A Message from Our Programs Team
Our 2021 Community Arts Grantees have all been notified of their awards and will be announced in a Press Release and on our website shortly! These talented folks will be fêted with a Virtual Celebration where they’ll get to meet the other members of their cohort and establish an interdisciplinary support network of artists all over Brooklyn. A big thank you to the New York Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts for funding this initiative.
Teaching Artists had their first Convening of the year to welcome back Phil Alexander, our beloved AIE Director, and to prep for this year’s CASA and SU-CASA programs, which will take place virtually as the borough continues to grapple with the virus. BAC also welcomed back Monae Freeman to the AIE team, who will lead the charge in matching TA’s with schools and senior centers, offering much-needed arts programming.
Work With Us
Now Hiring: Development & External Affairs Associate
A key member of the Development & External Affairs team, the Development & External Affairs Associate will work collaboratively and creatively to increase support for and awareness of the arts in Brooklyn. This is an excellent opportunity to play an integral role in developing BAC’s donor base, and to be part of a hardworking team of creative and talented arts professionals who are dedicated to helping and sustaining Brooklyn’s cultural sector.
We strongly encourage Black, Indigenous, and all people of color to apply.
Learn More
Events
News12 Town Hall: COVID & Recovery
March 10, 2021
7:00 PM
Online Event
News 12 The Bronx and Brooklyn is hosting a virtual town hall regarding COVID, the latest vaccine news, and our recovery as a community. This event is part of the News12 ongoing effort to have a lively discussion and inform viewers about how the city will look in the coming months as we work to recover from the damage the pandemic did to the city. Charlotte A. Cohen, Executive Director of Brooklyn Arts Council, will be joining to discuss the NYC Open Culture program and how it will help our borough and the city.
Tune in on: News 12 Brooklyn; Instagram; Facebook
Live Virtual Table Read: Cowboy Joe Redux
March 10, 2021
3:00 PM
Online Event
Yeehaw! Join us for a special live virtual table read of Cowboy Joe Redux, a short film about a Chinese girl who wants to be a cowboy. Struggling with a toxic home life, Joey attempts to find personal expression and autonomy by watching Spaghetti Westerns and the cowboy culture. Wielding lessons from John Wayne, she confronts her parents in a face-off and learns that life isn't as simple as the Westerns that she sees on TV. Cowboy Joe Redux is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC). Visit Jingjing Tian, a BAC grantee, on her Instagram and Twitter.
Visual Artists' Immigration Clinic
March 23, 2021 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM
June 8, 2021 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Online Event
Are you an international visual artist seeking to work in the United States? Meet an attorney of the Visual Artists' Immigration Clinic. The Visual Artists' Immigration Clinic is designed to guide emerging and established international visual artists through the process of obtaining a visa to the United States. The Center for Art Law is a Brooklyn-based research and education nonprofit that offers resources and programming for the advancement of a vibrant arts and law community. The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts is a public charity dedicated to providing artists across all disciplines with space, tools and a cooperative forum for the development of individual practice.
NY PopsUp
February 20 - September 5, 2021
NY PopsUp is an expansive festival featuring hundreds of pop-up performances, many of which are free of charge and all open to the public. This series of events is intended to revitalize the spirit and emotional well-being of New York citizens with the energy of live performance while jumpstarting New York's struggling live entertainment sector.
Exploring Neuroscience & the Legacy of the Holocaust
April 22, 2021
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Online Event
Join the Ripple Project at the Museum of Jewish Heritage for an exploration by neuroscientist Dr. Daniela Schiller, filmmaker Liron Unreich, and producer Roy Wol, into the upcoming feature-length documentary, The Ripple Project ONE, which profiles five creative individuals working through the enduring trauma of the Holocaust. Visit the Ripple Project on their Instagram and Facebook.
Smack Mellon presents Katya Grokhovsky: FANTASYLAND
March 20, 2021 - May 2, 2021
Opening Reception: March 20, 2021 | 4:00 - 8:00 PM
Artist Talk: April 18, 2021 | 3:00 PM
Artist Performance: May 1, 2021 | 4:00 PM
FANTASYLAND is a site-specific mixed media installation that explores the rise and fall of a fantastical empire and its uncertain future. Using a variety of mediums and objects, Katya Grokhovsky underscores American society’s surplus of objects, brutally intoxicating consumerism, and unbridled desire for material possessions that form an ironic, ultimate beacon and capitalist symbol of freedom. Visit Katya Grokhovsky on her Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
All In NYC: Embracing Diversity Webinar Series–Exploring NYC’s Rich Cultural Heritage
March 4, 2021
Online Event
Our six-part Black travel webinar program, part of our All In NYC: Embracing Diversity series, creates space for honest conversation that uplifts Black voices, shares the lived experience of Black New Yorkers, promotes allyship and accountability within NYC & Company and our membership, and builds meaningful alliances across our industry. Learn how to engage with Black audiences in ways that are meaningful, sustainable, equitable and profitable.
14th A.I.R. Biennial: An A-historical Daydream
February 12 - March 14, 2021
A.I.R. Gallery is pleased to present its 14th Biennial exhibition, An A-historical Daydream, curated by Jasmine Wahi. Comprised of a selection of media-based works, the online portion of the show is on view from January 8 through March 14, 2021 and the gallery exhibition will be open by appointment beginning on February 12, 2021.
Sika Foyer: Mara River Crossing
February 21 – March 27, 2021
Artist Talk via Zoom | March 3, 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Artist Performance | March 14, 2:00 PM
Soloway Gallery is pleased to present “Mara River Crossing” the solo debut of New York based artist Sika Foyer’s fabric bricolage sculptures and paintings. Sika Foyer is an American multidisciplinary artist who explores wrapping cultures, the materiality of wrapping and its cross-cultural rituals to tell ancestral stories and to examine forms of social injustice. Foyer’s tireless gestural motions and micro repetitive layering expose what is covered, what is forbidden and what is hidden in plain sight.
Davina Semo: Reverberation
August 20, 2020 - April 18, 2021
On view at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Davina Semo has created five cast bronze bells to be rung by visitors in the park, recalling the maritime communication once common at this waterfront site. A ringing bell organizes our civic life, inviting us to come together in public space. Its unmistakable sound marks the hours, calls us to assemble, alerts us to danger, and announces momentous occasions.
Opportunities
Brooklyn Arts Council shares reliable funding and mentorship opportunities from outside collectives and institutions as they arise. Check out the latest below.
Open Calls
NYC Open Culture Program
Deadline: Rolling; 15 days prior to event
Starting this spring, arts and cultural institutions and entertainment venues will have access to new permitting opportunities to host cultural programming and performances on New York City streets. Arts and cultural institutions, as well as entertainment venues, will have the opportunity to secure a permit for single day, socially distanced performances at over 100 street locations throughout all five boroughs.
Community Heroes: Open Call
Deadline: Rolling
Community Heroes is a public art and community organizing project celebrating those who bless, serve, support, and strengthen their neighborhoods. Currently, we are looking for local artists in Bed Stuy, Crown Heights, and Fort Greene to be paired with heroes to document their stories for upcoming exhibitions in St. Andrew's Playground, Fort Greene Park, and Commodore Barry Park.
DOT Arterventions: Call for Proposals
Deadline: Rolling
The New York City Department of Transportation’s Temporary Art Program partners with community-based organizations and artists to transform the City’s streets into canvases for art. As part of the Arterventions program, DOT Art invites arts and community-based organizations, galleries, and business improvement districts to request the necessary permits in collaboration with professional artists to commission artwork or relocate existing artwork currently on exhibit in a gallery, alternative art space or in a storage facility to NYCDOT-owned sites.
Recess Session: Open Call
$1,000-$4,000
Deadline: April 10, 2021
The Session program supports the creation of new work by providing flexible work and exhibition space, funding, professional development, and resources to artists to realize ambitious projects in partnership with communities. Selected artists receive an artists' stipend, a materials budget, 24/7 studio access, and 1,200 square feet of studio space.
ChaShaMa: Northern Boulevard Visual Arts Exhibition
Deadline: Rolling
ChaShaMa's Space to Present is currently accepting applications for a visual arts exhibition on Northern Boulevard through the Space to Present Program. The program includes presentation venues varying from storefront windows and raw industrial spaces, to white box galleries and outdoor spaces. We Provide: Free presentation space for dance, music, theatre, performance and visual artists; Administrative and promotional support; Flexible residency lengths from 1 day to 4 weeks; longer residencies are sometimes possible.
CUE Art Foundation: Open Call
Solo Exhibitions
$5,000 honorarium
Deadline: March 12, 2021
The Solo Exhibition Open Call provides emerging and under-recognized artists the necessary resources to present an exhibition at CUE in 2022. The selected artists will receive valuable mentor support from an established artist or curator on the selection panel, including a studio visit and installation guidance in preparation for the exhibition. In addition, exhibiting artists each receive a $5,000 honorarium and an accompanying exhibition catalogue with an essay written by a participant in CUE’s Art Critic Mentoring Program.
Curatorial Projects
$2,500 honorarium
Deadline: March 31, 2021
The Curatorial Project provides one deserving curator or curatorial team the necessary resources to realize an innovative project in CUE’s space in 2022. The selected curator will receive valuable CUE mentor support from an established artist or curator on the selection panel, including installation guidance in preparation for the exhibition. In addition, the curator will be awarded a $2,500 honorarium; a budget of $2,500 to divide amongst participating artists and program speakers; and a production budget of $2,000.
Kunstraum LLC: Open Call
Artist-in-Residence
$300/month
Deadline: March 31, 2021
Our program seeks to explore the relationships between artists and curators by opening up our gallery space to those interested in exploring unconventional and engaging ideas and taking risks. Our Artist-in-Residency program offers 3-month long artist residencies for national and international artists in a quarterly cycle. All resident artists are invited to pursue their independent projects, interact with our steady community of artists, designers and filmmakers as well as mingle with the incoming artists and curators of our ongoing exhibition program and participate in the Studio Visits and Annual Members Show.
Curator-in-Residence
$600/month
Deadline: March 14, 2021
Kunstraum seeks a self-starter with an innovative and ambitious mind that thrives from creative freedom, a leadership role, and is interested in working within an established artist-run gallery. The chosen resident Curator is responsible for directing the gallery program at Kunstraum for a period of 12 months. During the residency, they present their vision through two curated exhibitions - an independent exhibition of their choice and Kunstraum’s annual member show - as well as by supporting two guest curator’s projects.
Photoville Festival: Call for Proposals
Deadline: April 30, 2021
Celebrating our 10 year anniversary – Photoville will once again combine online gatherings, and dispersed outdoor exhibitions. Working with parks and city officials, we plan to safely install exhibition banners throughout parks and public spaces in NYC that will remain on view for several months so that communities can enjoy them while using these open spaces as a place to recharge, exercise, and relax. We want to see your visual stories — local and global, long-term projects and pressing current issues, stories of communities, of celebration, of resilience, of challenges— stories that help us better understand the world around us.
Residencies & Fellowships
Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund
$500 - $5,000
Deadline: Rolling
The Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund helps visual creators stay on track and achieve their dreams by hiring them for Adobe-commissioned projects. The creators selected are passionate about creating personally fulfilling work, sharing their journeys, and activating fellow creatives to craft their own careers. The amount awarded is determined by the selection committee based on the length of the engagement and the scope of work.
Marble House Project Residency Program
Deadline: April 1, 2021
Marble House Project residents will live together in the historic, eight-bedroom Manley-Lefevre house, a communal space organized around responsibilities-sharing systems which highlight sustainability and community. Each session culminates with ART SEED, our public open house weekend event. Artists are invited to share their work with our community through artist talks, readings, performances, and open studios. Marble House Project provides private bedrooms, food, private studio space, and artist support.
Culture Hub Residency
$2,500
Deadline: April 18, 2021
CultureHub envisions a world where technology amplifies our humanity rather than diminishes it. We support artists who critically examine technology from a diverse array of mediums and creative perspectives. The residency program is designed to support artists as they take risks and target specific areas of their project’s development. Yearlong residencies will take place between July 1, 2021–June 30, 2022 and will be anchored in either New York or Los Angeles.
Harlem Studio Museum Artist Residency
$20,000
Deadline: April 19, 2021
Since 1968, the Studio Museum has earned recognition for its catalytic role in advancing the work of visual artists of African and Afro-Latinx descent through its Artist-in-Residence program. Every year, the Museum offers an eleven-month residency for three local, national, or international emerging artists working in any media. Each artist receives institutional guidance and professional development, research support, and a stipend of 20K paid out on a bi-weekly basis over the course of the residency.
MacDowell Fellowship
Deadline: April 15, 2021
A MacDowell Fellowship consists of exclusive use of a studio, accommodations, and three prepared meals a day for up to eight weeks. The sole criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence and encourages applications from artists representing the widest possible range of perspectives and demographics. MacDowell welcomes artists engaging in the broadest spectrum of artistic practice and investigating an unlimited array of inquiries and concerns.
Joan Mitchell Fellowship
$60,000
Deadline: Rolling
By nomination only
The Joan Mitchell Fellowship re-envisions the Foundation’s oldest program to deepen its investment in artists’ long-term success through a multi-year fellowship with related professional offerings. The Fellowship will provide 15 artists based in the U.S. with unrestricted funds of $60,000 each, distributed over the course of 5 years.
The National Endowment for the Arts: CREATIVE WRITING FELLOWSHIPS
$25,000
Deadline: March 5, 2021
The National Endowment for the Arts 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. Applications are reviewed through an anonymous process in which the criteria for review are the artistic excellence and artistic merit of the submitted manuscript. Through this program, the Arts Endowment seeks to sustain and nurture a diverse range of creative writers at various stages of their careers and to continue to expand the portfolio of American art.
OneBeat Virtual Fellows
Deadline: March 10, 2021
OneBeat brings together emerging musical leaders from around the world to collaboratively create original work and to develop a global network of civically engaged music initiatives. OneBeat Virtual Fellows will investigate new forms of virtual collaboration, form ensembles to write, produce, and perform genre-defying work, attend virtual masterclasses and open-studios, lead online workshops, and produce a streaming final concert for the public. Fellows will also have the opportunity to pursue self-directed projects during the Fellowship. These projects will address a particular community and focus on community engagement and participation.
IEA Experimental Projects Residencies
Deadline Visual Arts: March 15, 2021
Deadline Electronic Media: April 1, 2021
One or two-week residency, with artist stipend, travel-support, lodging, technology access, materials, and technical assistance. Artists have access to a combination of emerging, contemporary, and historical media arts tools and materials, many are unique and not ordinarily available in a studio setting. The resident artists have 24-hour dedicated access to the IEA studio and equipment. The IEA research specialist will work with the resident artist. Additional technical staff and faculty are also available for consultation.
Asian American Arts Alliance Fellowships
Jadin Wong Fellowship
$6,000
Deadline: March 21, 2021
The Asian American Arts Alliance is pleased to administer, with support from the New York Community Trust, the 2021 Jadin Wong Fellowship for an emerging Asian American dance artist to create new work. The Jadin Wong Fellowship recognizes an emerging Asian American dance artist whose work shows strong potential for greater achievement and who hopes to make a significant impact on the Asian American and New York City artistic community as a whole.
Van Lier Fellowship
$6,000
Deadline: March 21, 2021
The Van Lier Fellowship will be awarded to a music artist for the creation of new work in Music Performance and Composition. The Van Lier Fellowship program aims to advance the careers and creative practice of Asian American artists living in New York City. This program supports early-career arts practitioners whose work shows outstanding promise in the fields of theater, music, and visual art to further develop their talent and to help establish them in the professional arts community.
Grants & Funding
The Cultural Solidarity Fund
$500
Deadline: March 5, 2021
The Cultural Solidarity Fund will open with $100,000 distributing an initial 200 $500 relief micro-grants to artists and cultural workers based in New York City. While $500 is not a huge amount of money, we hope that this streamlined process can make these grants accessible to any artist or cultural worker in need.
DPOE-N Professional Development Funding
Max $2,500
Deadline: Rolling
The Digital Preservation Outreach and Education Network (DPOE-N) is seeking applications for individuals and institutions to support professional development in the area of digital preservation. More specifically, funds are available to support library, archive, and museum professionals in the area of digital preservation. DPOE-N is interested in hearing from institutions who are looking to enhance their digital preservation capacities, as well as those who may have digital preservation challenges stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak.
BRIC Media Share 2021
Deadline: March 11, 2021
Media Share is an NY Emmy award winning, in-kind grant program for Brooklyn-based and Brooklyn-affiliated non profit organizations. Since 2013, 60+ groups have benefited from this program. BRIC has adapted our successful education & production grant to create a 6-8 month remote program. Staff from selected organizations will take media classes and collaborate with a Producing Mentor to co-create video and/or podcast projects. Finished projects will air on Brooklyn Free Speech channels and on the organization's website and social media platforms. Plus, participants have on-going access to the BRIC Media Center.
The National Endowment for the Arts
Challenge America
$10,000
Deadline: April 22, 2021
Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines that extend the reach of the arts to populations that are underserved. Challenge America features an abbreviated application, a robust structure of technical assistance, and grants for a set amount of $10,000. This category is an entry point for organizations seeking Arts Endowment funding.
Research Grants in the Arts
$10,000 - $100,000
Part 1 Deadline: March 29, 2021
Research Grants in the Arts support research studies that investigate the value and/or impact of the arts, either as individual components of the U.S. arts ecology or as they interact with each other and/or with other domains of American life. Research Grants in the Arts provides an opportunity to engage with the National Endowment for the Arts’ five-year agenda for 2017-2021. Matching/cost share grants of $10,000 to $100,000 will be awarded.
NEA Research Grants
$150,000
Part 1 Deadline: March 29, 2021
NEA Research Labs funds transdisciplinary research teams grounded in the social and behavioral sciences, yielding empirical insights about the arts for the benefit of arts and non-arts sectors alike. Topic areas of interest include the intersections of the arts and 1) entrepreneurship and innovation; 2) creativity, cognition, and learning; and 3) health and social/emotional well-being. Matching/cost share cooperative agreements of up to $150,000 will be awarded.
US Artists international: Mid Atlantic Arts
Max $15,000
Deadline: March 31, 2021
USAI supports performances by American artists at important cultural festivals and arts marketplaces around the globe. Committed to the presence of U.S.-based artists on world stages, USAI provides grants to ensembles and individual performers in dance, music, and theater invited to perform at significant international festivals. In an effort to remain flexible to the needs in the field as they navigate COVID-19, USAI currently accepts applications for funding to support virtual performances as well as eligible in-person engagements at international festivals. Support for postponed engagement dates is also being offered. The upcoming March deadline will support projects taking place between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
Creative Capital Award
Max $50,000
Deadline: March 8, 2021
Creative Capital helps visionary artists in all disciplines build thriving careers, and every year we review applications from artists ready to take the next step in their creative practices. The selected artists receive the Creative Capital Award, which includes up to $50,000 in funding for bold new projects, as well as a wide range of counsel, career development, and networking opportunities to make their work come to life.
Asian Women Giving Circle
Max $15,000
Deadline: March 12, 2021
Asian Women Giving Circle (AWGC) believes culture is an essential part of any strategy for social change. We support Asian American women-led organizations and individual artists in NYC who are using arts and culture to bring about progressive social transformation, raise awareness and catalyze action around critical issues that affect Asian American women, girls and families, and highlight and promote women’s central role as leaders, creators, developers and managers of these projects.
Franklin Furnace Fund
Max $2,000 - $10,000
Deadline: April 1, 2021
The Franklin Furnace Fund awards grants annually to early career artists to enable them to produce major performance art works in New York. Grants range between $2,000 and $10,000 based on the peer review panel allocation of funding received by Franklin Furnace.
Jerome Foundation FILM, VIDEO AND DIGITAL PRODUCTION GRANTS
Max $30,000
Deadline: April 21, 2021
Production grants of up to $30,000 for all stages of production, supporting early career film, video and digital production directors. Directors must reside in the five boroughs of New York City and work in the animation, documentary, experimental or narrative genres, or in any combination of these forms.
New COVID-19 Survey for Cultural Organizations
Deadline: March 8, 2021
We are partnering with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs for a new survey of the city’s cultural community. Make your voice heard and help capture the impact this crisis has had on our city's cultural sector.
What We're Reading
Brian Boucher. "After a Bitter Battle, the Guggenheim and Its New Union Have Struck a Deal for Improved Pay and Benefits," Arnet, February 2021.
Colleen Dilenschneider. "Quicker Decisions & Redemptions: The Pandemic Has Changed Visitation Timelines," Know Your Own Bone, February 2021.
Alex Greenberger. "MoMA Receives Women-Focused Photography Gift Intended to ‘Unfix the Canon," ArtNews, February 2021.
Colin Moynihan. "New York City’s Arts and Recreation Employment Down 66%, Report Says," New York Times, February 2021.
Naomi Rea. "Museums Are Selling Virtual Classes and Tours to Boost Revenue During the Pandemic. Here’s What They’ve Learned About What Works," Artnet, February 2021.
Seph Rodney. "Finding Art Miles Away From the Expected," New York Times, February 2021.
Have you encountered an inspiring or engaging read related to the COVID-19 era lately? Tell us about it at webmaster@brooklynartscouncil.org.
Help Sustain Brooklyn's Artists
During times of uncertainty, Brooklyn Arts Council depends increasingly upon community members like you to help us continue celebrating and empowering local artists.