NYFA.org - NYFA Current

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We’ve Moved!

Visit NYFA.org/blog to view the NYFA blog.

We are so grateful for your readership, and hope that you’ll bookmark our new blog page for more tools, tips, and resources from NYFA! 

Keep up-to-date on the latest from NYFA and sign up for NYFA’s bi-weekly newsletter, NYFA News, to receive announcements about future NYFA events and programs.

Image: Andrew Brischler (Painting ’15), NEW (Orange), 2014, oil and acrylic on canvas over panel

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Introducing | 2020 Canadian Women Artists’ Award Recipients Destinie Adelakun and Sara Jimenez

The Canadian Women Artists’ Award is offered by NYFA with funding from the Canadian Women’s Club of New York.

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has announced interdisciplinary artists Destinie Adelakun and Sara Jimenez as its 2020 Canadian Women Artists’ Award recipients. The $5,000 award is designed to provide financial support to women-identifying emerging or early career artists working in any discipline, and can be used in any manner the recipient deems necessary to further their artistic goals. The award program is supported by funding granted to NYFA by the Canadian Women's Club (CWC) of New York as a way to continue its philanthropic work when it disbanded. This year, in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the creative community, the CWC and NYFA decided to award two prizes.

“We’re proud to partner with the Canadian Women’s Club to offer this award, and are especially grateful to recognize not one but two artists,” said Michael L. Royce, Executive Director, NYFA. “Destinie Adelakun and Sara Jimenez are exceptionally talented cross-disciplinary artists, and we are excited to hear more from them as they continue to push their careers forward,” he added.

Destinie Adelakun is a Lagos, Nigeria-born, Nagpur, India-raised Canadian artist whose work extends from mixed-media, painting, and photography to film and sculpture, and explores topics ranging from African history, mythology, and spirituality. She utilizes individuals in her work as a personification of principles and ideas, and a way to re-illustrate African and Indian mythological tales. Adelakun, who received a BFA degree in Fashion Production from The London College of Fashion, celebrates women of the African diaspora and plays with the adornment that embodies the creative direction of the work. She has collaborated with noted art world icons such as Renee Cox, Mickalene Thomas, and Taha Clayton to name a few, and curated several art shows in the New York region before recently transitioning to showing her own art and photography work. She currently lives and works in New York, NY.

Said Adelakun upon receiving a 2020 Canadian Women Artists’ Award: "As a biracial daughter of the diaspora, life has thrown countless battles on my path to success. I recently became a mother during this global pandemic, and just when I felt overwhelmed and buried by the challenges of life I received this ray of opportunity. This award means that I have the opportunity to continue to create work. It is an opportunity for me to allow other young women of color, especially mothers, to see that creativity and achievement doesn't end after childbirth. This award and its recognition will elevate my career to a whole new level, and it's an affirmation to continue working and believing in myself."

Sara Jimenez explores the material embodiment of deep transcultural memories. As an interdisciplinary Filipinx-Canadian artist, she is interested in materializing existing global narratives around concepts of origins and home, loss and absence. She works in collage, sculpture, installation, and performance to create visual metaphors that allude to mythical environments and forgotten artifacts. Jimenez is a collector and alchemist: among other things, she collects familial narratives, abandoned objects, debris, compost, colonial texts and photos, maps, and textiles. Through material experimentation, she combines and rearranges elements from her collections to complicate pre-existing narratives of place, lineage, and temporality. Her work has been exhibited at the Pinto Art Museum (Philippines), El Museo del Barrio, Brooklyn Museum, and others, and she has performed at numerous venues including The Dedalus Foundation, The Noguchi Museum, and Dixon Place. Upcoming, Jimenez will have solo shows at Irvine Fine Arts Center and The Center for Chinese Contemporary Art in Manchester, England, and will participate in the 2021 Cornell Biennial curated by Tim Murray. Jimenez received her BA degree from the University of Toronto and her MFA degree from Parsons the New School for Design. She teaches at Parsons, New York University, and Borough of Manhattan Community College and mentors graduate students at the Vermont College of Fine Art and School of Visual Arts. Jimenez is based in Brooklyn, NY.

Said Jimenez upon receiving a 2020 Canadian Women Artists’ Award: "I am incredibly honored to receive this award. It is humbling and moving to be gifted resources to pursue my vision and share it with the world. I want my work to be of service to the public and to shift the paradigm of visual culture."

Lorraine Bell, Board Director Bridgemarq Real Estate Services, Hot Docs Foundation USA, the University of Toronto Associates, Inc., and former Canadian Women’s Club member, spoke about the rationale behind giving two awards in 2020: "I know the financial struggles that artists face during the best of times can be difficult, but layer a global pandemic onto that and it can be overwhelming. So the decision to award two worthy Canadian recipients in 2020 was made and we are thrilled with the selections of artists Adelakun and Jimenez."

Find out about additional awards and grants here. Sign up for our free bi-weekly newsletter NYFA News to receive announcements about future NYFA events and programs.

Images from top: Destinie Adelakun and Sara Jimenez, Photo Credits: Sheridon Poyer and Sara Jimenez; Destinie Adelakun, ADE - Oshun and Oya's crown, 2020; and Sara Jimenez, Cenotaph, 2018

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Register Now | Online Course: Build and Develop Your Fundraising Strategies

A deep dive into proposal writing, developing your networks, and individual giving this September and October via Zoom.

Interested in upping your fundraising game this fall? Join New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and Asylum Arts as we offer an online course on developing and building fundraising strategies for your career and art practice. The course, which will provide deep-dives into proposal writing, developing your networks, and individual giving, is designed for artists of all disciplines and will be accessible anywhere you have internet access through Zoom. It will be taught by Rebecca Guber, Founder and Director of Asylum Arts.

The September and October course will focus on two topics: “Proposal Writing: How to Work Smarter, Not Harder, On Getting What You Want” and “Developing Your Networks and Individual Fundraising.” Each topic is comprised of a webinar and an interactive workshop, and artists can register for one or both depending on their individual needs. In order to provide personalized feedback, interactive workshops will be capped at 25 participants; those registering for an interactive workshop must first take the webinar on that topic. 

Cost:

$25 for one webinar

$75 for one webinar and the corresponding interactive workshop

$125 for the full course of two webinars and two interactive workshops

Guber, who brings 20 years of expertise in the art world to the course, has been called a “kind, knowledgeable presenter” and her previous proposal writing workshop was reviewed as a “lively, informative overview” by participant Laura Maria Censabella. "Even after being in the 'business’ for a while, I learned some things I can be doing better," said Censabella.

Read on for more details on each and how to register.

Proposal Writing: How to Work Smarter, Not Harder, On Getting What You Want

Webinar: Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT Interactive Workshop: Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

Many opportunities for artists require written proposals, which can seem like a skill far away from your artistic process. This topic is geared towards individual artists seeking grant or residency program opportunities or who are looking to pitch projects via written materials.

The September 23 webinar will cover: 

How to present your best self and work in written proposals.

Different types of proposals that artists may encounter.

Common elements of a proposal and best practices.

How to be most efficient with your research and proposal writing.

What happens during the review process.

The September 30 interactive workshop will provide:

In-depth explanation of the different types of project budgets.

How to use budgets to tell the story of your project.

Pitfalls and challenges of budgets.

Key aspects of strong artist statements.

Feedback on your artist statement.

For more detailed information and to register for “Proposal Writing: How to Work Smarter, Not Harder, On Getting What You Want,” click here.

Developing Your Networks and Individual Fundraising

Webinar: Wednesday, October 21, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT Interactive Workshop: Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM EDT

This topic is for individual artists and those who run companies/organizations who would like to incorporate individual giving into their fundraising model, and better activate and cultivate their existing networks. 

The October 21 webinar will cover:

Fundamentals of individual giving.

Why people give.

Cultivation and relationship-building techniques.

How to ask for money.

How artists can leverage their networks to increase support for their work.

The October 28 interactive workshop will provide:

An in-depth look into the topics covered in the October 21 webinar.

Ways to identify your existing network and opportunities for growth.

Tips for speaking compellingly about your creative projects as a way to gain support.

Role-play and practice asking for funding

For more detailed information and to register for "Developing Your Networks and Individual Fundraising,” click here.

Interested in taking the full course? 

For more detailed information and to register for “Proposal Writing: How to Work Smarter, Not Harder, On Getting What You Want” and “Developing Your Networks and Individual Fundraising,” click here.

Presenter’s Bio: Rebecca Guber is the Director and Founder of Asylum Arts, a global network of over 600 emerging Jewish artists. She was previously the founder and Director of the Six Points Fellowship. Guber has built a community of artists exploring Jewish ideas and identity through fellowship commissions for new work, grants, international retreats, and professional development. Over the last 12 years, her projects have been the largest direct funder of emerging Jewish artists, distributing over 1.5 million dollars for new projects. Artists supported through her efforts have produced readings, workshops, and performances and have been featured in hundreds of articles and blog posts, including major press, radio, and national TV. Guber has also worked at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and founded the Shpatzirin Festival. She has reviewed many thousands of proposals over her 20 years in the art world and has facilitated many review panels. Guber hates jargon, and loves proposals that are unusual, interesting, and paint a clear picture. 

Questions? Email [email protected]. 

This program is presented by NYFA Learning. Sign up here to receive NYFA News, a bi-weekly organizational email for upcoming awards, resources, and professional development. NYFA Learning also offers the monthly Immigrant Artist Program (IAP) Newsletter if you are interested in opportunities, professional development, events, and tips and advice specific to immigrant artists.

Image: NYFA Online Learning: Proposal Writing: How to Work Smarter, Not Harder, on Getting What You Want!, September 2019, Courtesy NYFA

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Business of Art | Literary Submissions 101

Top tips for getting your work seen by editors and publishers.

When it comes to getting your work published, writing is only half of the job. Submitting your work to publications is also a big part of being a writer, and it requires some strategizing. Not sure where to begin? We compiled a series of tips from previous NYFA Current articles, plus updated best practices, and some very helpful advice from former #ArtistHotline guest chat participants Elisa Gabbert and Lincoln Michel. So take a deep breath, gather your courage, and take note of the tips below before starting to submit your work!

Step 1 - Doing the Research

It might sound obvious, but we will say it one more time for the people in the back: you must read and familiarize yourself with the publications you’re considering sending your work to. What kind of work do they typically publish? Do any of their published works stand out to you? Who is their audience? When do they usually have open calls? 

If you’re not sure how to begin this research, a good place to start is by following the steps of your main inspirations. Where have they published before? Have they written about their process anywhere? Do they talk about it in interviews? Interact with them on social media, but don’t expect them to take you by the hand and answer all of your questions, especially if unsolicited. Every now and then writers will feel like engaging on Instagram or Twitter, either creating threads or soliciting questions. Take advantage of these moments, but don’t be invasive. You can also follow hashtags like #pubtip and #querytip, used by writers, agents, and editors to share snippets of advice for aspiring writers. Another great way to understand where your heroes currently are and how they got there, is by reading the “Thank Yous” and “Acknowledgments” in their publications. 

Step 2 - Getting Organized

Step number one means you’ll collect a lot of information, which can quickly become unparsable. Before that happens, we suggest preparing a spreadsheet where you can organize all the publications you believe are a good match. Here’s a sample spreadsheet with some basic information you should have on hand for tracking your submissions. You might have to submit several times before getting a yes (and that’s totally normal), so make sure to track your “yes” and “no” responses and feedback received (if any) for future applications.

Feeling overwhelmed? Prioritize your submissions. What is your dream venue? If it’s a super-selective place, they’ll probably require a more extensive publication history. Focus on building this history first, perhaps applying to smaller names in the industry, and then aiming for the powerhouses. The most important thing here is to make sure this process doesn’t compromise your writing time. Here are a few tips on how to balance your time between submitting work and making it. 

Step 3 - Selecting Materials

Your “favorite-ever-thing-you-have-ever-written” is probably great, but it still might not be the best fit for a particular open call. When choosing what materials to send out, ask yourself the following question: does this work fit seamlessly with the other stories, essays, or poems this platform typically publishes? Choose objectively.

Along with your writing, open calls may ask for other supporting materials. The main one, and arguably, the most feared, is the cover letter. According to Lincoln Michel, writers don’t need to worry so much about them, focusing on keeping them short, direct, and simple. It's still important to know who you’re writing to, though. Show you did your research by matching the style of the publishing venue, Elisa Gabbert advises. CVs, references, and bios are other common files requested. Learn how to prepare them with these older, but golden tips from BinderCon. In terms of design, err on the side of cleanliness. Stick to the basics unless formatting is a big part of your text (for example, if you’re writing concrete poetry). 

Last but not least, follow the guidelines! Remember, one very important thing must happen before an editor even gets to read your submission: you must make it out of the slush pile. Due to competitiveness or likely lack of time on the side of jurors, you might receive a rejection simply because you did not follow simple rules like sticking to the word count or labeling your files correctly. 

Step 4 - Dealing with the Nos

Rejection is normal and does not necessarily mean your work is not good enough. Maybe your manuscript got lost in the slush pile—it happens to the best of us—or maybe it was not a good fit for the platform at that particular moment. 

Use rejections as a teachable moment. Ask for feedback if possible, but don’t be offended if editors are not able to answer. If you do get a response, don’t feel pressured to internalize all critiques or to revamp your work completely. Know your writing and your value as a writer so you can process useful commentary and disregard the rest. Follow the advice of Gabbert and develop a network of trusted peers (folks in the industry, friends) that can be your beta-readers and be ready to accept and learn from honest criticism. 

- Luiza Teixeira-Vesey, Designer/Marketing Officer

This article draws inspiration from #ArtistHotline, an initiative dedicated to creating an ongoing online conversation around the professional side of artistic practice. Our goal is to help artists discover the resources needed, online and off, to develop sustainable careers. You can follow NYFA at @nyfacurrent​ on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Find Elisa Gabbert and Lincoln Michel tweeting at @egabbert and @TheLincoln.

Have an arts career question? You can contact NYFA staff directly by emailing [email protected].

Image: Gil Avineri (Fellow in Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts Fellow ’14); Ghastly Spread Between; 2009; color pencil, ink, acrylic, photo,collage on paper

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Monday Motivation | Are You a Good Storyteller?

Kick off your week with Monday Motivation!

Tip of the week

In a busy, competitive job market, it's common to hear that we must always be objective. Applications should take advantage of bullet points, numbers, and facts, that's true. That doesn't mean, however, that they have to be boring. The way you talk about this data is also important to make sure you capture the attention of recruiters. Practice telling concise stories with a beginning, middle, and end that highlight relevant aspects of your career. Not sure where to begin? Here are a few tips from the Columbia University School of Professional Studies.  

This week’s highlighted jobs:

Production Assistant Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY

Art Gallery Preparator L.A. Louver Venice, CA

Advisor for Cultural Affairs and Creative Industries Consulate General of Finland in New York New York, NY

Advertising Associate Artforum Magazine New York , NY

Marketing Director Buffalo International Film Festival Buffalo, NY

This week’s highlighted opportunities:

Call for Sculpture Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center Solomons, MD

The Plywood Protection Project - Open Call worthless studios New York, NY  

90th Annual Juried Open Show National Art League Douglaston, NY

Call for Submissions for a Grant from FST StudioProjects Fund FST StudioProjects Fund New York, NY

- Luiza Teixeira-Vesey, Designer/Marketing Officer

Find more jobs and opportunities on NYFA Classifieds.

This post is part of a regular blog series, NYFA Creative Careers. Let us know what careers you’d like to learn more about by visiting us on Twitter: @nyfacurrent and using the hashtag #NYFAClassifieds.

Image: Jiatong Lu (Fellow in Photography ’19), [I]The missing memory(I), 2017, Inkjet print, red string; Photography Credit: Jiatong Lu

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Conversations | Musah Swallah, Rupy C. Tut, and Jason Wyman

"Sharing the impact of personal narratives and challenges on the work being presented and pointing to the smaller narratives that the work is visually and symbolically built on keeps the audience engaged, and offers to share the layered existence of immigrant artists.” – Rupy C. Tut

Visual artist Musah Swallah (IAP Newark ’18) recently collaborated with Rupy C. Tut (IAP Oakland ’19) and Jason Wyman (IAP Oakland Mentor ’18 and ’19) on a virtual studio tour and conversation about his art. The event was a great success, and the trio has much wisdom to impart on showcasing one's artwork in a live, online setting.

NYFA: Tell us about your process of coming together to collaborate on this project.

Musah Swallah: Our participation in the NYFA Immigrant Artist Mentoring program is what brought us together to collaborate on this project. Check-ins from NYFA program organizers such as Judy Cai regarding updates on my artistic career allowed us to stay connected and eventually collaborate on this project.

Jason Wyman: In 2019, I was a Mentor Artist in NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program in Oakland, CA. There, I met artist Rupy C. Tut. At the end of the program, I asked if any mentee would be interested in co-designing some sort of virtual convening of the immigrant artists in NYFA’s programs nationally, and Rupy stepped up.

Over the fall of 2019, Rupy and I—in collaboration with Judy Cai and Felicity Hogan—designed a series of Video Roundtables on topics including values clarification, opportunity identification, and decision making. We began these virtual conversations in February 2020 as COVID-19 started appearing in New York and shelter-in-place orders spread across the country, including the San Francisco Bay Area.

Rupy and I offered to continue convening immigrant artists nationally, centering on the question, “How do we support each other during this pandemic?” Musah attended one of our open sessions, and on the call he mentioned that he wouldn’t be able to showcase the art he created during his residency because COVID-19 made art openings impossible. Rupy and I offered to support Musah in hosting a virtual studio tour and artist talk.  

NYFA: Do you have advice on how to put an online show together? For example, what platforms to use, length of time, ways of organizing, what works to show and the ones you shouldn’t, etc?

JW: My main piece of advice is to ask yourself, “what do I want to get out of showing my work online?” Musah wanted to share the paintings he created during his residency (and some from before his residency) with his community. This helped us focus the online show because we knew what works would be shown and who would be in attendance.

For Musah’s show, we determined that about 60 minutes would be best and a platform like Zoom would be the easiest. Zoom allowed us the opportunity to have both a gallery view of Musah’s whole community, but also a presentation view so we could show his artwork. We showed photographs of work and live views of the physical works. This allowed us to be able to both look at the pieces at a distance and see elements like paint strokes and materials up close.

Rupy C. Tut: I believe that the key to putting on an online artist talk/show is audience engagement and meaningful storytelling. In the context of immigrant artists, sharing the impact of personal narratives and challenges on the work being presented and pointing to the smaller narratives that the work is visually and symbolically built on keeps the audience engaged, and offers to share the layered existence of immigrant artists.

Communication can be a barrier within the art world for immigrant artists, especially when referencing cultures, traditions, and art forms that represent non-Eurocentric parts of the world. To address this barrier, I suggested guiding questions that can allow enough depth to share aspects of the rich cultural roots of the immigrant artist and their artwork, but also allow for a perspective on how their current work relates very crucially to the issues at hand in the larger global community. Guiding prompts can include sharing a unique origin story, purpose for approaching an opportunity or work, the evolution of thought on their journey, challenges and accomplishments, as well as impact on the future of their artistic practice.

NYFA: Rupy and Musah, as immigrant artists, what lessons or experiences can you share that might be useful for our readers to hear about? 

MS: My advice for immigrant artists is to be patient, focus on your craft, and understand that regardless of the challenges you face, you will persevere. It is important that you persevere as an immigrant artist in order to share your story and the stories of those you represent in your art with the world. In order to persevere you need to find a niche—a community of like-minded artists who will offer support and advice when you need it the most. As an immigrant artist you will experience discrimination, but don't let that hold you back. Use it as inspiration. Use your art as a form of activism and bring to light the injustices you and others face as immigrants. Be patient, humble, and keep practicing your craft.

RCT: The most important lesson I have learned as an immigrant artist is the importance of my unique voice in my work and the presentation of my work as authentic to my individual mix of cultures and identities. I think immigrant artists have an individual voice that is also sometimes inclusive of family and community-centric values. The art world sometimes deludes us into diluting our stories to offer a version more “fitted” to the language and positionality of our surrounding art world pockets. I would advise immigrant artists to stay clear of this delusion and to avoid changing the core of their creative narratives to tailor to opportunities that fulfill a false sense of acceptance. Authentic work leads to a more successful life-long creative journey.

- Interview Conducted by Alicia Ehni, Program Officer and Kyle Lopez, REDC Fellow

This post is part of the ConEdison Immigrant Artist Program Newsletter #131. Subscribe to this free monthly e-mail for artist’s features, opportunities, and events. Learn more about NYFA Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program.

Image: Musah Swallah, Photo Credit: Fatoumata Magassa; Rupy C. Tut, Photo Credit: Lara Kaur; Jason Wyman, Photo Credit: Courtesy of the artist

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Apply Now | NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship

Partner with NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship to launch your next project. Applications are due September 30, 2020.

NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship supports artists across disciplines by providing resources to help them develop creative projects, build organizations, and craft sustainable careers. NYFA understands how important fundraising is to the growth of your career, and this program helps you flourish.

What is Fiscal Sponsorship?  

NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship is a fundraising and administrative tool. It allows your project or emerging non-profit organization to use NYFA’s 501c3 charitable tax-exempt status to fundraise for your activities. Fiscal sponsorship offers:

Access to government, foundation, and corporate grants that are traditionally restricted to 501c3 organizations.

The ability to offer all individual donors the benefit of a tax deduction.

Consultation services with NYFA staff at no additional cost. 

Fiduciary oversight and financial record-keeping.

A project profile page for fundraising on NYFA.org.

Monthly “Community Conversations” with other project directors to help expand your network and resources.

Crowdfunding opportunities through Seed&Spark.

Services Brought to You by NYFA

NYFA’s staff of artists, filmmakers, and administrators have expertise in finance, project management, and more. We are dedicated to providing you with individualized support to help you make your project or organization a success on your own terms. Our program offers remote consultations on topics such as: 

Grant research and proposals

Fundraising strategies

Project management

Board development

Marketing materials

Eligibility

The next no-fee application deadline is September 30, 2020. To apply, you must meet these basic eligibility requirements:

Your project/organization is arts-based.

Your project includes a public benefit component.

Your project is non-profit in nature.

You understand that this is not a grant program.

Are you an arts collective or individual artist with a project? View our application guidelines page.

To learn more about whether to apply as an artist project or emerging organization, read our FAQ section.

NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship’s quarterly no-fee application deadlines are September 30, December 31, March 31, and June 30. We also accept Out-of-Cycle Review applications year-round. Reach out to us at [email protected] for more information. Sign up for NYFA’s free bi-weekly newsletter to receive updates on future programs.

Image: Future Pointe Dance led by Guy Thorne, Elephant Grass, 2017; Photo Credit: Adrian Elim

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Monday Motivation | Hiring? Add a Salary Range

Kick off your week with Monday Motivation!

Tip of the week

Based on a LinkedIn Study, job seekers first look for the compensation package and then qualifications after a job title has caught their eye. Therefore, a critical piece of information is missing for job seekers when the salary range is not included. They use the salary range and qualifications to assess if they are right for the job before ever applying. Including a salary range will help attract more of the right candidates.

This week’s highlighted jobs:

Creative Forces Community Engagement Metrics and Evaluation Manager Americans for the Arts Washington, DC

Studio Manager, Technology and Applied Composition San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco, CA

Lead Metal Fabricator Pacific Studio Tucson, AZ

Mana Fine Arts Art Handler and Driver Mana Fine Arts Jersey City, NJ

Director of Curatorial Affairs Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center Oklahoma City, OK

This week’s highlighted opportunities:

Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. Seeks Winter Public Art Installation Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. Grand Rapids, MI

Open Call: Public Art Billboard Series + Exhibition SaveArtSpace + The Untitled Space + Art4Equality New York, NY

I Like Your Work Fall Open Call Juried By Pennylane Shen I Like Your Work Columbus, OH

New Fellowship Opportunities in Caribbean Art and Critical Race Theory Clark Art Institute Williamstown, MA

- Mary-kate Grohoski, Sales Manager

Find more jobs and opportunities on NYFA Classifieds.

This post is part of a regular blog series, NYFA Creative Careers. Let us know what careers you’d like to learn more about by visiting us on Twitter: @nyfacurrent and using the hashtag #NYFAClassifieds.

Image: Sasha Wortzel (Fellow in Video/Film ’18), Happy Birthday, Marsha, 2017, HD Video

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Monday Motivation | Set Boundaries

Kick off your week with Monday Motivation!

Tip of the week

Remote work has been making the lines between personal and professional life even more blurred. Avoid burnout by upping your time management skill game and remember: more hours spent working does not necessarily mean more productivity. Set non-negotiable working hours and budget time for periodic brakes. If possible, delimit a clear workspace within your household (it can be a particular part of your dining table, for example) to set clear, physical boundaries between work and private life. Struggling to stick to your time management plans? Try techniques and apps like the Pomodoro or Flowtime.

This week’s highlighted jobs:

Preparator Pace Gallery East Hampton, NY

Executive Assistant Rauschenberg Foundation New York, NY

Media Assistant David Kordansky Gallery Los Angeles, CA

Visitor Experience Assistant The Newark Museum of Art Newark, NJ

Director of Development Headlands Center for the Arts Sausalito, CA  

This week’s highlighted opportunities:

2020-2021 Yellow Fish Festival VI: Open Call Yellow Fish Durational Performance Art Festival Brooklyn, NY

Chelsea Gallery Open Call Field Projects New York, NY

Works Created During the “Lockdown” Period The WAH Center Brooklyn, NY

Membership Program for Artists & Photographers  Solas Studio New York, NY

- Luiza Teixeira-Vesey, Designer/Marketing Officer

Find more jobs and opportunities on NYFA Classifieds.

This post is part of a regular blog series, NYFA Creative Careers. Let us know what careers you’d like to learn more about by visiting us on Twitter: @nyfacurrent and using the hashtag #NYFAClassifieds.

Image: Sangram Majumdar (Fellow in Painting ’18); sun, flower2; 2018; oil on canvas

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Announcing | 2020 JGS Fellowship for Photography Recipients

The JGS Fellowship for Photography is a $7,000 cash grant open to New York State photography artists living and working outside of New York City.

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) has announced Zana Briski, Widline Cadet, Ahndraya Parlato, Joshua Rashaad McFadden, and Jeannette Rodríguez Píneda as the recipients of the JGS Fellowship for Photography, a $7,000 unrestricted cash grant open to New York State photography artists living and working outside of New York City. The support for this funding is provided by Joy of Giving Something (JGS), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the photographic arts.

Zana Briski (Margaretville, NY) is a London-born Academy Award-winning director and artist whose deepest love is the earth and its creatures. She has traveled to over 80 countries, including India where she spent 10 years photographing, filming, and teaching photography to the adult children of prostitutes in the brothels of Calcutta. Her resulting film, Born Into Brothels, won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and received numerous other accolades. Her current project, Reverence, is a traveling exhibit that brings viewers face-to-face with insects as individual sentient beings.

Widline Cadet (Syracuse, NY) is a Haitian-born artist whose practice draws from personal history and examines race, memory, erasure, migration, immigration, and Haitian cultural identity from within the United States. She uses photography, video, and installations to construct a visual language that explores notions of visibility and hyper visibility, black feminine interiority, and selfhood.

Ahndraya Parlato (Rochester, NY) is a Hawaiian-born photographer whose most recent project, Who Is Dead and Who Is Changed, is forthcoming from Mack Books in 2021. She’s also authored East of the Sun, West of the Moon with Gregory Halpern (Études Books, 2014) and A Spectacle and Nothing Strange (Kehrer Verlag, 2016). She was previously recognized with a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Photography, a Magenta Foundation Emerging Photographer Award, and a Light Work Grant. Parlato was also a nominee for the ICP Infinity Award, the Paul Huf Award from the FOAM Museum in Amsterdam and the SECCA Award from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Joshua Rashaad McFadden (Rochester, NY) is a visual artist and assistant professor of photography at Rochester Institute of Technology in his hometown of Rochester, NY. His work primarily explores African American male identity, masculinity, notions of the father figure, and the photographic archive. His practice provides a frame of reference that articulates the many personalities of Black men. McFadden also focuses his lens on social justice issues such as police brutality and has documented protests across the United States. He was named one of the top emerging talents in the world by LensCulture and was recognized with the first place International Photography Award (IPA) for “After Selma,” a series that conveys McFadden’s response to numerous recent incidents of police brutality, among other accolades.

Jeannette Rodríguez Píneda (Kingston, NY) is a Dominican-American mixed media artist who uses antiquarian emulsion-based photographic processes as a means of questioning faded intergenerational narratives. Her work explores the act of remembering soils called home, choosing to understand the gaze of the present as the past. She teaches radical printed matter and time-based media for many intergenerational arts programs including Groundswell, Queens Museum, Recess, Storm King Arts Center, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Whitney Museum of American Arts.

“As a recent grad school graduate, being awarded the JGS Fellowship for Photography means the world to me. The timing is especially important considering the current state of the world and the hardships and uncertain futures that artists are facing right now,” said Cadet. “This fellowship will go a long way in supporting my artistic practice by relieving me of some of my everyday financial burdens and granting me time to focus on doing what I love and make work,” she added.

Said Joy of Giving Something, Inc. (JGS): “The Joy of Giving Something, Inc. was made possible by the sale of master photographs collected by Howard Stein and then donated to JGS. We are very pleased to partner with NYFA to use our resources to help continue this legacy and support the next generation of accomplished artists working in photography and we congratulate and wish all the recipients our best.”

Michael L. Royce, Executive Director, NYFA, remarked: “We are thrilled to recognize Zana Briski, Widline Cadet, Ahndraya Parlato, Joshua Rashaad McFadden, and Jeannette Rodríguez Píneda with JGS Fellowships for Photography, which are supported through the generosity of the Joy of Giving Something, Inc. We hope this award will help them to push their practices forward and continue sharing their unique creative perspectives with the world in addition to providing some financial relief in these challenging times.”

Find out about our additional awards and grants here and visit NYFA Source, a free directory of over 12,000 opportunities, grants, and services for individual artists nationwide. Sign up for our free bi-weekly newsletter NYFA News to receive announcements about future NYFA events and programs.

Image: Widline Cadet, Seremoni Disparisyon #1.20 (Ritual [Dis]Appearance #1.20), 2020, archival pigment print

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Monday Motivation | Set an Example

Kick off your week with Monday Motivation!

Tip of the week

Are your interview answers sounding too generic during your rehearsal? Throw in a few objective work examples to each of them. Don't just say how great you are at project management, teamwork, or conflict resolution; prove it! Tell the story about how you addressed (and succeeded) in such situations. Think of typical work interview questions, practice a work example for each, and use them strategically.

This week’s highlighted jobs:

Senior Development Officer National Civil Rights Museum Memphis, TN

Art Fabricator Matt Gagnon Studio Los Angeles, CA

Online Learning Instructor: Business Advisor for Artists and Artisans Artisan’s Asylum Somerville, MA

Grants and Programs Coordinator Bronx Council on the Arts, Inc. Bronx, NY

Adult Studio Art Instructor One River School of Art + Design Englewood, NJ

This week’s highlighted opportunities:

Open Call - Governors Island Residency Initiative in Response to COVID-19 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council New York, NY

Write About Music for an Independent Magazine Dynaco Magazine Los Angeles, CA

Wachtmeister Award Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) Amherst, VA

Art Consulting and Administrative Services Available S. Ayers Art Detroit, MI

- Mary-kate Grohoski, Sales Manager

Find more jobs and opportunities on NYFA Classifieds.

This post is part of a regular blog series, NYFA Creative Careers. Let us know what careers you’d like to learn more about by visiting us on Twitter: @nyfacurrent and using the hashtag #NYFAClassifieds.

Image: Leonor Caraballo-Farman (Fellow in Digital/Electronic Arts ’11), Rhodium Pendant, 2010, black rhodium

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Monday Motivation| Test Yourself and Your Technologies

Kick off your week with Monday Motivation!

Tip of the week

You probably heard many times that you should schedule a practice interview with a mentor or a friend before the big day comes, and that's still true in the age of virtual interviews. But there's one more thing to consider while we're social distancing: your technology! Test your equipment and install all necessary updates, download any software required for the meeting, and double-check your internet connection in advance. Still, you may encounter some last-minute issues. If you do, don't panic! Consider it an opportunity to demonstrate your troubleshooting skills while under pressure.

This week’s highlighted jobs:

Assistant to the Head Preparator P.P.O.W New York, NY

Staff Accountant (FT) Hoff-Barthelson Music School Scarsdale, NY

Client Service Administrators Bonhams Los Angeles, CA

Art Handler Cadogan Tate Miami Limited Plantation, FL

Cataloguer William A. Smith, Inc. Plainfield, NH

This week’s highlighted opportunities:

Shall Make Shall Be Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, CMU Pittsburgh, PA  

Sculpture Grants National Sculpture Society New York, NY

Artist in the Community Artist-in-Residence Currier Museum of Art Manchester, NH

Radcliffe Institute Fellowships Available Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study Cambridge, MA  

- Luiza Teixeira-Vesey, Designer/Marketing Officer

Find more jobs and opportunities on NYFA Classifieds.

This post is part of a regular blog series, NYFA Creative Careers. Let us know what careers you’d like to learn more about by visiting us on Twitter: @nyfacurrent and using the hashtag #NYFAClassifieds.

Image: Steven Montgomery (Fellow in Crafts ’09); Test Site; 2007; painted, glazed ceramic

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COVID-19 | NYFA Classifieds Announces 50% Discount

Discounted rate to go into effect beginning Monday, August 3.

New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) empowers working artists and emerging arts organizations across all disciplines at critical stages in their creative lives and professional/organizational development. We aim to be a resource to artists, arts administrators, and students everywhere, especially when so many in our creative community are reeling from lost jobs, opportunities, and income as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

As part of NYFA’s ongoing effort to provide relief to our creative community during the COVID-19 crisis, NYFA Classifieds fees will be discounted by 50% starting Monday, August 3. Jobs, spaces, and opportunities listings will remain complimentary through August 2, 2020. If you have a pre-paid bundle with NYFA, each single listing you have pre-paid for will count for two listings at our 50% discount. 

The 50% discount will be ongoing for the foreseeable future in order to provide our creative community with as many potential earned income opportunities as possible. As always, the NYFA Classifieds team will be vetting listings closely for value to our audience before they are approved to go live on our site. 

Referred to as the ultimate career development tool, NYFA Classifieds is the largest national online opportunities board in the arts and culture industry. It’s the go-to site for artists, arts administrators, and museum professionals seeking jobs and internships, opportunities and services, and event listings and studio spaces. When you advertise with NYFA, you are helping to support the arts. Learn more about NYFA and the resources we provide to the international creative community here.

If you know of companies, organizations, or individuals who are seeking to hire, encourage them to list with NYFA Classifieds.

While listings are heavily discounted to post at this time, please consider supporting NYFA's mission by donating here. A donation of any kind will make a measurable impact.

Find jobs and opportunities on NYFA Classifieds.

If you need resources, please check our Emergency Grants page on NYFA’s website. We are updating it regularly as new funding comes in. You can find more articles on arts career topics by visiting the Business of Art section of NYFA.org. Sign up for NYFA News and receive artist resources and upcoming events straight to your inbox.

Image Detail: Nicole Maloof (Finalist in Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts ’17); From Midnight to Dawn; 2017; pen, crayon, and watercolor on watercolor monotype

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Monday Motivation | The Value of Transferable Skills

Kick off your week with Monday Motivation!

Tip of the week

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the job market, creating scarcity in certain positions and industries. What to do when you don’t have direct professional experience in the industries that are currently hiring? Trust the value of your transferable skills! Expertise in things like project management, writing, or web design, for example, can make you a great candidate for any available position.

This week’s highlighted jobs:

Notebook Editorial Manager MUBI New York, NY

Part-Time Marketing Coordinator Point Line Projects Pittsburgh, PA  

Managing Director Garden Theatre Winter Garden, FL

Artistic Director Goodspeed Musicals East Haddam, CT

Gallery Manager Matthew Brown Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA

This week’s highlighted opportunities:

2020 Foundwork Artist Prize - $10,000 Juried Grant Foundwork N/A  

Esther Rolle Centennial Exhibition at the Ali Cultural Arts Center City of Pompano Beach/Ali Cultural Arts Center Pompano Beach, FL

Global Conversation 2020 (UN75) F.99 New York, NY

Inspired By: Iconic Images Re-Imagined Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center Solomons, MD  

- Luiza Teixeira-Vesey, Designer/Marketing Officer

Find more jobs and opportunities on NYFA Classifieds.

This post is part of a regular blog series, NYFA Creative Careers. Let us know what careers you’d like to learn more about by visiting us on Twitter: @nyfacurrent and using the hashtag #NYFAClassifieds.

Image: Dana Stirling (Finalist in Photography ’19), Ladies are Roses, 2017, Mixed Media

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Announcing | Keep NYS Creating Project Grant Recipients

The Keep NYS Creating program is helping to support 42 projects from across New York State.

New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), in partnership with New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), is proud to announce the recipients of the Keep NYS Creating Project Grant. The program was established to help artists in Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Capital District, Mid-Hudson, and Long Island continue their creative projects that have been interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is made possible by NYSCA, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Keep NYS Creating Project Grant was open to artists who previously applied to the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program in 2018, 2019, and/or 2020 who work in the categories of Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design, Choreography, Craft/Sculpture, Digital/Electronic Arts, Fiction, Folk/Traditional Arts, Interdisciplinary Work, Music/Sound, Nonfiction Literature, Painting, Photography, Playwriting/Screenwriting, Poetry, Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts, and/or Video/Film.

The grant will enable 2D, 3D, and installation artist Elisa Pritzker (Mid-Hudson) to design a print a full color catalog of an installation that was unveiled ABClatino Art Space in Poughkeepsie, NY in March 2020 and has since gone unseen due to COVID-19. It will enable poet Jacob Rakovan (Finger Lakes) to perform a cycle of poems that were recently awarded the Thornwillow Press Patron’s Prize, bringing the work to new audiences. Painter Suzanne Onodera (Southern Tier) will use the grant to complete a project that illustrates the emotional landscape of the paternal and maternal sides of her Japanese American family who were and were not incarcerated under Executive Order 9066 during World War II. 

For Onodera, receiving the Keep NYS Creating Project Grant “feels as though you can take that extra mile in the pursuit of your work, that someone out there believes in your vision, and most importantly: that you can keep creating.” 

Keep NYS Creating Project Grant Recipients

Julie Ann Bero-Emerson, Finger Lakes

Tiffany Bradley, Mid-Hudson 

Anita Brown, Mid-Hudson 

Adrian D. Carr, North Country 

Veena Chandra, Capital District 

Natasha Chuk, Capital District 

Robert M. Doyle, Finger Lakes 

Boryana Dimitrova Dragoeva, Central New York 

Walter Early, North Country 

Seth Faergolzia, Western New York

Matthew Friday, Mid-Hudson

Jeremiah Jamel Gaines, Mid-Hudson

Frederic Glover, North Country

Phil Hastings, Western New York

Annie Hayes, Southern Tier

Christine N Heller, Mohawk Valley

Kenneth J Jackson, Long Island

Maria Kozak, Mohawk Valley

Colin Lyons, Souther Tier

Timothy Manley, Long Island

Patricia Maurides, Long Island

Lacey McKinney, Central New York

Shayok Mukhopadhyay, Mid-Hudson

Onel Naar, Long Island

Byron Nilsson, Mohawk Valley

Suzanne Onodera, Southern Tier

Elisa Pritzker, Mid-Hudson

Jacob Rakovan, Finger Lakes

Aidan Ryan, Western New York

Jamie Leigh Sampson, Western New York

Marianne Schultz, Capital District

Rachel Shelton, Western New York

Madeline Silber, Mohawk Valley

Rebecca Soderholm, North Country

Jeffrey Alan Starr, Capital District

Becca Van K, Mid-Hudson

Kathryn Walat, Capital District

Anna Warfield, Southern Tier

Matthew E. Wilson, Long Island

Hannah Wnorowski, Central New York

Rebecca Ruige Xu, Central New York

Annemarie Zwack, Finger Lakes

If you need resources, please check our Emergency Grants page on NYFA’s website. We are updating it regularly as new funding comes in. You can find more articles on arts career topics by visiting the Business of Art section of NYFA.org. Sign up for NYFA News and receive artist resources and upcoming events straight to your inbox.

The Keep NYS Creating Project Grant is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Image: Lacey McKinney (Central New York), Reconfiguration 16, 2020, oil and acrylic on panel

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Monday Motivation | An Accomplished Resume

Kick off your week with Monday Motivation!

Tip of the week

When writing about your previous job experiences, don't just make a bullet point list of your tasks. Tell employers how you exceeded expectations while tackling them, and don't be afraid to list your accomplishments beyond the scope of your everyday work. But don't write a dissertation! Job experience descriptions should still be objective and brief.

This week’s highlighted jobs:

Gallery Director Telluride Gallery of Fine Art Telluride, CO

Executive Director (Remote/Virtual) Critical Minded Detroit, MI

Project Director, Railways Mississippi Museum of Art Jackson, MS

Jedel Family Foundation Curatorial Fellow Charlotte Street Foundation Kansas City, MO

Registrar Gerald Peters Gallery/Gerald Peters Contemporary Santa Fe, NM

This week’s highlighted opportunities:

Artist Residency California Botanic Garden Claremont, CA

Public Art Opportunity at Charlotte Mecklenburg New Main Library Arts and Science Council Charlotte, NC

Paid Exhibit: American Muslim Futures Muslim Advocates & Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design Honolulu, HI

Pets of the Pandemic Benefit Exhibition Open Call for Visual Arts in NY, NJ, PA, & CT Alpha 137 Gallery New York, NY

- Mary-kate Grohoski, Sales Manager

Find more jobs and opportunities on NYFA Classifieds.

This post is part of a regular blog series, NYFA Creative Careers. Let us know what careers you’d like to learn more about by visiting us on Twitter: @nyfacurrent and using the hashtag #NYFAClassifieds.

Image: Michael Berryhill (Fellow in Painting ’12), Conceiving the Design, 2011, oil on canvas

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Monday Motivation | Don’t Underestimate Yourself

Kick off your week with Monday Motivation!

Tip of the week

Job seekers: it pays to focus on applying for jobs for which you’re qualified. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should hold back if you think you’re a good fit. Don’t have training in a particular computer program or mastery of a certain skill set listed in the job posting? Employers often don’t expect applicants to check off every single desired skill. It’s worth noting that research shows that women tend to apply for jobs for which they feel 100% qualified, while men apply for jobs for which they’re 60% qualified. Don’t have a college degree? More and more employers are prioritizing experience over credentials, like Google, IBM, and others.

This week’s highlighted jobs:

Associate Account Manager (Art PR Firm) Olu & Company Detroit, MI

Part-Time Editorial Associate Primary Information Brooklyn, NY

Museum Public Programs and Education Curator Museum of Art and Design at MDC Miami, FL

Account Assistant/Accounts Payable Clerk The Wende Museum of the Cold War Culver City, CA

Shipping Coordinator/Truck Dispatcher Phillips Auctioneers New York, NY

This week’s highlighted opportunities:

Call for New York Illustrators and Graphic Designers Jam Art Factory Ireland

Call for Black Poetry Plantin Magazine New York, NY

Artists Assembly Opening in the Fall - Call for Visual-and-Performing Artists Nomplex Brookline, MA

Full Charge Bookkeeper/Finance Manager Available (Remotely) Sukha Books Bookkeeping Service Glenford, NY

- Mary-kate Grohoski, Sales Manager

Find more jobs and opportunities on NYFA Classifieds.

This post is part of a regular blog series, NYFA Creative Careers. Let us know what careers you’d like to learn more about by visiting us on Twitter: @nyfacurrent and using the hashtag #NYFAClassifieds.

Image: Tom Burckhardt (Fellow in Painting ’18), City Slang, 2016, oil on linen