A Message from Our Programs Team
In case you missed it, our 2022 Community Arts Grants and Creative Equations Fund recipients as well as SU-CASA awardees have been announced! A huge congratulations to all artists and organizations who received funding. A total of $1,322,000 will be allocated to 238 Brooklyn-based artists and cultural organizations. This year marks the highest number of grantees and awardees as well as the largest amount of funding BAC has ever distributed. Click the buttons below to read more and meet the 2022 grantees.
BAC Wellness Studio
BAC Neighborhood Clinics. Nate Martinez at Weeksville Heritage Center, 2021. Credit: Ryan George, Videographer. Doug Sharf, Video Editor.
Community Voices Open Call: What Does Healing Mean to You?
Community Voices Open Calls appear in each program of BAC Wellness Studio. With this feature, we invite Brooklynites to participate in building the Studio, and in so doing, activate the principles of social equity and holistic community that animate the space.
Send us your definition of healing for a chance to be featured in the Neighborhood Clinics Healing Installations platform. Select Community Voices will be shared on a rolling basis.
BAC Neighborhood Clinics. Chief Baba Neil Clarke at Weeksville Heritage Center, 2021. Credit: Ryan George, Videographer. Doug Sharf, Video Editor.
Neighborhood Clinic Healing Installations & Upcoming Events
This April, we are launching a series of programs related to healing and wellness across Brooklyn. This is a part of our BAC Wellness Studio, a new hybrid program launched in 2022 that provides space for the well-being of Brooklyn’s creative community.
These programs will include QR codes to gain digital access to therapeutic activities and soundscapes. We will also be hosting a series of installations as well as our Wellness Festival in partnership with arts and culture organizations across Brooklyn! Stay tuned for more information on the following:
Installation at Bed-Stuy Art House: April 21
Installation at NARS Foundation: May 25 - 26
Installation at Greg Jackson Center: June 4 - 11
Wellness Festival at MoCADA: June 25
Installation at MoCADA: June 27 - July 3
Wellness Festival at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza: July 29
2022 Spring Party
Monday, June 6 | 6 PM - 10 PM
BKLYN Studios, 445 Albee Square West
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Join us for Brooklyn Arts Council's re-imagined annual event: Spring Party 2022! Funds raised will provide crucial support to the independent artists and grassroots arts programs that fill our communities with joy and vibrancy.
Honoring:
Edward Mafoud
Co-Owner, Damascus Bakery
Okwui Okpokwasili
Choreographer, Performer, Writer
Learn More and purchase tickets here or by clicking the button below.
Our Grantees' Events
Upcoming in-person & virtual events hosted by our board members, grantees, fiscal sponsees, and partner organizations. Keep scrolling for a full, comprehensive list of what's top-of-mind this April.
DELIRIOUS Dances’ “3 RITES: Roots Parties” WITH Edisa Weeks
“Roots Party.” Five women pose in front of an African Print fabric with an intricate pattern of green, white and brown circles. In their hands they are holding pieces of white paper that have been scrunched and bound with white twine to resemble tree roots. Photo by Julie Lemberger.
Edisa Weeks is a Brooklyn Arts Fund grantee and fiscal sponesee. Stay connected via website, Facebook, and Instagram.
April 23 & May 21 from 3 PM - 5 PM EST
Virtual Event
Join multi-disciplinary artist Edisa Weeks and invited guests as we consider the question, "Are Prisons Necessary?"
This spring, Edisa will be joined by local activists, storytellers and organizations to discuss prison abolition. Join us for an afternoon of conversation and making roots out of paper and twine. The roots are for the performance installation, “3 RITES: Liberty,” and will dangle from the ceiling to the floor to create an environment that the audience separates and moves through, to eventually meet the Liberty character.
“RAGMALA” presented by Go: Organic Orchestra & Brooklyn Raga Massive
April 24
8 PM
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn
Go: Organic Orchestra & Brooklyn Raga Massive present “RAGMALA” (A Garland of Ragas), an orchestra of 30 people at Roulette, composed and spontaneously conducted by Adam Rudolph.
“Last Ward” presented by Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre
May 5 - 12
Gibney 280, The White Box
280 Broadway, (Studio C)
New York, NY 10007
“Last Ward” follows one man’s journey towards death in a hospital room. Surrounded by the sterile mechanisms of modern medicine, the patient reflects on his life, relationships and connection to place, as the ritual of doctor visits and family calls transform into an increasingly bizarre landscape of tragedy and humor. Written/directed by Amir Nizar Zuabi with choreography/music by Samar Haddad King, Last Ward blends dance and theater (in Arabic with English subtitles) in a highly-visual evening-length performance.
Events & Programs
Additional happenings hosted by outside organizations, collectives, and institutions.
“Story/Teller Arts: Putting It Together” with James Lapine and Anna Deavere Smith
April 12
7 PM
Virtual Event & at the Center for Fiction
The Center for Fiction welcomes American theatre-makers, James Lapine and Anna Deavere Smith, for a conversation on craft and collaboration. James Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods), three-time Tony award winning librettist, director, playwright, and screenwriter chronicles a two-year odyssey of creation in his book, Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created “Sunday in the Park with George.”
LONG PLAY 2022
April 29 - May 1
Various Times & Locations
Long Play is an explosion of mind-bending music of the moment. “There has never been a time when music contained so much innovation and diversity, so much audacity and so much courage. And we want to show you all of it. With the creation of Long Play we are presenting more kinds of musicians, playing more kinds of music, bending more kinds of minds. Long Play expands and enlarges our scope and our reach, and puts more new faces on stages than ever before. It’s a lot of music!”
- Michael Gordon, David Lang & Julia Wolfe
Americans for the arts 2022 ANNUAL CONVENTION
May 18 - 20
Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Emerge with the late spring bursts of color punctuated by monuments, history, and memory in Washington, D.C., for the 2022 Americans for the Arts Annual Convention. Converge against the background of what has happened and what possibilities exist on the horizon to gather strength from each other, share strategies, celebrate successes, mourn losses, and take inspiration back to all corners of the country. And carry forward together, leading a country in transformation through cultural change, which must come first, is often hardest, and is always necessary.
Recorded content from this in-person event will also be made available for a fee in a limited time digital on-demand format in June 2022.
Citywide Dance Party 2022 & Open Street/Plaza Partners
Event: August 6
This summer, NYC DOT will be partnering with the New York Public Library and dozens of other institutions across the city to host a citywide dance party !
On the same day, at dozens of locations across all five boroughs, simultaneous dance parties will bring thousands of New Yorkers out for an afternoon of unfettered mass joy. Parties will happen at libraries across the city as well as at Lincoln Center, Coney Island, Wave Hill, Battery Park, Snug Harbor, Hudson Square, and many more.
Fill out this form to provide programming!
DUMBO Open Studios 2022
April 23 - 24
12 PM - 6 PM
Next month, DUMBO Open Studios returns in person! on Saturday, April 23, and Sunday, April 24, a weekend of exciting art events will take place across the neighborhood. Mark your calendars now and stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!
Artist Opportunities
Reliable workshops and funding opportunities from outside collectives and institutions. Keep scrolling for a list of what’s top-of-mind this April.
Professional Development
Creative Capital WORKSHOP: Social Media for Social Practice Artists
May 4
7 PM - 8:30 PM EST
Virtual
This workshop delves into how change-making socially-engaged artists can increase their impact on social media by using organic content to convey their message, build awareness, connect with allies and partners, and track trends and coverage. Using examples from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and looking at posts from artists around the globe, Robin Cembalest will offer tactics for profiles, campaigns, content, hashtags, and more.
Funding & Open Calls
Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants
Up to $20,000
Applications Open: April 12 at 10 AM EST
Deadline: June 14 at 5 PM EST
The Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grant will support 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. This program provides up to $20,000 for projects led by women-identifying artists in the United States and U.S. Territories.
Make Music New York Festival: Open Call
Deadline: Rolling
The Make Music New York festival celebrates NYC’s local musicians by matching them with host venues to bring vibrancy to our public spaces. This summer, Make Music New York (MMNY) and NYC DOT are calling on all of our partners to play a big role in revitalizing our city by activating our plazas and open streets throughout the five boroughs. Please register to list your public space as a host venue for the Make Music New York festival.
Cultural Development Fund panelist open call
Application Period: April - May
The pen call for Cultural Development Fund panelists seeks individuals who bring a wide range of experiences, backgrounds, and expertise to the table as funding decisions are made. From June through August 2022, the agency will convene hundreds of panelists - virtually via Zoom - to evaluate over 1,200 applications for City support of cultural programming from groups representing the full breadth of our city’s cultural life.
ArtTable Fellowship
Deadline: April 13
The ArtTable Fellowship program addresses the marked lack of diversity in arts employment. The objective is to provide quality real work experiences and mentorship for women-identifying graduate/pre/post-doc students and emerging professionals from diverse cultural/racial/ethnic/socio-economic backgrounds generally underrepresented in the field to aid their transition from academic to professional careers in the visual arts, including but not limited to: curatorial, education, public programming, archival research and collections management.
NYSCA/NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur Program
Deadline: April 18
The NYSCA/NYFA Artist as Entrepreneur Program is an intensive, multi-day professional development opportunity, offered in-person, that delves into the fundamental principles of sustainability in the arts. Content will be customized in light of the current challenges artists are facing everywhere but also target those issues for artists specifically located in Bronx County, and will be presented with this perspective in mind.
Artists living and working near Bronx County are encouraged to apply to participate in this free entrepreneurial program to be presented by the Bronx Council on the Arts, in June 2022.
Dancewave Teaching Artist Open Call
Deadline: Rolling
Dancewave Seeks Teaching Artists for the 2021-2022 school year for in-person residences in public schools, community center classes, and at the Dancewave Center in Brooklyn. We are currently seeking Hip Hop Teaching Artists with experience working with schools and community centers.
Dancewave provides access to supportive and empowering dance experiences that center social, emotional, and cognitive development through movement. Developing programs to meet community needs, we use dance as a vehicle for transformation, expression, active citizenship, and self-reflection. Dancewave fosters a culture where dance is celebrated as a healing and inclusive art form.
New Inc Incubator Members Open Call
Deadline: April 20
NEW INC is a shared workspace and incubator program supporting a multidisciplinary community of individuals and small teams. Our year-long program runs September 2022-August 2023, and is designed to support creative practitioners as they pursue a sustainable practice or bring a new business to life. We are based in NYC, but welcome virtual participation.
Pratt>FORWARD
Deadline: April 29
Pratt>FORWARD, a program launched in 2021 by Pratt Fine Arts, connects emerging artists with creative thought-leaders and practitioners in the field. The goal is to help emerging artists navigate the art world and empower them to build their own opportunities and communities. Pratt>FORWARD is about forging relationships, sharing knowledge, and generating agency. In its second edition, Pratt>FORWARD is extending the opportunities offered to participants by partnering with Newlab in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Smack Mellon Solo Exhibition Proposal Open Call
Deadline: May 4
Smack Mellon welcomes proposals from emerging and under-recognized mid-career artists. Proposals will be considered for both Gallery One (the larger front space) and Gallery Two (the smaller back space). For Gallery One we encourage site-specific projects and installations that respond to the unusual architecture of the space. Only artists who do not have commercial gallery representation in New York City will be considered.
Velvetpark LGBTQ+ Visual Artist Residency
Deadline: May 14
Velvetpark Residency is a project based work-studio, awarded through a selection process by open application. It is open to LGBTQ+ writers and visual artists to complete a proposed project. Velvetpark‘s Residency award is for an artist, writer, creator at any stage in their career open to anyone age eighteen and above, who is not enrolled in an academic program.
The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise
Up to $50,000
Deadline: June 10
The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise recognize and celebrate the contributions of immigrants to the arts, culture, and society in the United States. The prizes are awarded to foreign-born scientists and artists whose early-career work represents a significant contribution to their field.
2022 Media Arts Assistance Fund for Artists
Up to $7,500
Deadline: July 1
For individual artists, MAAF provides support for the completion and/or public presentation of new works in all genres of sound and moving image art, including emergent technology. Grant awards assist artists in completing new work, reaching public audiences, and advance artistic exploration and public engagement in the media arts. Women, gender non-comforming people, and people of color are encouraged to apply. MAAF is presented by NYSCA in partnership with Wave Farm.
Resources
Manhattan Plaza Waitlists NOW OPEN
Deadline: April 22
Manhattan Plaza is opening their waiting lists! The waiting list will be established through a lottery. Waiting lists are open for Mitchell-Lama studios, 1-bedrooms and 2-bedrooms. The income requirements for the Mitchell-Lama units are higher ($93,612-$224,996 depending on household size).
SUPPORT ukraine
Brooklyn Arts Council stands in solidarity with the citizens of Ukraine suffering the unfounded brutality imposed by Vladimir Putin. This most recent eruption of violence adds another verse to a freedom song we were already singing for so many parts of our global community. While current events pull attention toward Europe, our hearts simultaneously go out to all countries around the world experiencing the tragedy and ongoing effects of conflict and war.
We stand for freedom, democratic values, and self-determination. Together, we must use our strength and voices to create a more equitable, just, and peaceful world.
Donate to organizations and support the people of Ukraine:
HueArts NYC
HueArts NYC was initiated by three organizations directed by, and dedicated to the work of, People of Color: Museum Hue, The Laundromat Project, and Hester Street. The first initiative of its kind in New York City, it maps a broad view of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and all People of Color arts entities dedicated to sustaining the work, preserving the histories, and guaranteeing the futures of these artists.
What We're Reading
Have you encountered an inspiring or engaging read related to the COVID-19 era lately? Tell us about it at webmaster@brooklynartscouncil.org.
Kirstyn Brendlen. "Super Secret Arts opens with ‘groundbreaking’ membership model in Gowanus." Brooklyn Paper, April 2022. Read
Brooklyn Eagle Staff. "Two Trees transfers ownership of space to Downtown Arts Center." Brooklyn Eagle, April 2022. Read
Steven Kurutz. "Bringing Outsider Artists In." New York Times, March 2022. Read
Summertime Gallery is a Brooklyn Arts Fund grantee.
Kyra Laubacher. "Ballet Stars Come Together for iHeartDance NYC’s Benefit Performance for Ukraine." Pointe Magazine, April 2022. Read
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.