The ZERO1 Fellowship

If a Fellowship conjures Tolkien visions for you, it’s not just the name; there are other similarities. The ZERO1 Fellowship, the cornerstone of the ZERO1 Garage, will leverage the strengths, experience, and perspectives of the fellows to achieve a specific goal; in this case, to spark collaborative research and experimentation; to co-contaminate thinking in order to reveal new innovations, frame new strategies, and/or identify new products, opportunities, and markets.

What Does this Mean?

In a nut shell, once an innovation challenge has been identified (these range from tackling global issues such as climate change to developing the next “it” app), ZERO1 will commission an artist, scientist, designer, architect, engineer, technologist, researcher, educator, policy maker or other expert to explore atypical collaborations, next-best opportunities, and scarce ideas that push the boundaries of creativity.

The Fellowship Program will be inaugurated in 2012 with five awards to support creative projects and research responding to specific innovation challenges.  Fellowships will range from artistic experimentation to policy research impacting creativity and innovation.

The First of Five: Google ZERO1 Fellowship

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve identified our first Fellowship.  In partnership with Google, we will issue an RFQ around policy research in early 2012.  The goal of this Fellowship is to provoke analysis and debate that shapes our thinking about intellectual property, access, privacy, security, open platforms, participatory culture, education, productivity, and more.  The Fellowship provides access to the Google the campus, people and events and will provide the Fellow with space at the ZERO1 Garage to conduct research and related activities as well as participate in ZERO1 programs, events, and exhibitions.  And the outcomes of the research will be shared with the public in some capacity.

What Does This Have to Do With Art?

Envisioned as a platform for creative risk-takers from the arts and culture, business, science, and academic sectors to interact, engage, and spur innovative change, the Garage exists because we believe that new art forms inspire the possibilities that shape contemporary culture, sustain what matters most, and open and motivate society to better itself.

More news next month as we launch this exciting endeavor.

-Joel Slayton, Executive Director