Call for entries for Du Bois Visualization Exhibit

The W.E.B. Du Bois Visualization Exhibit is a data visualization showcase in November 2021 that celebrates the visualization work of W.E.B. Du Bois and elevates data visualizations centered around racial justice and equity research. 

The exhibit is part of GIS Week at NC State, an event series on November 15-19 hosted by the Geospatial Graduate Student Organization (GGSO) with support from the Center for Geospatial Analytics and the NC State University Libraries, where the exhibit will be displayed.

There is an open call to NC State students, faculty, and staff with an interest in data visualization and racial justice to submit proposals for the Du Bois Exhibit. Projects are reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis, so earlier applications will receive priority assistance and consideration for material aid. The final deadline to submit an application is September 30, 2021. There is a small pool of funding available to assist with material costs for physical submissions. 

Visualization submissions may be digital or physical, and there are no limits to what materials you may use (e.g., print, paint, textile, 3D model). Links to submissions resources are on the submission portal. Submissions will follow two tracks: Modern Extensions and Racial Equity and Justice.

Modern Extensions track
This track is for proposals that are directly inspired by a specific visualization created by W.E.B. Du Bois. Proposals in this category should retain at least some key elements of the source visualization while also extending or reinterpreting the work through additional data or different data processing methods.

Racial Equity and Justice track
This track is for visualizations connected to original scholarship related to racial equity and justice. In addition to the visualization, applicants should also provide a short, one-paragraph description of their research.

The GGSO is excited to offer ten $300 awards as part of the W.E.B. Du Bois Visualization Exhibit. Award assignments will be informed by a combination of community voting and graded review, with final award adjudication conducted externally by CNR DEIJ to ensure the integrity of the review process.

Proposals are not required to be in a finished state, but they must be on track to be completed by no later than the end of October 2021. In addition to funding, accepted projects will receive iterative design feedback and planning support from the GGSO data visualization team.