Rovaco Dance Party 2024 performance featuring Devika Chandnani, Karma Chuki, Isabele Rosso, Nico Gonzales, and Siddarth Dutta. Rohan Bhargava | Rovaco Dance Company is a 2024 BAC Grantee.
We need your support. Join us in reimagining Brooklyn!
BAC has been at the heart of Brooklyn’s vibrant arts scene for 58 years, championing the artists who make our borough one-of-a-kind. From stoop performances in Bed-Stuy to murals in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s multicultural history and bold creative spirit inspire everything we do. This year, BAC has reimagined its programs to better support artists and cultural organizations, including:
Launching the Social Innovation Fellowship for creatives and cultural entrepreneurs.
Introducing Project Firefly, free art lessons for homeschooled kids.
Creating an Arts in Education Summer Program to develop students’ artistic and collaborative skills.
Revitalizing Cultural Heritage initiatives to preserve and celebrate Brooklyn’s diverse traditions.
Expanding Thrive Fest with new partners, resources, and activations.
Join us in shaping the future of Brooklyn’s arts community. Your support helps us continue to adapt, grow, and keep Brooklyn a thriving hub for creativity and culture.
2025 Creative Aging: SU-CASA Teaching Artist & Panelist Applications Now Open!
"Colors of Life" residency at Riseboro Hope Gardens Multi Services OAC led by Adela Navarro, 2024 SU-CASA Teaching Artist.
The SU-CASA program is funded by the New York City Council and is a collaboration among the New York City Council, the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), the Department for the Aging (DFTA) and four of the City's local arts councils – Bronx Council on the Arts, Brooklyn Arts Council, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Staten Island Arts.
Deadline: Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 11:59pm EST
SU-CASA is a community arts engagement program that places Teaching Artists (TAs) in participating Older Adult Centers (OACs) across Brooklyn. The program provides payment to artists for the creation and delivery of arts-based activities that positively impact the well-being of older adults.
TAs receive payment of $6,000, an additional administrative stipend of $2,000 for materials and supplies, and access to Materials for the Arts. Applicants must be sensitive to the needs of older adults and demonstrate residency in Brooklyn. TAs will be hired as BAC employees and must be eligible to work in the United States.
Become a panelist! BAC uses a panel selection process to review SU-CASA TA applications. Since we place artists working in a variety of disciplines in OACs all over the borough, we need panelists from all Brooklyn communities. Panelists receive an honorarium of $250.
Dumbo Shop the Studios Panel - Behind the Buy - Insights into Art Collecting
This panel is in support of Art in DUMBO’s Shop the Studios event.
December 7 | 1pm | Check in: 20 Jay Street, #616, Brooklyn, Panel Location: Suite #600
Come join BAC for a fascinating event where you can gain valuable insights into the world of art collecting. Whether you're a seasoned collector or just starting out, this is the perfect opportunity to learn from experts in the field. The event will take place in-person at 20 Jay Street, #616, so make sure to mark your calendars. Don't miss out on this unique chance to delve into the behind-the-scenes of the art market. See you there!
Panelists:
Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez - Acclaimed International Street Artist recognized for blending art forms such as graffiti, vinyl toys, and fashion with art activism
Sadaf Padder - Independent Curator, Art Advisor and Certified Educator
Bianca Jean-Pierre - Founder of SHEER
Panel Moderator: Rasu Jilani - Executive Director of Brooklyn Arts Council
BAC Grantee & Partner Events
FEI LI | ACCENTED PROJECTS: Tales From The Table
Fei Li | Accented Projects is a 2024 BAC Grantee.
December 6 | 7pm
My Gallery NYC, 587 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn
Tales From The Table is an innovative community art project that uses culinary traditions to explore and celebrate the rich narratives connecting diasporic communities of color. Tales From The Table catalyzes sustained cultural dialogue and social cohesion, addressing gentrification, racial tension, and cultural erasure and creating enduring spirits that continue the conversation beyond the project's duration. Join us in this Ritual of Exploration, Solidarity, and Healing journey as we highlight and honor our diaspora's shared histories and futures.
Inclined Dance Project: inQUAD
December 6 & 7 | 7:30pm
Jack, 20 Putnam Avenue, Brooklyn
Inclined Dance Project is a 2024 BAC Grantee.
inQUAD presented by Inclined Dance Project is a mentorship and dance performance program that aims to promote and network emerging female identifying choreographers. Mentored over 3-4 months, the selected artists work towards creating dynamic dance works that are presented in a split-bill performance alongside host company Inclined Dance Project. Now entering it's 6th year of presentation, this year's performances will feature works by choreographers- Claire Goldes, Katie Lehoty, Corinne Lohner, Maggie Joy & Kristen Klein.
Lena Bloch & Feathery quartet: A World Without Fear
Lena Bloch is a 2024 BAC Grantee.
December 11 | 8pm
168 7th Street, Brooklyn
The suite of original compositions, linked together by the theme of longing for peace for humanity, for living on this planet without fear of the Other, of aggression, of war, of loss of the loved ones. A "war" not only as a conventional war with weapons - but also as a state of war within us, state of fear which feeds prejudice, suspicion and hostility. Feathery Quartet is bringing together Eastern and Western impressions and cultural influences in this world, creating poems in sound where East and West embrace. Dan Morgenstern: “Most impressive quartet – or rather, four equals perfectly attuned to each other. “Collective” is the key word here, for this is truly musical togetherness, creating a sound all its own”. Downbeat Magazine describes it: “Rippling energy and sublimely weightless interplay".
Events, Workshops, & Professional Development
7th Annual Wallabout Holiday Market
December 7-8 | 12pm - 5pm | Building 293, Gee Avenue, Brooklyn
Shop Local. Enjoy a mix of handmade jewelry, one-of-a-kind home décor pieces, and rare fashion finds from local artisans and designers. Featuring 200+ vendors, the shopping section is the perfect place to pick-up gifts for everyone on your list.
Recycle your e-waste
December 8 | 10am - 2pm
Cunningham Park, Parking Lot #1, Union Turnpike & 196th Place, Fresh Meadows
Looking to clear your home of unused or old electronics? Remember: it’s illegal in New York State to throw them out with your trash or recycling! Avoid that $100 fine, load those devices up in your car, and drive over to Council Member Linda Lee’s FREE e-waste event on Sunday, December 8th from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Cunningham Park’s Parking Lot #1 (Union Turnpike & 196th Place). Schools, households, nonprofits, and small business are free to drop off however much they want! Staff will be on hand to unload the items from your car.
Artists working in Community
December 11 | 7pm | Virtual
Use your creative skills to address community issues and opportunities! Whether you are an artist who already works in community or who wants to start, this workshop will introduce you to methods to clarify your own goals, techniques to ensure successful outcomes for you and your community collaborators, and how to reach out to community organizations and businesses to expand your artistic practice and income sources.
CULTURAL ORGANIZING FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE
December 15 | 10am - 6pm
Mercury Store, 131 8th Street, Brooklyn
Arts & Democracy and Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY (NOCD-NY) invite you to Cultural Organizing for Community Change. Join fellow organizers, artists, media makers, and policy makers to learn effective ways to deepen your work and engage your creativity in organizing for community change. Convening in Gowanus, the day will include a cultural organizing framework; hands on skill building workshops including dance, singing, theater, and popular education; case studies from across NYC and beyond; and networking and resources.
GET CREATIVE! Art Fair + Celebration
December 20 | 7-9pm
Speyer Hall, 184 Eldridge Street, New York
The GET CREATIVE! Art Fair is a showcase of affordable artworks and will be a night filled with creativity, holiday joy, and community. We will be selling hand-selected, original art pieces created by TCC artists and community members. All proceeds from GET CREATIVE! benefit The Creative Center’s Hospital Artist-in-Residence Program and our Art Workshop Program for people living with cancer, chronic illness and their caregivers.
Admission is FREE. Artwork will be priced at $25! Questions? info@thecreativecenter.org or 646-465-5338
“to hold a we”
Now - December 22 | BRIC House Gallery & Project Room
Honoring the many interconnected relationships that facilitate making and being, to hold a we features newly commissioned and recent work by fourteen emerging and early-career disabled artists and collectives from the BRIClab residency program. Across drawing, text, sculpture, video, photography, installation, and performance, the artists continually turn to memory, intimacy, grief, and the archive as both a source of inspiration and a means of connection.
APAP|NYC conference
January 10-14, 2025 | New York Hilton Midtown
APAP|NYC is the world's premier gathering of the performing arts presenting, booking, and touring industry and the annual members conference of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals—including many dance-focused sessions and showcases. Join their community of more than 3,000 professionals for five days of performance showcases, networking, learning, discovery, community building, and the largest EXPO hall in the performing arts.
Hunter College | MFA Playwriting Program
Deadline: January 15, 2025
Students study with award-winning writers, working theatre professionals, and esteemed guest artists. The program offers ample workshop opportunities and free or affordable tickets to a wide range of New York City productions. Tuition waivers and Teaching Assistantships are available to incoming students.
The Creative Center | Training Institute for Arts-In-Healthcare and Creative Aging
March 2025
The Creative Center’s Training Institute for Arts-In-Healthcare and Creative Aging is a unique opportunity for practitioners working at the intersection of the arts and healthcare to learn from experts in the field while fostering lifelong connections with their peers from the United States and around the world. Training Institute content is geared toward individuals from arts and healthcare spaces and beyond. Participants have the opportunity to learn everything needed to implement best practice arts programming in hospitals, healthcare centers, nursing homes, community-based organizations, senior centers, hospice and palliative care centers, and residential facilities serving older adults and their caregivers across the aging continuum.
Funding Opportunities
NYS Danceforce Choreographers Initiative
Deadline: December 7
The New York State Choreographers Initiative is designed to support dance artists in the development of their choreographic skills by providing them with resources that are often unavailable or unaffordable. These resources include a minimum of 20 hours of creative studio time, professional dancers, the guidance of a mentor of their choice, and a $2,500 stipend. This is an opportunity for artists to try new approaches, engage with a mentor, and experiment freely without the pressure of production deadlines.
2025 DUMBO DANCE FESTIVAL
Early-bird Special: December 11
Final Deadline: December 27
WHITE WAVE Dance Invites You to Apply for the 2025 DUMBO Dance Festival (DDF). Since 2001, WHITE WAVE Dance has proudly showcased contemporary dance artists from across the globe. Join us for the 2025 DDF, held at the Mark Morris Dance Center.
CO-CREATIVE FUNDRAISING NYC ARTS & CULTURE 2025 COHORT
Priority Deadline: December 9
*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through the end of 2024.
The Co-Creative Fundraising 2025 Cohort is designed to bring together approximately 10 arts and culture leaders like you—resourceful, creative, and unapologetically committed to your creative projects and the communities you serve—into a collective that fosters collaboration over competition in fundraising. The 2025 Cohort will offer members:
A community of peers who understand the struggle of working in the arts with limited resources and are eager to collaborate with you.
Group discussions, workshops, and co-working sessions cultivating a fundraising ecosystem rooted in shared purpose and values.
One-on-one support from an experienced fundraiser, including strategic advisement, feedback and editing of fundraising materials, and the creation of a formal case for support for your organization.
Innovate Grants for Art and Photo
Deadline: December 12
Innovate Grant awards two (2) $1,800 grants each quarter, to one visual artist and one photographer. In addition, 12 honorable mentions (6 in art and 6 in photo), will be featured on their website and join a growing community of vibrant and talented artists. These grants are mighty sparks of financial support that ignite your creative development.
Open Call for Public Art
Deadline: December 15
The Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation seeks proposals for a new site-specific public art installation that will be on view in a highly-visible location on the Navy Yard campus between May – October 2025. Proposals are open to all Brooklyn-based creatives, and must respond to the theme of “Our Brooklyn.” This theme is designed to illustrate how economic growth impacts social and cultural elements of community and how communities come together through work, social, and cultural life.
2025 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship
Image: (Detail) Sangram Majumdar (Fellow in Painting ’18), giacometti’s shadow, 2018, oil on canvas
Deadline: December 17
The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is an $8,000 unrestricted cash grant available to artists living in New York State and/or one of the Tribal Nations located therein. This grant is awarded in 15 different disciplines over a three-year period (five categories a year) and the application is free to complete. In 2025, the following categories will be reviewed: Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design; Choreography; Music/Sound; Photography; and Playwriting/Screenwriting.
KUNSTRAUM EXHIBITION PROGRAM SPRING 2025
Deadline: December 31
Emerging and mid-career artists are invited to submit their work for consideration in KUNSTRAUM’s group exhibition in the spring, curated by our 2025-2026 Curator-in-Residence. KUNSTRAUM is a community for artists by artists, aiming to redefine the way artists and curators collaborate. Their program seeks to explore the relationships between artists and curators by opening our gallery space to those interested in exploring unconventional, engaging ideas and taking risks.
Artists and Mothers Open Call
Deadline: January 2, 2025
Artists & Mothers is committed to supporting artists who identify as mothers at an inflection point in their careers. Eligible to New York City-based artists with children under the age of three, awardees will receive a grant for $25,000 to be used for childcare expenses with the provider of their choice.
Applicants should demonstrate a commitment to their practice and must have an exhibition history. We invite artists in the visual arts, performing arts, and socially-engaged forms to apply.
NYSCA: fy25 Capital Projects Fund
Deadline: January 14, 2025
Small and Midsized Capital Improvement Grants for Arts and Culture: Funds projects initiated by nonprofit arts and culture organizations of any size that prioritize accessibility, artistry, cultural development, sustainability, health and safety, and structural and historical improvements.
Large Capital Improvement Grants for Arts and Culture: Supports arts and cultural nonprofits across the state that are undertaking impactful, large-scale capital improvements.
Capital Design Grants for Arts and Culture: Supports the development of mid-stage and advanced design documents for arts and culture nonprofits with operating budgets of $10 million or less across the state that are planning eligible capital improvements and are currently in the early stages of design.
Museum of the Moving Image: 2025 Marvels of Media Festival open call
Deadline: January 15, 2025
Open now through January 15, Marvels of Media Festival welcomes submissions of film, animation, video art, virtual reality, episodic series, and video games created by autistic media-makers. A selection of media-makers will be celebrated through an exhibition, film screenings, and in-depth panel discussions. Emerging autistic media-makers of all ages will have a chance to learn from industry experts and independent filmmakers on the spectrum with media workshops.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read
Deadline (Intent to Apply): January 23, 2025
Deadline (Application): January 30, 2025
The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read is a program that awards grants ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 to organizations. These grants support community reading programs designed around a single NEA Big Read book. The NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of ourselves and our neighbors through the power of a shared reading experience. The goal of this program is to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections in each community.
2025 Open Streets partners
Deadline: January 31, 2025
Applications are now open for 2025 Open Streets partners. Community-based organizations, schools, businesses, and other partners are invited to join New York City’s program to reimagine the use of streets as public spaces. These transformations allow for a range of activities that promote economic development, support schools, facilitate pedestrian and bike mobility, and provide new ways for New Yorkers to enjoy cultural programming and build community.
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.
Resources
NYFA 1-on-1 Consultations for Immigrant Artists | Build Your Arts Career in the U.S.
NYFA 1-on-1 consultations for Immigrant Artists offers individualized career-centered conversations for creatives of all disciplines. During these FREE 40-minute online consultation sessions with arts industry experts, you can seek advice on specific topics or general resources and opportunities to help you navigate building your arts career in the U.S.
What topics can be covered in the consultation?
Arts career planning, such as creating and locating opportunities
Feedback on application materials, making connections, and building community
Advice on working with curators, presenters, producers, and/or publishers
Marketing strategies
DANCE workforce Directory
The Dance Workforce Directory is a new resource on the DWR Hub to amplify, connect, and help NYC’s dance community thrive. This free and accessible online platform is here to support dance workers, orgs, and businesses across all parts of the sector.
What We're Reading
“‘I’m not alone’: Maimonides art show ‘Lines of Sight’ explores healing through creativity”
by Gabriele Holtermann | Brooklyn Paper
“When the Artists Write the History Books”
by Kyle McCarthy | The Brooklyn Rail
“Sketching Brooklyn: A Walk in Gowanus”
by Jesse Goodman | Brooklyn Daily Eagle
“Serenading Entwined Lineages of Black Art and Music”
by Nereya Otieno | Hyperallergic
Cover Image: Chaia, 2024 BAC Grantee, performing at The Sultan Room for “Resilience” hosted by the Kleztronica collective. Photo: Jessica O'Donoghue.
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.