Happy New Year FROM BAC!
This year, and every year, we celebrate the artists, neighbors, and cultural workers who fill Brooklyn with creativity, care, and resilience. In complex times that call for connection and imagination, artists help us make meaning and move forward together.
The past year brought real challenges across the arts sector, reinforcing the importance of arts councils as steady advocates for artists and communities. In a recent Our Time Press feature, “Black Brooklyn Influencers,” BAC’s Executive Director Rasu Jilani reflected on navigating 2025 amid funding uncertainty, organizational adaptation, and the impact of sustained advocacy in strengthening support for artists.
As we step into 2026 and celebrate BAC 60, our 60th anniversary, we’re looking ahead with intention. This milestone is not only a celebration of longevity, but a moment to reimagine the role of an arts council, centering collaboration, collective care, and the health of Brooklyn’s cultural ecosystem. We remain committed to supporting artists not in isolation, but as part of a connected and resilient cultural landscape.
Thank you for being part of this community. We’re excited to continue building Brooklyn’s cultural future together in the year ahead 💙
Cecelia Smith at Brooklyn Arts Awards 2025. Photo by Redens Desrosiers/Réx Services
BAC Grantee Events
Jamie Courville and Chris Reynolds: Gowanus Current
Jamie Courville & Chris Reynolds are a 2025 BAC Grantee.
January 17 | 2pm | The Museum of the City of New York - 1220 Fifth Ave, NY
Join us for a film about people, pollution, planning, and real estate on the most toxic 1.8 miles of water in America. Shot over the course of ten years, Gowanus Current employs a strictly observational direct-cinema approach to examine the convictions of this diverse community and the textures of its landscape. A documentary portrait of activism and its limits, this is urgent civic cinema exploring the conflict engendered by a housing crisis, income inequality and a changing climate. A discussion with the filmmakers will follow.
ARTIFACT No. 21: AN EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC SERIES
Artifact is a 2025 BAC Grantee.
January 18 | 7:30pm | Sleepwalk - 251 Bushwick Ave, BK
Artifact No. 21 showcases an evening focused on ambient drone, instrumental free improvisation, and experimental electronic performance. This month's iteration features the performers Chantal Michelle, Elliott Sharp, and the duo of Brian Wenner and Matthew Ryals.
Grand Pistachio: Layer the Walls Part I
Grand Pistachio is a 2025 BAC Grantee.
January 25 | 2pm | Brooklyn College: Leonard & Claire Tow Center - 2920 Campus Rd, BK
In one Lower East Side tenement, forty layers of wallpaper were found clinging to the walls - each piece applied by a new immigrant family. Using puppetry, masks and live action, Layer the Walls Part I tells the incredible stories held within each layer: an Irish immigrant helps build the Brooklyn Bridge, Italian brothers survive the blizzard of 1888, and two Jewish teenagers join the Garment Workers Strike of 1909. Ages 7 and up. 60 minute performance followed by a shadow puppet workshop.
Remy Davison: The Artisan Who Made Me
Remy Davison is a 2025 BAC Grantee.
Episodes released weekly until March 11 | Virtual
The Artisan Who Made Me is a new urban fantasy audio drama. Artisan explores grief, spirituality, and what it takes to build community. It combines centuries-old Jewish folklore with the present-day queer community in Brooklyn.
After their parents died, it’s like Morgan and Evie forgot how to be family. While Evie vanished for days on end, Morgan focused on leading a quiet, predictable life. Years later, Grace, Evie’s coworker and friend, drags Morgan back into her life. Evie’s disappeared again, and this time, she hasn't come back.
Their search for Evie leads Morgan and Grace to Evie's other life. There’s a hidden world of magic living in secret communities in Brooklyn, kept alive by mutual aid and community solidarity. Why did Evie disappear? Where did she go? Can her friends find her before it’s too late?
Events, Workshops, & Professional Development
NYC WJF Jazz Talks | Honoring 60 Years of AACM
January 10 | 651 ARTS - 10 Lafayette Ave, 4th floor, BK
Iqua Colson, Adegoke Steve Colson, Nicole Mitchell, Isaiah Collier, moderated by Dr. Chad Edward Taylor. Join us for an engaging panel discussion featuring renowned musicians and AACM members Nicole Mitchell, Isaiah Collier, and early members of the AACM Iqua & Adegoke Steve Colson, with the esteemed Dr. Chad Edward Taylor serving as moderator. This thought-provoking dialogue will delve into the evolution of Black Creative music and the influence of the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) on contemporary soundscapes over the last 60 years. Our panelists will share insights into their artistic journeys, explore their creative processes, and discuss the collaborative spirit inherent in the AACM community. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness a rich exchange of ideas and experiences among some of today's most influential voices in music!
Vong Pak’s BINARI
Vong Pak is a CHAG (Cultural Heritage Advisory Group) Member.
January 11 | Jalopy Theatre - 315 Columbia St, BK
Vong Pak's BINARI is a powerful contemporary reimagining of the Korean shamanic blessing ritual known as Binari—a traditional performance offered to bring good fortune, protection, and prosperity to the community. Award-winning performer Vong Pak, recognized for his mastery of Korean percussive traditions, guides audiences through a transformative musical experience that bridges ancient ritual and modern improvisation. With Pak's commanding vocals and expressive percussion at the center, the performance expands into a dynamic trio featuring Rick Parker on trombone and Kevin Zubek on drums. Together, they create an evocative soundscape where ancestral rhythms meet jazz influences, meditative textures, and bold experimental energy. Each performance becomes a living conversation between tradition and innovation—inviting audiences into a space of reflection, healing, and renewed hope. Vong Pak's BINARI is not only a concert; it is a ceremonial offering for collective hope, resilience, and prosperity.
Materials for the Arts: “The Useful Life of Objects” - Opening Reception and Artist Talk
January 15 | MFTA Warehouse - 33-00 Northern Blvd, 3rd floor, LIC
Materials for the Arts (MFTA) presents “The Useful Life of Objects,” a group exhibition featuring recent work by New York–based artists Ronen Gamil, Baseera Khan, Armita Raafat, and Justin Sterling. Opening January 15, 2026, and co-curated by Kendal Henry and Sara Reisman, the exhibition explores the aesthetic, conceptual, and emotional potential of objects diverted from waste streams and given new life through creative reuse.
Featuring works in sculpture, installation, painting, and hybrid forms, “The Useful Life of Objects” examines what it means to extend the lifespan of waste material. Whether reconfiguring scraps from the fashion industry, reframing household remnants, reconfiguring commercial surplus, or incorporating found elements from the public realm, each artist approaches material as both physical matter and cultural record.
Brooklyn Org: Building Blocks - LOI 101
January 15 | 80 Hanson Pl, 5th Floor, BK
Join us at BKO headquarters for a training led by Liz Nellis, a skilled nonprofit consultant with over a decade of experience in data-driven philanthropy. In this training, participants will learn what an LOI (Letter of Intent) is and why it is of interest to institutional funders while gaining a better understanding of how to draft an LOI and other key materials for funding applications.
Light breakfast will be served!
NYFA: Public Art and Creative Placemaking: Activating Nontraditional Spaces
January 15 | Virtual
Interested in public art and creative placemaking? Perhaps you could envision your work in airports, subways, parks and/or cityscapes.
This online panel discussion (Free with RSVP!) will explore the possibilities for art in public and nontraditional spaces, drawing upon the perspective of both artists who have landed these commissions and public art managers who administer them.
In this session, we’ll cover:
Types of public art opportunities
Tips for applying to open calls and/or sharing your work for consideration
How these commissions are structured: budget, process, and timeline
An inside look as to how these projects come to fruition, from both the artists’ and managers’ perspectives
Creatives Thrive NYC: Get Shameless: Make More Money This Year
January 15 | Virtual
Creatives Thrive NYC (CTNYC) helps New York City Artists and Creatives build the financial skills to meet big challenges! CTNYC is an innovative new year-round training initiative providing expert financial knowledge, trusted resources and a network of reliable partners to help Creative New Yorkers thrive in our often chaotic economy.
Books4Rikers Fundraiser
January 15 | BOYFRIEND co-op café + bar - 1157 Myrtle Ave, BK
Please join us for our first Books4Rikers fundraiser! Our goal is to raise money for reading materials for the 7,500 people incarcerated on Rikers Island. We will be crafting, drinking, and hanging out from 6-10 pm.
Books for Rikers was founded in 2025 by a group of library workers who have experience providing library services on Rikers Island. We started this initiative in response to the overwhelming need for information resources on the island.
BRooklyn Children’s Museum: Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.
January 18-19 | 145 Brooklyn Ave, BK
Turn dreams into action with two days of service, storytelling, and song!
March with Grammy-nominated musician Fyütch, create shadow puppets, join community service projects, and hear Dr. King’s words come to life.
Brooklyn Org: Building Blocks - Forming A Nonprofit
January 20 | Brooklyn Org's Office - 80 Hanson Pl, 5th Floor, BK
Join us at BKO headquarters for a training led by Melissa Prober, an experienced attorney specializing in small businesses and nonprofits! In this training, participants will learn the complexities of running a new nonprofit or obtaining 501C3 status in compliance with current laws and regulations.
Light breakfast will be served.
The Laundromat Project: February Liberation Series - Sound Collage Workshop
February 6 | The LP Storefront - 1476 Fulton St, BK
First Fridays, or Liberation Series, is a monthly, artist-led, community-building gathering hosted in our Bed-Stuy storefront. Each season is guided by an artist working at the intersection of culture, imagination, and collective power.
We’ll begin this four-part series with an Opening Portal: Sound Collage Workshop! Using portable mics and phones, participants will pair up to capture Bed Stuy’s ambient hum, conversations, rhythms, sirens, and silence, and collaboratively remix these sounds into a living collage. This session is grounded in presence, attuning our ears to the neighborhood’s past, present, and future.
Opportunities
NYSCA: FY27 Capital Opportunity
Deadline: January 13
Attention NYS arts and culture nonprofits! The FY 2026 Capital Projects Fund application is now open!
Eligible organizations must prequalify to do business with NYS before they can compete for grants with any NYS agency. NYSCA recommends starting the process as soon as possible.
DUMBO Open Studios
Deadline: January 15
DUMBO Open Studios 2026 is April 18 + 19 , 1-6pm.
We're excited to welcome visitors to DUMBO this spring for Open Studios and to highlight your organization's exhibitions and/or events.
Participating galleries should commit to opening their organization for the full event, Saturday & Sunday 1-6pm.
Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program
Deadline: January 15
The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program awards rent-free non-living studio space to 17 visual artists for year-long residencies in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Studio Program residents are selected annually based on merit from a competitive pool of applicants by a professional jury. The program is open to professional visual artists, 21 years or older who live in the US, as well as US citizens or permanent residents living abroad. Applicants may not be enrolled in any degree program, current participants in a Walentas-affiliated program, participate in any other residency program, or maintain a separate studio during their residency.
BAX: EmergeNYC
Deadline: January 15
This is the flagship program that has been the heart and soul of Emerge since 2008. Designed and led by george emilio sánchez, this program is open to artists in the New York City area, and is comprised of weekly workshops facilitated by george, as well as workshops by guest artists who are leaders in the field of performance and politics. With a decolonial lens, we explore the intersection of art and activism through creative writing, autobiographical narratives, group work, and other multi-disciplinary adventures—all while creating and re-creating a space in which all participants build community with one another, actively listen with their bodies, and build intentional trust to lay a foundation where compassion and risk-taking guide our work together.
NYSCA/Wave Farm: Media Arts Assistance Fund
Deadline: January 15
For New York State artists, the Media Arts Assistance Fund (MAAF) provides support for the completion and/or public presentation of a new or recently completed artwork in all genres of sound and moving image art, including emergent technology. Grant awards assist artists in completing new work, reaching public audiences, and advancing artistic exploration and public engagement in the media arts. Artists may apply for up to $7,500 in support by January 15, 2026. The Media Arts Assistance Fund is a regrant program in partnership with New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).
CUNY Dance Initiative: Open Call
Deadline: January 20
New York City choreographers and dance companies are invited to apply for residencies via the CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI). Designed to take advantage of CUNY facilities while integrating NYC’s dance sector with the public university system, CDI provides local artists with rehearsal and performance space on 14 CUNY college campuses across the boroughs, plus 4 partner arts organizations.
The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable: Teaching Artist Mentorship Program
Deadline: January 30
The NYC Arts in Education Roundtable is proud to launch the fifth cohort of the New York State Teaching Artist Mentorship Program. This regrant opportunity seeks to proactively help mid-career Teaching Artists from across the state develop the networks, skills, and increased capacities necessary to support career advancement and sustainability. The program is supported with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.
The program connects at least 22 mid-career Teaching Artists with a mentor educator or arts leader for 7 months. This program is dedicated to providing funds, mentorship and connections to artist educators across New York State working in and with communities that have been systemically marginalized in the arts education field. Each participating Teaching Artist will be awarded $2,450 to support their participation in the program.
Staten Island Arts: DCLA Art Fund Grants
Deadline: January 31
This grant category is for individual Staten Island artists and art collectives who produce art or cultural programming. All projects must include a public component or simply a public sharing of work (for example, an exhibition/showing at a local venue).
All art and artistic cultural disciplines are considered, including music, dance, digital/new media, film/video/animation, folk arts, humanities and cultural studies, interdisciplinary events/festivals, literature, public art, theatre, and performing and visual arts. No conduit or 501(c)3 is required.
Each grant cycle, under-resourced disciplines are identified and then prioritized in the panel process.
Under-resourced disciplines for 2025 are: Folk Arts, Classical Music/Opera, Photography
The Other Art Fair: The New Futures program
Deadline: February 1
The New Futures program is for first-time exhibiting artists and is one of the elements of our continued mission to break down traditional barriers of the contemporary art world.
Each recipient is awarded a free exhibition space at The Other Art Fair along with access to opportunities designed to jump-start their career.
Recipients are selected in collaboration with art world experts and local creative partners to bring their respective talents and differing perspectives.
2026 Community Board Applications
Deadline: February 6
Community boards are the grassroots of our local government. With 18 community districts, Brooklyn has the most community boards of all five boroughs, each one full of people who care about the well-being of their community.
Community boards work with city agencies, elected officials, and local leaders to ensure their neighborhood’s perspectives and needs are incorporated into the decisions that will affect them. This includes everything from housing development and public transit to our city’s budget and services like sanitation.
What each community board focuses on is largely up to the people who comprise it, which is why it’s so important to get involved.
NYC DOT: Mural Artist Request for Qualifications
Deadline: February 8
The New York City Department of Transportation art program, NYC DOT Art, partners with community-based, nonprofit organizations and professional artists to present temporary public art on NYC DOT property throughout the five boroughs for up to eleven months. Artists transform streets with colorful murals, dynamic projections and eye-catching sculptures. Sidewalks, fences, triangles, medians, bridges, jersey barriers, step streets, public plazas and pedestrianized spaces serve as canvases and foundations for temporary art. Since 2008, NYC DOT Art has produced over 530 temporary artworks citywide.
NYC DOT: Signature Events Art Installations Request for Proposals
Deadline: February 8
NYC DOT Art invites all professional artists to submit proposals for artwork to be installed during Car-Free Earth Day and or Summer Streets at sites designated by NYC DOT as a one-day installation. Please carefully read the different requirements and expectations for the range of events. Car-Free Earth Day installations would be displayed on a singular date and location; however, Summer Streets installations could be on display on two to five different dates and locations, including two locations on the same date.
The display structure and attachments must be compliant with the requirements stipulated; the majority of sites available for art installations are concrete sidewalks or asphalt street spaces.
Up to two artists may be selected per event.
NYC DOT Art will determine final funding based on the complexity of the project and overall proposed budget.
We encourage proposals that include programming to complement the installation; giveaways are also welcome but not necessary.
Artists may submit existing artwork.
NYLAAT: 2026 Residency Program
Deadline: February 15
The New York Latin American Art Triennial (NYLAAT) Artist Residency Program is process-based, with the expectation or promise of a final exhibition of the work. The program provides artists, designers and creative thinkers time, space and a supportive community in which to develop ideas and focus on their artistic direction. In addition to our time-honored studio residencies, a variety of innovative professional immersion program provide opportunities for artists to explore new areas of social and technological practice and engage critically within their field. A unique combination of creative and professional resources provides a rich environment for growth and opportunity in the current, vibrant art scene.
Recess Art: Session Open Call
Deadline: February 23
Session provides artists a 1200sf workspace in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn and 6-10 weeks to develop a new inquiry-based project meant to push the boundaries of their practice. They will receive an artist honorarium, planning meeting fees, project expenses, technical support, and mentorship collectively valued at approximately $22,500-$25,000. Throughout the session, we will facilitate public interactions with the Recess community, as well as connections among intentional communities as identified by each artist. Our hope is that these engagements provide an opportunity for mutually beneficial exchanges that not only refine the artists’ thinking, but that challenge dominant social narratives and activate new forms of artmaking.
Dance Workforce Resilience Fund
Deadline: Rolling until March 6
Made possible by the support of the Ford Foundation, New York Community Trust, and other generous funders, the pilot iteration of the Dance Workforce Resilience (DWR) Fund directly supports individual freelance dancers through one-time $1,000 grants. Awards are determined through a weighted lottery system that prioritizes the most underpaid and unprotected groups of dance workers. It will distribute $324,000 over the course of the grant period to 320+ awardees for contracted dance work completed between January 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026.
Resources
Dance/USA : Free Dance Advocacy Training & Toolkit
On-demand, comprehensive webinars on advocacy in the government and the workplace
Dance/USA believes every dance professional can acquire the skills to create change. Access both trainings immediately, then sign up for companion resources to put your learning into action.
BPL: Brooklyn Newsstand
Brooklyn Newsstand is a collection of digitized Brooklyn newspapers made possible through a partnership between Brooklyn Public Library and Newspapers.com. The titles represent various Brooklyn neighborhoods and each newspaper, provides a wide variety of coverage and includes information on politics, business, education, church events, sports, entertainment, and community happenings. Some papers provide coverage of international events while others are exclusively devoted to events in Brooklyn. Since no two titles are identical in scope the individual descriptions should be consulted to discover the precise contents of each paper.
Brooklyn Newsstand (2,402,000 digitized pages) contains 44 Brooklyn based newspapers, each listed with date ranges and description.
What We're Reading
“NYC Cultural Institutions Group Taps New Leaders”
by Isa Farfan | Hyperallergic
“We’ll be BWAC: After fire, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition launches search for new home”
by Kirstyn Brendlen | Brooklyn Paper
“How Trump Impacted Arts and Culture in 2025”
by Isa Farfan | Hyperallergic
“The MetroCard is becoming a museum piece in 'FAREwell' exhibit”
by Hannah Frishberg | Gothamist
Cover Image: Das Rauschgift, Das Besties, 2025 BAC Grantee. Photo: Jose Miranda
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.