and/or access to one of three reservable meeting spaces.
Please note that funds are provided by UWM. Expenditures must therefore adhere to any regulations, guidelines, or restrictions mandated by UWM and the College of Letters & Science.
**C21’s theme for 2025-2026 is Slow Care. Across health, climate, labor, technology and more, we ask how pacing affects the institutions, policies, cultural infrastructures, and social and political processes that support or disassemble an ethic of care. We welcome multiple interpretations of this open topic, including explorations of time, pace, and speed as they relate to pressing issues of our time and/or work inside and outside the university. Methodological, pedagogical, and research topical interests are all welcome in relation to this theme.
How to Apply
Please expand the boxes below to review submission requirements. We encourage applicants to draft their answers to the application questions in a separate document and then paste their answers into the application form.
Principal Graduate Student’s full name, UWM email address, Grad degree type (MA, MS, PhD, etc), and department, plus the Event/Programming title/name.
Applications, which should not exceed 1250 words, should answer the following questions:
- What question or challenge is the event addressing?
- How does this align with C21’s 2025-2026 theme of Slow Care**?
- Describe the event/program you wish to pursue. What is your estimated timeline for tasks?
- What does a successful event look like to you and/or your team?
- Why is this particular project important to you and your discipline?
- What are the estimated costs? (Use this space to explain the purposes of any expenses listed in your attached budget.)
- What administrative and/or programmatic support might you need from C21 staff?
** Slow Care: Across health, climate, labor, technology and more, we ask how pacing affects the institutions, policies, cultural infrastructures, and social and political processes that support or disassemble an ethic of care. We welcome multiple interpretations of this open topic, including explorations of time, pace, and speed as they relate to pressing issues of our time and/or work inside and outside the university. Methodological, pedagogical, and research topical interests are all welcome in relation to this theme.
- Required attachments:
- Project budget (XLS, DOC, or PDF; 1 MB max)
- CV/Resume for each graduate student involved with planning
- Optional links:
- Relevant work samples (no more than three work samples total, between links and attachments)
- Professional or project website
Questions?
C21 strongly encourages questions and inquiries in advance of submissions.
Please contact C21 Graduate Fellows Chloe Kwiatkowski kwiatk52@uwm.edu & Ceceilia Loeschmann loeschm2@uwm.edu with questions. (Add both Chloe and Ceceilia to the same email.)