BAC Unlocked: An Open House for Creative Minds
Bedford Dance Ensemble perform as part of JKing Dance Company (JKDC) mini tech workshop. Choreographed by JKDC, 2024 BAC Grantee. Photo: Eric Bandiero.
This program is presented as a part of Art in Dumbo Open Studios event.
April 26 | 1-6pm | BAC Office, 20 Jay Street #616, BK
Join us for BAC Unlocked, an open house designed to connect artists, teaching artists, and creative professionals with valuable resources, funding insights, and opportunities for collaboration. Whether you’re looking for art materials, grants advice, or networking with fellow creatives, this event has something for you!
Explore a variety of resources and opportunities:
Shop Our Art Supply Closet – Take home free art materials for your creative and teaching practices.
Creative Learning Info – Learn about BAC’s Teaching Artist programs and how to apply.
Grants Info – Get the inside scoop on applying for BAC artist grants and becoming a grant panelist. Also learn about the Department of Cultural Affairs’ (DCLA) Cultural Development Fund from DCLA's New Assistant Commissioner, Audrey St. Clair.
CHAG Recruitment – Discover how to get involved with the Community Arts Grants group.
Content Screenings (1-4pm) – Curated Vimeo screenings of BOSS, STYLE, and Brooklyn Innovation Studios.
Snacks & Chill – Enjoy complimentary snacks and connect with fellow artists.
Engage in hands-on workshops and professional development:
Create Mosaics (2-2:45pm) – Experience a sample BAC Creative Learning class led by BAC Teaching Artist, Ariana Swei.
Funding Strategy Workshop (4-5pm) – Learn how to develop a strong funding strategy as an artist.
One-on-One Coaching with Executive Director Rasu Jilani – Limited slots available for personalized career coaching. Stay tuned for sign-up details!
We’d love for you to join us for this opportunity to connect, learn, and grow alongside fellow creatives in a supportive environment. We can’t wait to see you there!
BAC Grantee & Partner Events
ANN ROSEN: Being Seen - A panel discussion about the intersection of art and social justice
Ann Rosen is a 2024 BAC Grantee.
April 9 | 6:30pm | 558 St. Johns Place, BK
Being Seen is an examination of the benefits of the creative arts in the lives of women dealing with major life challenges. You’ll discuss evidence that the practice of photography and other creative arts in a group setting can:
Alleviate anxiety, depression and stress and increase consistency and resiliency in the lives of participants.
Help participants develop and realize goals.
Increase access to technology and the skills needed to use it.
Help develop valuable life skills, such as cooperation and collaboration.
Panelists include:
Ann Rosen, Photographer/Educator/Co-director of Being Seen Project
Tarajee Saleem-Little, Program Supervisor, HousingPlus
Candace Bowen, MFA, MPS, LCAT, ATR-BC
Claire M. Harding-Keefe, LMSW, Executive Vice-President, Homeless and Family, Services, CAMBA, Inc.
Joshua Brancheau, ATR-BC, LCAT, Clinical Director, The Art Therapy Project
The Neurodivergent New Play Series: Is This Beauty
The Neurodivergent New Play Series is a 2024 BAC Grantee.
April 20 | 2pm | 138 South Oxford Street, BK
A monthly play reading series promoting the work of neurodivergent writers and directors since 2023. Is This Beauty tells the story of 18-year-olds Emma and Anthony who fall in love while simultaneously onstage. 15 years in the future, their older selves (Charlie and Tony) attempt to figure out what to do about a crumbling marriage. Is what they have beautiful? And are they trying to save something that’s already gone?
THE LAMPBLACK READING SERIES
The Lampblack Literary Foundation is a 2024 BAC Grantee.
April 20 | 4pm | MoCADA, 10 Lafayette Ave, BK
Join us for the second season of the Lampblack Reading Series. This event will take place at MoCADA located at 10 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217. The evening features Terrance Hayes, Nabila Lovelace, Nadia Alexis, and Oluwaseun Olayiwola.
This event is free and open to the public.
Doors open at 4PM. Readings will begin at 4:30PM.
Events, Workshops, & Professional Development
Prophets over Profits: Fundraiser for Immigrant Rights
April 5 | Crossroads Cafe, 119 Knickerbocker Ave, BK
Fundraiser for Touching Land, an organization which supports Immigrant Rights, strengthens vulnerable communities & teaches neighbors how to stay vigilant as allies.
Enjoy a kid friendly, booze-free café pop up with a delicious menu of food, drinks, and tunes served up by DJ @sabineblaizin (Oyasound) & @morgarruya (Uncle Morgan).
Invite your moms, neighbor, crush, situationship, peer, queers, local or foreign aquinances. Small community gatherings is how we recharge, reconnect & organize future movements. Dance music is a movement.
"Arts for Living”: Can Artists Survive in New York City?
April 9 | 265 Henry St, NY
The Lillian Wald Symposium—named for Henry Street’s founder—is a free gathering that fosters discussions of the most pressing issues of our time. This year, our panelists will discuss whether New York City can remain a magnet and incubator for creativity across the visual and performing arts at a time when affordable living/working space and access to resources continue to shrink in the city. Panelists will look back at the history of the Lower East Side, and NYC more generally, as a haven for artists, address how and why this city has nurtured artist communities for so long, and discuss what is needed to sustain a culture of creativity today.
Brooklyn’s 2025 State of the Borough
April 10 | 1700 Fulton St, BK
Join Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso for his annual State of the Borough address on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at Boys and Girls High School in Bed-Stuy.
Doors open at 6 PM and the program begins at 7 PM.
Come by to hear Borough President Reynoso recap the past year and look ahead to his priorities and vision for Brooklyn.
Rooted Expressions: Community Art Fundraiser for Panzi Foundation
April 13 | 176 St Nicholas Ave, BK
An evening of art, music, and collective care at Mayday Space—all in support of the Panzi Hospital & Foundation and their vital work providing holistic care for survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Experience a gallery of original artwork, live painting, performances, a DJ set, an art & healing market, a wellness table, and more.
Join in supporting a powerful cause and celebrating creativity and solidarity.
Face2Face Arts Education Conference
April 16 & 17 | 160 Convent Ave, NY
Through a wide variety of panels, workshops, reports, and other presentations, the Face to Face conference gives arts in education practitioners the opportunity to think deeply and learn more about arts in education.
BAC teaching artists and staff will be presenting at the following workshops:
4/16 Abby Walsh: A Return to the Self: Writing a Teaching Manifesto (11:30 am - 1:00 pm)
4/16 Thalia R. Goldstein, Cam Moore, Allie Marotta, Fernando Moya Delgado: Your Brain on Arts Education: How to Use Cognitive Science in the Classroom (2:30 pm – 4:00 pm)
4/17 Chelsea Goding-Doty, Alex Herzan, Stacey Cooper McMath, Didintle Ntsie: Insider Tips: Crafting Successful Grant Applications (11:45 am – 1:15 pm)
Creatives Thrive NYC: How to heal your relationship with money
April 17 | Virtual
Money is emotional and having a budget is great, but doesn’t account for the storms that come, our ever changing needs, and our personal values. Uncover your current relationship with money and discover how your money personality helps you survive and thrive. Create a spending plan that gives you the freedom to spend money on things you love while also taking care of your needs. Create a savings plan that covers why to save, how much to save, and how to save automatically.
Greenwood Cemetery: Grieving and Weaving
April 17 | 25th St, BK
Stitching together creativity and community, this knitting and crocheting group is unique for one reason: it meets in a cemetery. Whether you’re an expert with yarn or just starting out, you are welcome to join as the group share stories, skills, and grief resources in the comfort of Green-Wood’s Modern Chapel.
Creative Climate Awards 2025 Earth Day Celebration - Inspiring Futures
April 22 | Dumbo Archway Plaza
Join the Human Impacts Institute to celebrate Earth Day with art, music, and climate action as part of Creative Climate Awards 2025 (CCA 2025)!
Join us for an evening of live performances, climate projections, guest speakers, and delicious sustainable fare—all in support of climate storytelling and action.
3RD ANNUAL URBALIST EARTH DAY
April 26 | 50 Goodwin Pl, BK
3rd Annual Urbalist Earth Day - a celebration of our sacred planet grounded in African, Asian Diasporic and Indigenous traditions, histories, practices, and wisdoms. Urbalist Earth Day is not only a day for joy, rest, learning, and wellness but also a call to climate action that aims to inspire deep and sustained reverence, devotion, and commitment to caring for our precious earth.
🪴Saturday, April 26th, 12-4pm
🪴Good Life Garden, BK,
🪴Free & open to all ages
BRIClab: Contemporary Art Open Studios
April 26 & 27 | 20 Jay Street, Suite M04, BK
As a part of Dumbo Open Studios, the will open their doors to the public and share their recent work. This event is free.
Participating artists include:
Amari-Grey
asmara
David Onabanjo
Ibtisam Tasnim Zaman
Johan Orellana
Stephanie Santana
Brooklyn Poetry Slam
April 29 | 647 Fulton St, BK
Brooklyn Poetry Slam - an exhilarating evening of poetry and community led by co-founders Mahogany L. Browne and Jive Poetic! Mark your calendars now, and join special guests and poets from all over the city and beyond. This month’s featured poet will be ShakinDaWorld.
Art on the Block Spring Programming
April & May | 107 West 86th Street, NY
Developed and led by Art on the Block’s current resident artist Jaimee Todd, workshops this spring include paper mobile crafting, bubble wrap printmaking, sustainable collage, and more.
Opportunities
Creative Capital Foundation: 2026 Open Call
Deadline: April 3
The 2026 Open Call seeks proposals for new artistic works in the Visual Arts, Performing Arts, Film, and Literature. The Creative Capital Award provides unrestricted project grants of up to $50,000 to individual artists to create new work. The new State of the Art Prize provides unrestricted artist grants of $10,000.
Jerome Foundation: NEW YORK CITY FILM PRODUCTION GRANT
Deadline: April 3
This grant supports eligible New York City-based early career film directors whose work takes creative risks in expanding, questioning, experimenting with, or re-imagining filmmaking with production grants of up to $30,000. The Foundation seeks to fund filmmakers who take creative risks, seek innovative approaches, have a clarity of purpose and vision for imaginative storytelling, are engaged directly with those involved in their filmmaking, and work to build relationships with and impact their creative community and the field.
New York Theater Workshop: 2050 Administrative Fellowship
Deadline: April 4
The 2050 Fellowship is named in celebration of the U.S. Census Bureau’s projection that by the year 2050, there will be no single racial or ethnic majority in the United States. This projection provokes thoughts at New York Theatre Workshop about the transformations that will take place in the American landscape—technologically, environmentally, demographically, economically and artistically—now and in the future. They are a catalyst for broader questions about the direction of our field. But we’re not waiting for the year 2050 to make the change we wish to see. Instead, we’re working to reflect our evolving and beautifully diversifying society now—to ensure there’s space for those who will lead us into the future to build the skills they need now.
WFF Housing Stability Grant for Artists
Deadline: April 8
The Woodman Family Foundation Housing Stability Grant for Artists (WFF HSG) provides grants of $30,000, distributed over three years, to NYC-based visual artists in need who are seeking support for stable housing. In its inaugural cycle, the WFF HSG will award grants to five artists.
The WFF Housing Stability Grant for Artists is offered in recognition of the increasing unaffordability of rental housing in New York City, and the housing insecurity it creates for artists. The WFF HSG hopes that recipients will be able to remain in, or find, reliable and stable housing for at least three years, thereby allowing them to focus on their creative practice and build more sustainable careers. Recipients may use the funds for new housing which reduces their rent obligation, guarantees a stable rental obligation such as a lengthy lease in their existing or new housing, and/or provides greater access to live/work space.
Velvet Park Visual Arts Residency
Deadline: April 13
Velvetpark’s 2025 Artist Residency will be awarded to two artists: one for a 6 week term (July - August) and another for a 4 month term (September - December). Throughout the residency, you will have a dedicated live/work studio space to explore, develop, and refine your project. The studio is housed in Crown Studios in Brooklyn, New York, a floor of professional artists and those working in the creative profession.
Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants
Deadline: April 15
The Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants (AWAW EAG) provides grants of up to $20,000 to environmental art projects led by women-identifying artists in the United States and U.S. Territories.
The AWAW EAG supports environmental art projects that inspire thought, action, and ethical engagement. Projects should not only point at problems, but aim to engage an environmental issue at some scale. Proposals should illustrate thorough consideration of a project’s ecological and social ethics. Projects that explore interdependence, relationships, and systems through Indigenous and ancestral practices are encouraged to apply.
440 Gallery: Open Call for ARtists
Deadline: April 16
440 Gallery announces an open Call for Artists for our 2025 Annual Theme Show. The topic for the national juried exhibition is Sacred Space.
Artwork selected for this exhibition will be on display at our Brooklyn gallery space July 10 – August 2, 2025. Artists at all levels of experience and career stages are invited to submit work in all mediums.
Entries should reflect the artist’s interpretation of the following theme: Sacred Space – not necessarily meaning a house of worship, or maybe for you, it is. It is wherever you find peace. What brings you comfort? Is it mountains or the seashore? Maybe your sacred space is in your art studio or your bedroom? In your art practice or your dreams? Perhaps it is within. It is wherever you go to seek refuge, meditate, create….Does your sacred space have color, rhythm, and texture which can all be explored in your artwork? If so, apply to 440 Gallery’s Annual Theme Show.
Submission Fees start at $25.
New York Community Trust: Edward and Sally Van Lier Fellowship Program
Deadline: May 22
The New York Community Trust invites applications for grants to support talented young professional artists (aged 18 to 30) from historically underrepresented populations in the performing, visual, media, and literary arts. Grants awarded through our Edward and Sally Van Lier Fellowship Program will help arts groups provide young professional artists living and working in New York City with paid opportunities to create and present new work, as well as training, mentorship, and other support. Fellowships are intended to help young artists achieve a significant professional credit that will advance their careers.
Foundation for Contemporary Arts: Emergency Grants
Deadline: Rolling
Created in 1993 to further FCA's mission to encourage, sponsor, and promote work of a contemporary, experimental nature, Emergency Grants provide urgent funding for visual and performing artists and poets who:
Have sudden, unanticipated opportunities to present their work to the public when there is insufficient time to seek other sources of funding
Incur unexpected or unbudgeted expenses for projects close to completion with committed exhibition or performance dates
Emergency Grants is a year-round, multi-disciplinary program that offers immediate, project-based assistance to artists living and working anywhere in the United States, for projects occurring in the U.S. and abroad.
Each month FCA receives an average of 100 Emergency Grant applications and makes approximately 15-20 grants in the range of $500 to $3,000 each. Applicants may request any amount in that range and, if granted, may receive full or partial funding. The average grant is currently $1,900.
The Creative Center: Hospital Artist-in-Residence Program
Hospital Artist-In-Residence Carmen Rios at BronxCare Health System, Family Medicine, and her art cart.
Deadline: Rolling
The Creative Center's Hospital Artist-In-Residence (AIR) Program serves patients, families, caregivers, and healthcare staff in the New York City Area and beyond. The 10 current Hospital AIRs serve over 3,000 patients each year at multiple hospital sites and develop supportive relationships with countless staff and caregivers. AIRs are professional artists trained by The Creative Center to work in a multitude of healthcare settings.
JFNY Grant for Arts & Culture
Deadline: Rolling
This program provides support to non-profit organizations in the U.S. that organize projects that will further the understanding of Japanese arts and culture within the 37 states east of the Rocky Mountains, plus Washington D.C.
Successful projects generally take the form of performances, exhibitions, film screenings, and workshops. This grant also supports online projects related to Arts & Cultural Exchange that incorporate issues pertaining to the COVID-19 global pandemic such as virtual exhibitions, virtual performances, film streaming, online conference as well as webinar. Priority will be given to those projects that have secured additional funding from sources other than the Japan Foundation, as well as projects that take place in areas where access to Japanese cultural events are relatively limited.
Resources
Entertainment Community Fund Career Counseling
Career development is a lifelong process of navigating change, understanding oneself and making decisions that lead to greater fulfillment. Our career counselors can support you in gaining the knowledge, attitude and skills to navigate your career decisions today and in the future.
Through individual counseling, groups and workshops our career counselors will:
Support you in addressing common challenges ranging from the competitive nature of work to creating better work-life balance while meeting your financial needs.
Help you address the barriers to career decision-making, such as limiting beliefs, time and energy management, and adapting to change.
Collaborate with you to develop short- and long-term action plans that increase resiliency in the face of career uncertainty.
Indiespace: Resource Guide for Theater Artists
Stress, crisis, and insecurity can affect not only our wellbeing, but our ability to fulfill our potential as artists and engage in the vital creative work that allows our community to thrive. As part of our mission to support independent theater artists, IndieSpace created a resource guide to help our community find assistance with difficulties they may face outside their work.
What We're Reading
“Musical composition honoring pandemic loss to be played every hour at Brooklyn Botanic Garden”
by Lauren Rapp | Brooklyn Paper
“Brooklyn’s First Print Fair Puts Community Over Commercialism”
by Rhea Nayyar | Hyperallergic
“Eid al-Fitr Comes to Life at Brooklyn Children’s Museum”
by BK Reader Staff | BK Reader
“Artists Look to Sufism for Echoes of the Divine”
by Sadaf Padder | Hyperallergic
Cover Image: Afro Dominicano at Brooklyn FAM: Festival of Arts and Music, 2024 BAC Grantee. Photo: Gregory Horan.
Empowering Artists. Empowering Communities.
The arts are a lifeline to sustain wonder, inspiration, healing, and a sense of community in our lives. Please join Brooklyn Arts Council in our mission to empower Brooklyn artists and arts organizations that bring life and joy into our home borough.