Thank You for Supporting BAC!
Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) is thrilled to announce that we not only met but exceeded our $15,000 fundraising goal this holiday season! A huge thank you to our community for your generosity and for valuing the contributions of artists to our beloved borough — we couldn’t have done it without you. Together, we are fueling a creative and vibrant future for Brooklyn. As we move into 2024, we're excited to further strengthen and enrich Brooklyn's arts and culture ecosystem in ways never before seen.
BAC Grantee Events
“Stoop Chat with Jimmy & Shanaya”
Shanaya & Jimmy film still from cinematographer, Gabriella Canal & Marj Kleinman, 2023 BAC Grantee.
January 17 | YouTube
Watch Stoop Stories’ "Stoop Chat with Jimmy & Shanaya" in its digital film premiere on YouTube. This BAC-funded short features “Harmonica Jimmy” and his friend Shanaya who met at intergenerational workshops with Heights & Hills Center for Successful Aging this summer. As these two bonded, they discovered a shared love of poetry, music and street games. The pilot is the first in a series of intergenerational films. Our second film, "Stoop Chat with Sue & Robert" can also be found on YouTube.
“Más que un Pétalo” by Salomé Egas
Salomé Egas, Playwright & Performer. Hair by Cristi Britton. Makeup & Photo by Camila Javier. Salomé Egas is a 2022 BAC Grantee.
“Más que un Pétalo” is presented in partnership with The Exponential Festival, 2023 BAC Grantee.
January 23-26 | 8pm | The Brick
January 27 | 3pm & 8pm | The Brick
“Más que un Pétalo (More than a Petal)” is a multidisciplinary theatrical experience deconstructing the Ecuadorian immigrant experience in the United States. Using dance, theater, textile arts, music and stop-motion video, the performance invites audiences to see the immigration journey of a taxo flower, “Tauzhu Sisa”, an Ecuadorian native plant.
January 23 is a FREE preview performance (reservation suggested).
January 25 will be followed by a Q&A.
A panel will follow the 3pm performance on January 27.
Events, Workshops, & Professional Development
“Inside Representation: Paths to Working with Dealers and Agents”
January 18 | 12 - 1:30pm | Virtual
Attaining representation is a goal for many artists and performers. While it’s seen by many as a marker of success and support, it’s often unclear how to get representation. This panel will focus on how to attain representation with a gallery or agent. In this panel discussion, you’ll hear directly from a visual artist and performing artist on their paths towards reaching this milestone, as well as from the gallerist and agent's perspective on what factors they consider when deciding whether to represent an artist.
“SELF PORTRAITS (DELUXE)”
February 6-24 | Tuesdays - Saturdays at 7pm | JACK, 20 Putnam Ave., Brooklyn
The Bushwick Starr partners with JACK to present “Self Portraits (Deluxe),” the newest work by playwright Phillip Howze and directed by Dominique Rider. “Self Portraits (Deluxe)” is an inventive, impressionistic new work that blurs the lines between personal and collective memory, refracting and reframing how we spectate in America. Suspended at the edge of confrontation and contemplation, when put together these discursive theatrical portraits – performed in promenade – invite an expansive vision of Blackness and civil society in today’s age, while also opening new portals into the possibility of our greater, shared and speculative futures.
Tickets available starting January 9.
2024 INCLUDEnyc Fair
February 10 | 9am | Virtual
The INCLUDEnyc Fair is New York City’s largest annual fair for young people with disabilities, where you can connect with summer camps, recreational programs, supports, and services from the safety and convenience of your own home. Airmeet’s online platform makes it easy and fun for you to participate. After registering, you’ll be able to explore the available information and opportunities, and participate in group and 1-on-1 text-based, audio, or video chats with representatives from participating organizations.
Nailing the Application: A Guide to Artist Open Calls
February 22 | 12 - 1:30pm | Virtual
To be an artist is to constantly apply for things such as exhibitions and residencies. Many creative opportunities start with an open call. How can you ensure you’re putting your best foot forward when submitting these applications? Drawing upon the perspective of arts decision-makers who run residencies, jury exhibitions, and review project proposals, this panel discussion will cover:
Where to find open calls for art exhibitions, residencies, and more
How to determine if an opportunity is right for you
Tips for compiling and presenting your work samples
What reviewers like to see in the application statement/narrative
Insights into the behind the scenes review process
Artist Opportunities
NYSCA FY24 Capital Projects Fund
Deadline: January 11
Up to $37 million in capital funding is available to nonprofit arts and culture organizations through the New York State Council on the Arts' Capital Projects Fund. The Fund has two grant categories: Small and Midsized Capital Improvement Grants and Large Capital Improvement Grants.
MTA Arts & Design: BMT Brighton Line (B,Q) - Church Avenue
Deadline: January 12
MTA Arts & Design seeks images of artists’ previous work to review in consideration for a new permanent Percent for Art project, in conjunction with renovation of the Church Avenue station in Brooklyn. An approved fabricator will translate the final artwork designs into a durable medium. The artwork is projected to be realized in mosaic. An artist’s prior experience with this material will not be taken into consideration when reviewing images.
Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants
Deadline: January 12 | Up to $5,000
This program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 for recent unexpected medical, dental, and mental health emergencies to artists in financial need who are creating in the visual arts, film/video/electronic/digital arts, and choreography. Only generative artists are eligible—artists creating their own, independent work, with recent and ongoing opportunities for the public to experience that work.
Folger Institute Artistic Research Fellowships
Deadline: January 15 | Stipend: $4,000/month
Open to all artists whose work would benefit from significant primary research related to the histories, concepts, art, and objects of the early modern world (ca. 1400-1800) and its legacies, applicants may apply for one, two, or three months of research support, with a stipend of $4,000 per month.
Media Arts Assistance Fund (MAAF)
Deadline: January 15 | Up to $7,500
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. New York State artists may apply for up to $7,500 to support the completion and/or public presentation of a new or recently completed media artwork.
2024 nyfa Emerging Leaders Program
Deadline: January 16
NYFA is pleased to announce the seventh session of its Emerging Leaders Program, a free year-long program that provides leadership training for manager-level arts administrators. The goal of the program is to provide manager-level cultural workers with the skills and networks necessary to develop in their current positions, and to empower them to pursue future leadership roles in the non-profit arts sector.
2024 Brendan Gill Prize
Deadline: January 19
Nominate Your Favorite Creative Works from 2023! 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 2024 Gill Prize will be awarded to an honoree who created an exceptional work in 2023.
Japan Parade Art Contest 2024
Deadline: January 19
Japan Day at Central Park has three objectives: to promote cultural exchanges between Japan and the U.S., to express appreciation for New York City, and to strengthen the solidarity of the Japanese-American community. The Japan Day Art Contest began in 2012, first inviting the public to submit illustrations for Japan Day official posters, flyers, and programs. The contest was such a success, resulting in so many splendid entries and yielding such wonderful winning artwork, that the art contest has become an annual part of the Japan Day event.
National Portrait Gallery Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition
Deadline: January 26
The National Portrait Gallery’s triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition celebrates excellence in the art of portraiture. Every three years, artists living and working in the United States are invited by the museum to submit one of their recent portraits to a panel of experts. Select works will be featured in a major exhibition in 2025. The first prize winner will receive $25,000 and a commission to portray a remarkable living American for the museum’s collection.
En Foco Media Arts Fund: Works-In-Progress (WIP) Initiative
Deadline: January 27 | $2,000
The Media Fund Works-In-Progress (WIP) Initiative was born out of the need to support New York City early career artists of color who engage with new and digital media technologies and mediums within their art-making processes. This opportunity is for early career artists, which is defined by a 2-9 year artistic working history. The award provides artists with a $2,000 support grant to be used towards the completion of their proposed works. The award also provides artists with professional development opportunities, and a feature in our special Fellowship Issue of Nueva Luz.
DCLA City Canvas program
Deadline: January 31 | Honorarium: $1,000
The City Canvas program expands opportunities for artists and building owners to install public artwork on temporary construction sheds, fences, and scaffolding. The City Canvas launch includes an open call for artists to submit expressions of interest to develop pre-approved artworks that building owners will be able to select from as part of a streamlined pathway for installing artwork on eligible structures.
The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program
Deadline: January 31
The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program awards rent-free studio space to 17 visual artists for yearlong residencies. The program is in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, home to art galleries, independent restaurants and shops, and creative professionals. Studios are near public parks, the city waterfront, and many forms of transit. The 2024–2025 Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program residency period will last from September 2024 through August 2025, with an open studios weekend planned for the spring of 2025.
The Recharge New Surrealist Prize
Image Credit (Detail): Jan Harrison, BALANCE, 2015, Photo Credit: Nancy Donskoj
Deadline: January 31 | $7,000
The Recharge New Surrealist Prize is a $7,000 award for painters who are working in the New Surrealist Style and living in the United States and/or U.S. Territories. The award, formerly known as the Recharge Foundation Fellowship for New Surrealist Art, is administered by NYFA, with funding provided by the Gu Family of the Recharge Foundation.
Just Tech Fellowship
Deadline: January 31 | $100,000/year for two years
The Social Science Research Council’s Just Tech Fellowship supports and mobilizes diverse and cross-sector cohorts of practitioners to imagine and create more just, equitable, and representative technological futures. Fellows have committed to identifying and challenging injustices emerging from new technologies and pursuing solutions that advance social, political, and economic rights.
Humanities Policy Fellow for Humanities, Arts, and Culture
Deadline: January 31 | Compensation: $70k - $75k
The Humanities Policy Fellowship provides an opportunity for recent PhDs with training in the humanities or humanistic social sciences to learn about a career in public policy and administration. While in residence, the Humanities Policy Fellow serves as a full-time member of the staff, contributing to ongoing Academy projects in the Humanities, Arts, and Culture program area.
NYSCA Stabilization Program for Small Arts Organizations
Deadline: February 1
New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) have launched a new pilot NYSCA Stabilization Program for Small Arts Organizations that is designed to help participants to identify and solve a significant concern that is impeding their growth or development. It aims to help address operational issues that often stifle organizations’ long-term planning and sustainability. The program, supported by New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).
Queens College School of Arts: Artists in Residence (AIR)
Deadline: February 10 | $15,000 (unrestricted)
Queens College invites proposals for its prestigious Artist-in-Residence (A.I.R.) for the 2024 Fall and 2025 Spring Semesters. We are excited to host two exceptional artists during the 2024–25 academic year, supported by The Thomas Chen Family / Crystal Windows Endowment. The primary focus of this A.I.R. program is to champion Asian visual artists and promote Asian visual art within the contemporary art landscape.
MacDowell Fellowship
Deadline: February 10
MacDowell encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and all countries in the following disciplines: architecture, film/video arts, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theater, and visual arts. About 300 artists in seven disciplines are awarded Fellowships each year and the sole criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence.
KUNSTRAUM EXHIBITION PROGRAM SPRING 2024 OPEN CALL
Deadline: February 15
KUNSTRAUM is calling for submissions for our 2024 Exhibition Program. Emerging and mid-career artists are invited to submit their work for consideration in our group exhibition in the spring, curated by our upcoming 2024-2025 Curator-in-Residence, Emireth Herrera Valdés. KUNSTRAUM is a community for artists by artists, aiming to redefine the way artists and curators collaborate. Our 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.
CloudTop Comedy Festival: Festival Stage Design Open Call
CloudTop Comedy Festival 2022, “pillow stuffing design” made by volunteers.
Deadline: February 15 | $4,000
CloudTop Comedy Festival is commissioning an artist to design its stage(s) for the spring 2024 festival. This special project is underwritten by a grant from the City of Santa Fe’s Arts and Culture Department. Whether its clouds made from neon, wire, or acrylic - perhaps a whole skyscape - we want to offer audiences a stage befitting of the City Different. All are encouraged to apply, but especially New Mexico artists, or those with strong ties to New Mexico.
The Franklin Furnace FUND for Performance Art
Deadline: April 1 | $2,000 - $10,000
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. Artists from all areas of the world are encouraged to apply; however, artists selected by the panel are expected to present their work in New York City. Full-time students are ineligible.
Resources
Creatives Rebuild New York: “Access Access” Videos & Resources
Recordings and other materials from Creatives Rebuild New York’s “Access Access” event series focused on accessibility, organized by artist and activist Kevin Gotkin. Topics for this series include:
Access as Artistry, Access for Organizing
Tools for Access Design: An Introduction to Access Ecologies
A Survey of Contemporary U.S. Disability Aesthetics
Tools for Access Design: Plain Language and Easy Read
What We're Reading
“What if Dance Could Save the World?”
by Gia Kourlas | New York Times
“Want to hear the wonder of deep space? This music is made from NASA's telescope data”
by Padraig Moran | ·CBC Radio
“How Zines Brought Power to Those on the Margins of Culture”
by Teresa Nowakowski | Smithsonian Magazine
“Colorful mural installation ‘Brownsville Reflections’ brightens affordable housing construction site, celebrates nabe’s residents and history”
by Bella Sanchez | Brooklyn Paper
“A Class Action Lawsuit Brought by Artists Against A.I. Companies Adds New Plaintiffs”
by Adam Schrader | Artnet
“Book of HOV Draws Unprecedented Number of Visitors to Brooklyn Public Library”
by Staff | BK Reader
Cover Image: Ana Evans in “box/truck” presented by Adrienne Westwood Projects, 2023 Local Arts Support & Brooklyn Arts Fund Grantee. Photo by Whitney Browne.
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.