Honoring Black History Month
Art is a vital tool to champion Black heritage, spark necessary conversations, and create positive, everlasting social change. Brooklyn Arts Council aims to empower our vast and talented network of Black artists as cultural mediators, experts, healers, and ambassadors to bring awareness to the systemic issues that impact Black communities, and create innovative, artistic, and justice-centered solutions across Brooklyn.
At BAC, we are committed to creating sustainable support for artists, investing in our borough’s extraordinary creative community, and advancing social and racial equity through our grants and programs. We continue to cultivate our Brooklyn Innovation Institute and Creative Equations Fund to empower artists of marginalized communities and create impactful arts experiences for neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID, including Sunset Park, Crown Heights, Brownsville, and East New York. These neighborhoods experience systematic poverty, subpar academic outcomes in public schools, high unemployment rates, devastating health issues, and a lack of cultural infrastructure in comparison to their surrounding neighborhoods. Access to arts and culture within neighborhoods helps mitigate some of these issues.
It’s thanks to Black artists and cultural practitioners that Brooklyn has long been celebrated for its diversity and dynamism. Please consider joining us as we continue the journey toward justice and equality.
Heal Up! Career Pathways in Creative Wellness
A 2023 Brooklyn Arts Council Creativity and Wellness Professional Development Series
This professional development series explores career pathways and training that offer artists an opportunity to integrate their art and wellness skills.
These workshops feature art and wellness practitioners and welcome participants from all creative industries into a supportive space to learn about the transformational power of the arts. Through the series we aim to assist creative agents in growing and expanding their craft on practices of wellness.
Community development, social engagement, creativity, museum wellness, craft, and indigenous experts will discuss new art and wellness training programs, workshops, and engagements from a variety of cultural practices and educational spaces.
ARTS & WELLNESS TALK WITH Hadi Eldebek
February 23 | 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Virtual
This virtual interactive talk will explore the use of music as a form of wellness integration for artists and members of the cultural community. The workshop will be led by musician, educator, and cultural entrepreneur, Hadi Eldebek, who has personal experience in incorporating music into his artistic practices, teaching, and arts management. Hadi will share insights and strategies for using music to promote wellness and balance in the artistic process.
Our Grantees' Events
Upcoming 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 February.
Marcia Wilson: This BE Us: We Live In Brooklyn, Baby!
Marcia Wilson is a Brooklyn Arts Fund grantee.
Opening Reception: February 8 | 6-8pm
Exhibition Dates: February 8 - March 13
Charles Evans Inniss Memorial Library at Medgar Evers College
1650 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn
To honor Black History Month, Marcia Wilson curated an exhibit, This BE Us: We Live In Brooklyn, Baby! Eight photographers join Wilson to express their love and respect for Brooklyn, captured through their lens. Featured artists are: Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Kerika Fields, Kay Hickman, Kisha Johnson, Hollis King, Jamel Shabazz, Ralston Smith, and Michael Young.
Grumpy Bert: Red Envelope Show 2023
Grumpy Bert is a Brooklyn Arts Fund grantee.
On View through February 26
My Plastic Heart
40 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn
Grumpy Bert's 8th annual Red Envelope Show celebrates the Year of the Rabbit featuring original works on red envelopes from over 100 artists. Based in Brooklyn, Grumpy Bert showcases work from artists and illustrators from all around. The Red Envelop Show is an annual group art show celebrating the Lunar New Year.
African Peach Arts Coalition (Apac)
Closing Reception: From Haiti, with LOVE
African Peach Arts Coalition (APAC) is a Brooklyn Arts Fund grantee.
February 24 | 8-11pm
APAC S2 Gallery at The Box Factory
1519 Secatur St, Suite 105, Brooklyn
APAC’s program director and artist Stephane Desir makes his sophomore curatorial debut this year and APAC will be hosting a closing art reception featuring all Haitian artists for Black History Month. We will have an in-depth conversation with a-I-r, a couple of live performances, music, food, and drink.
Soundscape 2.0 Femme Futures
February 25 | 6-8pm
670 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn
African Peach Arts Coalition (APAC) is a Brooklyn Arts Fund grantee.
This reboot is a NYSCA-supported project that APAC will be producing in conjunction with ClassiQue the Hip-Hop Violinist. Soundscape 2.0 will include six shows, all featuring live musicians, composers, and instrumentalists. APAC x ClassiQue will work in concert to curate the dopest live music sets two black women could curate! Magical is the only word.
Events, Workshops, & Professional Development
Additional happenings hosted by our grantees and other organizations, collectives, and institutions.
Dragging the Archive
On view through April 6
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn Campus Library
3899 Willoughby Ave, Brooklyn
Dragging the Archive is an online/onsite exhibition of materials from the early cyber years of Franklin Furnace Archive, 1996-2002, by Elly Clarke. The exhibition is taking place across three floors of this landmarked Library at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.
Non-profit new york webinars
Job Posts and Salary Ranges and Panel Interviews, Oh My!
February 14 | 1:30-3pm | Virtual
If your organization hasn't focused intentionally on 'Diversity and Inclusion' or 'Anti-Racist' work, chances are that inequity is running on autopilot and you need to root it out, on purpose. This session is all about disrupting that inequity - starting with your hiring process.
The Benefits of Launching Your New Venture with a Fiscal Sponsor
February 28 | 10:30am-12pm | Virtual
Starting a new social venture can be overwhelming. Many folks tend to jump straight into the process of creating a new 501c3 nonprofit organization and overlook fiscal sponsorship as an option. This training will review the difference between a starting a 501c3 and going under fiscal sponsorship to help you determine which is best for you.
ART IN THE CITY: WHAT NYC HAS TO OFFER ARTISTS AND ARCHITECTS
February 15 | 6:30-8pm | Virtual
Forty years ago New York City enacted the Percent for Art law that requires one percent of the budget for eligible City-funded construction to be dedicated to creating public artworks. But the city’s support of art and design includes much more than what the Percent for Art law provides. From grants and fellowships to installations and even city jobs, join panelists from different city agencies to learn about different opportunities offered to architects and artists.
An Educator’s Trauma-Informed Approach to School Emergency Drills
February 15 | 5-6pm | Virtual
The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is partnering with New York City Children’s Theater to provide a step-by-step, trauma-informed exploration of what to do before, during and after emergency drills in classroom settings. Participants will engage in courageous conversations about school shootings, safety, and self-care while exploring a variety of emotion regulation tools with creator of Start the Conversation: Emergency Drill Support Caitlyn McCain and trauma-informed expert Allison Finder, RDT, LCAT.
Harlem Chamber Players Black History Month Concert
Left to right, Terrance McKnight, Aruán Ortiz, and Don Byron (Photo by Dave Weiland).
February 16 | 6:30-8:30pm
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Blvd, New York
The Schomburg Center presents the Harlem Chamber Players 15th Annual Black History Month Celebration. This live music concert will feature the world premiere of Aruán Ortiz’s Episodes in an Unforeseen Departure as well as solo works for piano and music by Valerie Coleman, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Terrance McKnight’s own juxtapositions of Langston Hughes’ poetry as spoken word over piano works by Beethoven. This event is free and open to the public.
Jupiter Performance Studio (JPS) LAB
Copyright (c) 2023 Betty's Daughter Arts Collaborative, LLC. All rights reserved.
Deadline: February 17
Course: March 4 - May 21
Jupiter Performance Studio (JPS) is thrilled to announce the launch of JPS Lab, an in-person and virtual creative development initiative designed and led by Founding Artistic Director, Ebony Noelle Golden. The course, black/water: Worlding, Wilding, and Wandering as Womanist Praxis, offers seven half-day sessions that build on Golden's current scholarship, artistic practice, and cultural organizing efforts. Admitted students will explore a range of topics including theatrical ceremony, womanist spirituality, ritual poetics, and collective approaches to climate reparations.
Healing with Housing: Decriminalizing the Unhoused & Mentally Ill
February 23 | 7-8:30pm
BRIC House
647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn
Healing with Housing: Decriminalizing the Unhoused & Mentally Ill, presented by BRIC TV in partnership with The City, will bring together experts and leaders to discuss the housing crisis facing communities throughout Brooklyn and the impact of different strategies to mitigate harm and create pathways towards economic justice.
The Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color
Image Detail: Ying Liu (Fellow in Interdisciplinary Arts '21), "PIGTAIL—A Swivel Stool Dance™️," 2019, ISSUE Project Room, interactive dance performance and sculptural objects, Photo Credit: Cameron Kelly Mcleod
Deadline: March 13
Through the generous support of the Altman Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is pleased to announce the third edition of The Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color, a free program that will provide leadership training and community support for up to 16-18 arts administrators from April to September 2023.
Search for Spring
Deadline: March 26
Rehearsals Start: March 20
Event: May 13 | 3pm
Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center
10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York
You are invited to participate in the world premiere performance of Search for Spring, a powerful work that explores the emotional toll of climate change and our hope for a better future ahead. Performed outdoors on Josie Robertson Plaza in the fresh spring air, this monumental, community-driven choral work expresses shared feelings of loss, confusion, renewal and finally, hope. We're seeking singers of all ages to join in this voluntary, community chorus experience – no audition required!
Brooklyn Community foundation: Advisory Council RECRUITMENT
Paid Opportunity
Deadline: Rolling
The Brooklyn Community Foundation is currently recruiting for all of their grantmaking councils, especially Brooklyn Elders Fund. Individuals not currently in senior leadership positions at nonprofit organizations, and who are committed to equity for all people are encouraged to apply. Applicants should be able to read and review grant applications written in English and accompany our Programs staff on visits to organizations.
Funding & Open Calls
Reliable funding opportunities from outside collectives and institutions.
Mitu’s Hybrid Arts Lab
Photo via Hybrid Arts Lab website.
Unrestricted Stipend: $5,000
Deadline: February 12
Mitu’s Hybrid Arts Lab supports trans, non-binary, and women artists working at the intersection of performance and technology. With a focus on early career BIPOC artists, this program offers studio and creation space, technical resources, training, and mentorship to a small cohort for the exploration, development, and expansion of their practice and a new artwork.
National endowment for the arts
Grants for Arts Projects
Cost share/matching grants: $10,000 - $100,000
First Deadline: February 9
Second Deadline: February 14-21
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is proud to support the nation’s arts sector with grant opportunities so that together we can help everyone live more artful lives. The arts contribute to our individual well-being, the well-being of our communities, and to our local economies. Grants for Arts Projects is the largest grants program for organizations, providing comprehensive and expansive funding opportunities for communities.
CREATIVE WRITING FELLOWSHIP
$25,000
Deadline: March 23
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Literature Fellowships program offers $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers that enable recipients to set aside time for writing, research, travel, and general career advancement. For FY 2024, fellowships in prose (fiction and nonfiction) are available.
the Watermill Center’s Artist Residency Program
Deadline: February 13
The Watermill Center’s Artist Residency Program began in 2006 when The Center officially opened as a year-round facility. Each year collectives and individuals take up residence at The Center to develop works that critically investigate, challenge, and extend the existing norms of artistic practice. The Artist Residency Program is process-based, without the expectation or promise of a final exhibition of the work.
OneBeat Virtual #4
Deadline: February 17 at 5pm EST
Residency: July 10 - September 4
OneBeat is accepting applications for OneBeat Virtual #4 which will digitally convene approximately 20 musicians from up to 50 eligible countries and territories. During this 8-week fully virtual residency program, OneBeat Fellows will investigate new forms of virtual collaboration, and work together to write, produce, and perform new musical works.
2023 Brendan Gill Prize
Deadline: February 17
The Gill Prize is given each year to the creator of a specific work; a book, essay, musical composition, play, painting, sculpture, film, or choreographic piece, that best captures the spirit and energy of New York City. The 2023 Gill Prize will be awarded to an honoree who created an exceptional work in 2022.
The Keyholder Residency Program
Deadline: March 1
The Keyholder Residency Program offers emerging artists free 24-hour access to printmaking facilities to develop new work and foster their artistic careers. Keyholders work independently, in a productive atmosphere alongside other contemporary artists.
The Martin House Creative Residency Program
Deadline: March 31
The Martin House Creative Residency Program is a newly established project-based residency that provides creative individuals a designated time and space to develop new works of the imagination inspired by one of the great examples of 20th century architecture. The residency is a competitive program that is open to applicants who seek the resources to support ongoing projects or the creation of new work. Creative makers from diverse backgrounds and perspectives are especially encouraged to apply.
NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship
INSITU Site-Specific Dance Festival (Sponsored Project), led by Svea Schneider, INSITU Site-Specific Dance Festival, July 2017, Photo Credit: Javier Gamboa.
Deadlines: March 31 | June 30 | September 30
NYFA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program supports artists across all disciplines by providing the tools to help you develop creative projects, build organizations, and craft sustainable careers. Fiscal sponsorship allows individual artists and emerging arts organizations raise funds using NYFA’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Many funders only give their financial support to non-profit organizations, and by having NYFA as a fiscal sponsor you are opening up possibilities to access funding and make your work.
The Franklin Furnace FUND for Performance Art
$2,000 - $10,000
Deadline: April 1
Initiated in 1985 with the support of Jerome Foundation, Franklin Furnace annually awards grants to early career artists selected by peer panel review to enable them to produce major performance art works in New York City.
NYC DOT's 2023 Open Streets Application
Deadline to launch on or after July 1: April 14
New York City's Open Streets program transforms streets into public space open to all. These transformations allow for a range of activities that promote economic development, support schools, and provide new ways for New Yorkers to enjoy cultural programming and build community.
Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund
$10,000
Deadline: Rolling
Adobe is committed to enabling ‘Creativity for All,’ empowering people everywhere with access to the tools, inspiration and support they need. The Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund was established to provide support to creators during times of extraordinary hardship. Adobe will now be focusing Community Fund efforts on providing support to those creators who have been directly impacted by the unjustified invasion of Ukraine.
Wellness and Recovery Fund Action Grants
Up to $5,000
Deadline: Rolling
Made possible with the support of a generous anonymous donor, Brooklyn Community Foundation’s Action Grants will provide up to $5,000 for Brooklyn-based programs working with people with a history of substance misuse, mental illness and/or homelessness focused on narrative shifting that destigmatizes substance abuse/misuse; addiction and harm reduction services; organizing and advocacy actions; and training for and the distribution of harm reduction supplies such as fentanyl strips and overdose prevention kits.
Resources
Fractured Atlas: Opportunity Scan
Fractured Atlas’ Opportunity Scan is a high level research scan on six areas of activity that have implications for artists' lives and livelihoods. These areas were chosen by Fractured Atlas staff leadership and board as sites of activity that are outside of the arts sector. The goal was to inform conversations among the Fractured Atlas team, and the sector more broadly, about how it might evolve its services for artists in light of these emerging opportunities.
Affordable Health Insurance:
HOW TO QUALIFY & APPLY FOR MEDICAID
For many families navigating our healthcare Medicaid system can feel overwhelming, especially if English is not the natively spoken language. As a resource center, Affordable Health Insurance is working diligently to make Medicaid accessible to all by eliminating issues cause by language barrier.
Moneygeek: Unemployment Insurance: What You Need to Know
MoneyGeek published a guide on unemployment insurance that helps people get a solid foundation of basics, eligibility, how to apply, and how long it lasts. Unemployment insurance (UI) is a program designed to offer temporary financial support to those unemployed.
NY4CA: Responding for Tyre Nichols
A resource from the Anti-Racism Working Group of Culture @3 for Cultural Leaders
In the wake of yet another brutal murder of a Black man at the hands of the police, it can be hard to know what to do. But the lives of Tyre Nichols and countless others demand our attention, and our individual and collective action. The Anti Racism Working Group of the Culture@3 call created a list of actions to take and policies to support.
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.
Izzy Baskette. "A Guide to Black History Month Celebrations Across NYC," Thrillist, January 2023.
Read
Ximena Del Cerro. "Local artist works to paint 200 southern Brooklynites in 'The Free Portrait Project'," Brooklyn Paper, January 2023.
Read
Scotti Hill. “What Rights Do Artists Have When Their Work Is Destroyed?” Hyperallergic, January 2023.
Read
Andrea Hsu. “America, we have a problem. People aren't feeling engaged with their work.” NPR, January 2023.
Read
Cover Image: Edible Tales performance by Dancers Unlimited, 2022 Brooklyn Arts Fund grantee. Photo by Melissa Wu.
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.