NYC Artist Corps: Creative Programming & Engagement by NYC Artists

Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs announced the NYC Artist Corps, a $25 million investment in local artists to bring creative programming and engagement to every corner of the city this summer 2021.

Projects could include performances, public artworks, pop-up shows through New York City’s Summer Rising program, new murals and canvasses, and more. Read more HERE: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/dcla/cultural-funding/cityartistcorp.page

Announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Gonzalo Casals in May 2021, the New York City Artist Corps represents an historic investment in artists by the City of New York. The $25 million program will support artists who live and work in NYC, while giving New Yorkers opportunities to experience cultural programming across the city starting this summer. As New York emerges from the pandemic, art and culture are an essential component of the city’s recovery. City Artist Corps will make sure working artists are supported in their own right, and are empowered to participate fully in the overall recovery of the City.

“Art and artists make New York City the cultural capital of the world, and the artistic community has an essential role in building a recovery for all of us,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The City Artist Corps will tap into our greatest resource – New Yorkers’ boundless creativity – to create jobs and make our city more beautiful and vibrant than ever.”

Through a number of program partners, City Artist Corps will provide thousands of grants to support artist projects in all disciplines across all five boroughs of New York City:

• City Artist Corps Grants will support NYC-based working artists who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. With New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) as lead partner working with more than a dozen re-grant and art services organizations, the program will distribute one-time $5,000 grants to more than 3,000 artists to help them sustain their practice and engage the public across New York City’s five boroughs this summer and fall, beginning in July. Artists working in any discipline are eligible to apply. Applications for the first cycle of funding open Tuesday, June 8; applications for additional cycles will come online later this summer. More information is available on NYFA’s website.
• City Canvas: through City Artist Corps, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the nonprofit ArtBridge will commission 60 artists to install temporary public murals and other artwork on sidewalk sheds and construction fencing throughout the city’s public housing system. ArtBridge will build on their program Bridging the Divide, which consists of artist fellowships at NYCHA developments throughout the city in which artists design temporary public artworks that reflect the lives, histories, and aspirations of NYCHA residents. Artworks will be affixed to construction fencings/sheds that are currently up at each of the locations, as made possible through DCLA’s City Canvas pilot initiative. Learn more and access the application.
• Summer Rising Mural and Performing Arts Partnerships: the Department of Education, in partnership with local school leadership, will work with more than 400 artists at over 200 schools to engage Summer Rising students in collaborative mural making and performing arts activities that enrich summer programming. Learn more about Summer Rising.

Additional programs will be added to this list as they are announced. Please check back regularly and sign up for the Department of Cultural Affairs e-newsletter for updates.

Questions about each program should be directed to the relevant managing partner. Questions about the overall City Artist Corps program can be directed to cityartistcorps@culture.nyc.gov.