Seeing the City - Call For Researchers

The National Building Museum in Washington DC is looking to feature innovative academic research in its forthcoming exhibition, Seeing the City. The exhibition, which will mark the US Semiquincentennial, is meant to be a layperson's introduction to the things that shape cities in the US, and to the ways in which cities in turn shape us. The exhibition will uncover the hidden forces that build and sustain cities, from zoning laws to public policies, from social movements to economic trends, from music to industrial innovations, and shows how these influence every aspect of our lives.

Apply for the chance to have your research showcased in a major exhibition!

What We’re Looking For

The exhibition has four major themes:

  1. Influences: What shapes cities in the US?
  2. Impacts: What do cities “do” to us? How do they impact health, wealth, and happiness?  
  3. Evolutions: How have cities changed over time?
  4. Futures: What might be the future of cities in the US?

We’re specifically looking for research into Theme 3: Evolutions. We’re particularly interested in the following: 

  • Research that is about a particular city, or a particular evolution of a place within that city.
  • The city can be anywhere in the 50 states and Puerto Rico. We encourage proposals for medium-sized and “second” cities. We discourage proposals located in the five largest cities, as one of the objectives of the exhibition is to feature lesser known cities and stories. 
  • Research about radical change, the factors that instigated that change (planning, policy, technology, social movements, visions, ideology, bias) and the ripple effects of the change that we still see today.
  • Stories that recognize the human role and individual agency, including the invariable drama and conflicts, that has impacted our built environment.
  • We encourage proposals based on existing research and subject matter expertise, rather than the development of new work. The time period for the stories ranges from early civilizations to present day.

 

How Your Work Will Be Included in the Exhibition 

If your submission is selected, you will be asked to collaborate with the exhibition team to fully develop the content idea and advise on the visual content that will be included in the exhibition. The idea is to work with you to identify ways to present your research in a way that is clear, compelling, and attractive for our lay audience, and to look for ways to connect it to other exhibition themes. 

 

Proposal Instructions

Please fill out the application form, which you can access here or here:

RFP Submission Form for Seeing the City Researchers 

The application asks you to answer a few questions and to submit a PDF that includes the following:

  • Provide an overview of the research, including where and when it happened, and who it was conducted with.
  • Clearly lay out how this research connects to the exhibition themes
  • Articulate a few stories of individual groups or communities that help illustrate larger themes
  • Propose 5+ pieces of visual content (maps, photos, ephemera, objects) to support the telling and exhibition of this story 
  • Include a Bibliography and explanation of original research by the researcher
  • Be brief: proposal length max. is 1,000 words, excluding citations and bibliography
  • Include a short bio (max. 100 words) 

 

Timeline

  • Application deadline is May 16, 2025
  • Notification of selection will take place by June 1, 2025
  • The project length is from approximately June 15 - December 31, 2025 
  • Most work will be done independently, but there will be 2-4 meetings with the project team during this timeframe. The estimated total work time is 30-40 hours.

 

Compensation for accepted submissions 

  • $3,000 honorarium 
  • Credited recognition in the exhibition
  • Inclusion in the exhibition publication 
  • Invitation to share research at an NBM public program