More Art is a non-profit organization based in New York that supports collaborations between artists and communities to create public art projects and educational programs that stimulate creative engagement with critical social and cultural issues. Since 2004, their focus has been to provide free, accessible, public art and programming to all New Yorkers, and to support artists—from emerging to established—in producing work that engages communities, welcomes a diverse range of people and practices, and reflects the social, political, and lived realities of New Yorkers today.
About the Commission
$8000 will be awarded to one socially-engaged art project to take place in a public space in New York City. The selected project must culminate in a public art installation, event, series, collaboration, or engagement between September and December 2023.
In addition, More Art collaborates with the selected artist or collective to facilitate community engagement, strategic project management, budgeting, curatorial vision, modes of presentation and circulation, PR and press outreach, identification and vetting of sites within the Parks system, application for permits, and the curation of final installations, performances, and educational programs. The selected artist will be working directly with More Art staff including the Chief Curator, Associate Curator, Director of Operations and Strategy, and the Communications and Programs Assistant, as well as representatives from the public spaces with whom we collaborate.
Artists are also invited to participate in workshops, artist talks, and peer network support with the EA Fellows. Click this link for more information on the Fellowship program.
They welcome artists who are looking to develop a new project or build on a current project in its early stages. The Commission is an opportunity for artists to collaborate deeply with More Art on all aspects of the artwork—as such, we are seeking projects that would benefit from mentorship and artists who are flexible to change and exchange. We are unlikely to support projects that have been presented elsewhere.
Click here to read their definitions of public art and socially engaged art.
How They Define The EA Commission
2023 will be the fourth year of this program, which grew out of the Engaging Artists Fellowship. The Commission has been renamed this year—it was formerly the “EA Residency.” While the EA Fellowship model supports the professional development of emerging public artists working at the intersections of art & social justice, the Commission provides a platform for early career socially-engaged artists to present their work in a public space.
More Art offers artists a unique pathway to be able to continue their practice in collaboration with advocacy organizations, schools, coalitions, unions, groups of neighbors, or the public at large. They highly encourage applications from artists whose work is participatory or follows traditions of interventionism and partnerships or elements of community organizing and education.
Click here to learn more about their commitment to community engagement and the Engaging Artists model.
Qualifications, Eligibility + Guidelines
- Interest in More Art’s work and eagerness to learn
- Willingness to present, support, and attend work produced in community and public settings, as opposed to galleries and museums
- Strong commitment to More Art’s values, including but not limited to social justice and public engagement, inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and collaboration
- Commitment to intersectional thinking and artmaking
- Willingness to act with care and respect toward all collaborators, including More Art staff, EA fellows, and community members
- Interest in establishing and/or sustaining partnerships with community-based organizations, advocacy groups, agencies, neighborhoods, places, individuals and/or groups of New Yorkers
- Belief that art and artists are integral to empowering social justice movements by creatively illuminating social issues, engaging new audiences in activism, and catalyzing public discourse
- Flexibility and openness to feedback
Applicant eligibility
- Over 18 years of age
- Not enrolled in a degree program during 2023
- NYC-based (or commuting distance) during the time of the project (Feb-Dec 2023): All applicants must be willing and able to be in NYC regularly for meetings, site visits, workshops, and events/gatherings throughout the year, as well as artwork maintenance (see next bullet point)
- For artworks that have a physical element on view for a prolonged duration (eg. sculpture in a park on view for 1-2 months), the artist must be able to visit, monitor and maintain the artwork 2-3 days a week during the “exhibition” phase. The artist must also be available within 24hrs to respond to vandalism or damage
- They ask that artists commit to having no more than one overlapping fellowship, residency, and/or project at a time to avoid scheduling conflicts and spreading oneself too thin
- Individual artists or artist collectives may apply
- Applicants should be early career artists who have an established practice as an artist (record of exhibitions, talks, reviews, publications, or public presentations) with a demonstrated history of work in social or community-based practice, but who have had limited opportunities to produce and present their work to the public. Oftentimes, the EA Commission is an artist’s first public art project.
- More Art welcomes applications from artists of all disciplines, including but not limited to: visual artists, performers, choreographers, musicians and sound-based artists, designers, and new media artists.
Project Eligibility + Guidelines:
Click here for a project eligibility checklist and project feasibility considerations.
Budget + Resource Allocation
The $8000 award should cover all elements of research and development, production, exhibition, display, and documentation. A project budget is requested as part of the application. Below is a suggested budget breakdown which can be adapted to fit the needs of the proposed project and should be articulated in the project narrative and budget.
- 50% Exhibition Production
- 15% Research & Outreach
- 10% Artist Fee
- 10% Video/Photo Documentation
- 10% Public Programs/workshops
- 5% Contingency
Please also include a breakdown of any potential in-kind or non-monetary supports, such as those from partners or other sponsors for the project. For example, technical assistance with digital projects, pro-bono or consulting from “experts” or representatives of community-based organizations with whom you wish to work, etc.
More Art works with a PR company for outreach to press outlets—the cost of which does not need to be accounted for in the budget and is included as an in-kind from More Art.
Click here for a sample project budget.
Application Process + Important Dates
October 5, 2022: Application opens.
December 1, 2022 by 11:59 EST: Applications due. *Note, this year there will be no extension.
Early January 2023: Shortlisted candidates will receive interviews.
January 15, 2023: All applicants will be notified of the results of the open call via email.
The selected artist or collective begins working with More Art staff February 1, 2023, with the culminating project to take place between September 1st and December 20th, 2023.
Applications are reviewed by a jury panel composed of More Art staff as well as outside specialists including EA program alumni, curators, and may also include representatives from the public spaces with whom we collaborate.
Information Session
Click here to watch the recording of the 2023 Commission Information Session.
Please email madison@moreart.org with any questions about the Commission or the application process.
Apply