New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowship for Visual Artists supports a cohort of 3 visual artists between the ages of 18 and 30 years old for a residency at Abrons Arts Center over the course of 21 months. Each fellow will be paired with a professional artist mentor who is an alum of the Abrons Arts Center Visual Artist AIRspace Residency program. The mentor will support the creative and professional development of the fellows during the residency period. The Mentors are Park McArthur (Visual Artist AIRspace 2013-14), Baseera Khan (Visual Artist AIRspace 2016-17), and Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. (Visual Artist AIRspace 2019-20).
You will receive:
- A semi private studio at Abrons Arts Center to utilize for 21 months
- An annual honorarium of $7,000
- A annual materials stipend of $5,000
- 30 hours of fully subsidized studio rental time in Abrons’ dance studios. Please visit our website to learn more about our studios
- A professional artist mentor who will serve as a creative support through the duration of the residency period via monthly one-on-one meetings
- Studio visits with curators and arts professionals
- A group exhibition at the conclusion of the residency period at Abrons Arts Center
You are:
- A visual artist excited to develop your practice in community with other artists
- based in New York City and living within the 5 boroughs at the time of application submission and during the residency period
- Between the ages of 18 and 30 by the application deadline
- Not in a degree granting program or a student during the residency period
- In alignment with Abrons Arts Center’s Mission Statement and Declaration of Inclusion
- Conscientious and genuinely excited to create community with Abrons team members and Resident Artists
- Invested in and committed to building strong mentor-to-peer relations
- Reliably and consistently available for mentor sessions in person (and virtual as necessary)
- Available to attend the required residency programs, listed below in the “Important Dates” section
- A creative problem solver and a clear, respectful communicator
You have:
- Demonstrated experience and participation in the visual arts ecology
- Excellent interpersonal skills that balance warmth and clarity, with good communication skills
- Professional goals and outcomes that align with being a fellow
- A need for physical studio space
You will:
- Be actively engaged at Abrons Arts Center in your studio practice on a consistent basis
- Organize monthly one hour meetings with your mentor for creative and professional development support
- Participate in quarterly meeting with your residency cohort to discuss areas of growth and challenges
- Have paid opportunities to share work in progress and techniques from your artistic practice through public programming in partnership with the Abrons Arts Education department including Open Studios, Masterclasses, and Workshops
- Devise and guide creative solutions with your mentor during the development residency as well as during the production process of the final exhibition
Time Commitment
The Visual Artist AIRspace Residency is a 21 month commitment.
- Year 1 is defined as taking place between September 2024-August 2025
- Year 2 is defined as taking place between September 2025-June 2026
Important notes:
The fellowship studios are in an open plan layout. Work that generates strong fumes cannot be supported.
Fellows will be paired with a mentor by the Abrons Arts Center Presenting and Residencies team in consultation with the mentor. Fellows will be paired with their mentor based on a variety of considerations, including research interests, technical/production expertise, and alignment on goals for mentor/mentee relationship.
Application timeline:
- Application goes live: March 4, 2024
- Applications closes: April 1, 2024, 11:59PM ET
- Application review: April - May
- In person interview: June 2024
- Invitations made: July 2024
- Residency begins: Fall 2024
Important Dates:
In addition to monthly cohort meetings arranged by the Resident and Mentor meetings, Fellows are required to participate in the following programming.
Year 1 (Subject to change)
- September 9, 2024 - VA AIRspace First Day & Orientation
- October 10, 2024 - AIRspace Fall Cohort Dinner
- October 21, 2024 - Visual Artist Resident Studio Visits
- June 5, 2025 - Visual Artist Resident Open Studio Sharing
Year 2 (Subject to change)
- September 3, 2025 - Fall Season Mixer
- October 9, 2025 - AIRspace Fall Cohort Dinner
- October 20, 2025 - Visual Artist Resident Studio Visits
- December 15, 2025 - Visual Artists Resident Studio Visits
- April 16, 2026 - AIRspace Spring Cohort Dinner
- June 12, 2026 - AIRspace Visual Artist Exhibition Opening
Questions? Email AbronsAirSpace@henrystreet.org
Funding:
New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowship for Visual Artists is supported by the New York Community Trust.
About the Performance AIRspace Residency
Abrons Arts Center’s Performance AIRspace Residency supports a cohort of 2 early career performing artists for a project development residency over the course of 12 months, and production period the following year. With support from The Jerome Foundation, Performance AIRspace residents are provided with a commission fee, premium access to studios and theaters for rehearsals towards the development of a live performance to be presented at Abrons Arts Center as part of our Spring 2026 season.
You will receive:
- $10,000 commission for a new work to be presented at Abrons as part of our Spring 2026 Presenting Season. Performances will be programmed to occur between March and June 2026
- $5,000 developmental production budget
- 200 hours of fully subsidized studio rental time in any of our performance studios for Year 1 of the residency. Please visit our website to learn more about our studios
- A public work in process showing presented in partnership with the Center for Performance Research
- Promotional photoshoot for the project
- Photo documentation and archival video documentation of the project
- 2 dinners with AIRspace residency cohort
You are:
- A practicing performing artist who identifies with the “early career” category
According to the Jerome Foundation, an early career artist “typically has a track record of generating and publicly presenting full work over which they have ultimate creative control in the discipline in which they are applying, but are not yet at a point in their careers where they receive consistent development and production opportunities and significant recognition, awards, and acclaim.” Please note that this category is not contingent on the age of the artist.
- Based in New York City and living within the 5 boroughs at the time of application submission and during the residency period
- Not in a degree granting program or a student during the residency period
- In alignment with Abrons Arts Center’s Mission Statement and Declaration of Inclusion
- Conscientious and genuinely excited to create community with Abrons team members and Resident Artists
- Available to attend the required residency programs, listed below in the “Important Dates” section
- A creative problem solver and a clear, respectful communicator
You have:
- A proposal for a new work that has not yet premiered in New York City
- Demonstrated experience and participation in the performing arts ecology
- Excellent interpersonal skills that balance warmth and clarity, with good communication skills
You will:
- Be actively engaged at Abrons Arts Center in your studio practice on a consistent basis
- Have paid opportunities to share work in progress and techniques from your artistic practice through public programming in partnership with the Abrons Arts Education department including Open Studios, Masterclasses, and Workshops
- Devise and guide creative solutions during the development residency as well as during the production process of production’s premiere
Time Commitment:
The Performance AIRspace Residency is a 12 month developmental residency commitment with a lead up the following year to a premiere production in the 25/26 Season.
- Developmental Residency is defined as taking place between September 2024-August 2025
- Production Period is defined as taking place between September 2025-June 2026 with a rehearsal/performance schedule determined during the Developmental Residency
Application timeline:
- Application goes live: March 4, 2024
- Applications due: April 1, 2024
- Application review: April - May
- In person interview: June 2024
- Invitations made: July 2024
- Residency begins: Fall 2024
Important Dates:
Fellows are required to participate in the following programming.
Year 1
- September 10, 2024 - First Day & Orientation
- October 10, 2024 - AIRspace Fall Cohort Dinner
- Spring 2025 - Open Studio Sharing at Center for Performance Research
Year 2 (Subject to change)
- September 3, 2025 - Fall Season Mixer
- March-June 2026 - Production period as determined by developmental residency schedule
Important notes:
Commissioned projects that premiere in the Spring 2026 season are expected to:
- Be between 60 and 90 minutes
- Have no more than 8 performers (including musicians)
- Be performed on a proscenium stage for an audience of 300, or in an intimate black box space with flexible seating of up to 80 audience members
Questions? Email AbronsAirSpace@henrystreet.org
Funding:
Abrons Arts Center’s Performance AIRspace Residency is made possible with funds from The Jerome Foundation and NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs.