Opportunities for Bronx Individual Artists, Arts Organizations, and Artist Collectives
The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) offers grant funding and program opportunities to support community-centered arts and culture projects and to recognize outstanding local artists.
Applications are accepted from individual artists, artist collectives, and nonprofit arts or community organizations for projects in a wide variety of disciplines, including dance, visual arts & crafts, theater, music, film & video, opera, folk arts, interdisciplinary arts, literary arts, multi-disciplinary art forms, and others.
Emerging and pre-professional artists, women artists, artists of color, artists with disabilities, artists who identify as LGBTQ, and artists from other historically excluded communities and demographics are strongly encouraged to apply.
For more information, please visit www.bronxarts.org/grants, send an email to brian@bronxarts.org, or call 718-931-9500 ex. 14.
Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO)
For 35 years, BCA’s BRIO Award has recognized artists from a wide range of creative disciplines who have the ability to showcase their artistic practice through technique and knowledge of their craft. Each year, BRIO provides direct support of $5,000 to individual Bronx artists who create works in the literary, media, visual, and performing arts. Artists who have received a BRIO award represent the vast diversity of Bronx residents, inclusive of all ethnicities, ages, and genders. Over the years, BRIO has become one of the most coveted distinctions amongst artists residing in the Bronx.
BCA highlights BRIO’s core emphasis of recognizing outstanding artists in the Bronx and has distributed over $2 million to over 550 artists in more than three decades. Peer review panels for BRIO are comprised of seasoned artists and arts professionals from outside the borough who are guided by discipline-specific criteria and experience, review submissions anonymously, and select grantees for distinction whose work demonstrates the following:
- An innovative approach to the discipline;
- Probing and pushing of boundaries;
- Technical expertise and high level of skill;
- Ingenuity and rigor in its production;
- An awareness of the medium within a historical context; and
- Compelling vision and original voice.
In addition, grantees are required to complete a one-time public service activity known as Artists for Community Enrichment (ACE) within a year of receiving the award. ACE events range from performances with Q&As to workshops and classes, provide artists with additional visibility, and demonstrate the wealth of artistic talent available in our borough.
BCA is proud to continue the BRIO tradition, offering this invaluable honor in the Bronx that:
- Highlights previously unknown voices;
- Recognizes quality artistic practice; and
- Fosters connections between Bronx artists and their communities.
For more information, see complete guidelines available here.
In Spanish, guidelines are available here.
Are you a performer, visual artist, arts critic, arts historian, musician, curator, other artist or arts professional, or arts engaged community leader?
The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) seeks artists, arts professionals, and nonprofit and community leaders to serve as panelists for our 2024 and future grant cycles.
BCA offers several grantmaking programs and distributes more than $750,000 of grant funds every to Bronx artists, collectives, and nonprofit organizations. BCA Panelists review and score applications, provide invaluable panelist comments, and recommend recipients for funding. They play a key role in the grants process, and their knowledge and expertise are crucial in shaping the way public arts funds are distributed.
If this is you and you would like to help make a difference in the Bronx, please apply to serve on one of our grants panels!
Potential panelists from all boroughs are welcome to apply, as BCA’s different grant programs require panelists from in and outside of the Bronx. BCA supports panel diversity in all forms: age, race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, artistic discipline, location, etc.
Selected panelists will be contacted when needed. All panelists receive an honorarium.
For more info on BCA's grants, please visit this link.
Dear artist(s) -
As part of your 2023 Community Arts agreement, you agreed to submit a final report on your grant activities for the year. Your report will complete your funding requirements.
We understand that the period between 2022 to 2023 was a challenging one, and that because of the pandemic, many projects and programs may have needed revisions and/or rescheduling.
Please report on the activities you were able to conduct with your grant this year. An accurate report on your activities will up us develop a better understanding to continue with our programs.
Thank you !
2025 OPEN CALL FOR CURATORS
The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) invites independent curators to submit their proposals for the next Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos FY2025 Exhibition Season (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025). This season's theme is: The World We Want To Live In.
BCA hopes to support and amplify diverse voices and narratives that demonstrate a commitment to social justice.
ABOUT THE LONGWOOD ART GALLERY @ HOSTOS
The Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos is part of The Longwood Arts Project, BCA’s flagship program. Founded in 1981, it was one of the first alternative gallery spaces in The Bronx and to this day it maintains its pioneering focus on artists whose traditions and cultural practices are underrepresented by mainstream venues. The gallery derives its name from its original location at PS39 on Longwood Avenue. In 2003, the gallery relocated to the campus of Hostos Community College.
The Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos predominantly showcases artists of color, women and LGBTQ+ artists. Its exhibitions explore Bronx history, intersectional Bronx cultures, and social justice issues facing our communities. The gallery also offers programs for youth and adults that encourage dialogue and explore exhibition themes in greater depth.
ABOUT THE BRONX COUNCIL ON THE ARTS (BCA)
Founded by visionary community leaders in 1962, The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is a pioneer in advancing cultural equity in The Bronx. From our early beginnings as a presenter of affordable arts programming in select Bronx neighborhoods, we have grown into a cultural hub that serves the entire creative ecosystem of the borough. Our programs serve artists, the public, and the field at large by building connections, providing resources, and advocating for equitable practices. Then as now, we focus on supporting the work of underrepresented groups – especially artists of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Through this lens we offer affordable programs for seniors and youth and provide direct services to over 1,500 artists and 250 community-based arts groups each year. For more information, please visit www.bronxarts.org.
2025 OPEN CALL: The World We Want To Live In
Art has the power to inspire, provoke, transform, and heal. Curators and artists play a crucial role in social and political movements, expressing their views on the world around them. In today’s visual age, they can be a powerful force for change. Curators work creatively by illuminating social issues, catalyzing public discourse, and bringing new audiences into activism.
For the FY2025 Exhibition Season, BCA seeks projects and artworks that focus on a range of social justice issues, including racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental justice, food justice, body justice, and mental health, among others.
Curators are invited to submit their proposals through Submittable. The submission may include artworks of all disciplines, including, but not limited to, installations, technology art, performances, poetry, video art, sound pieces, objects, sculptures, and paintings.
The FY2025 Open Call will include three exhibitions. One is open exclusively to independent artists, while the other two are open for curators. Make sure to carefully review the guidelines for your preferred category before submitting your application. For the Artists Open call, please click here. Curators/artists may apply to both categories but will be selected only in one of them. Individual artists selected in the Artists Open Call may not participate in the Curators Open Call.
SELECTION PROCESS:
The Submission deadline is Friday, December 29, 2023. The application is open to curators residing in NYC. Proposals with fifty percent of the artists living in The Bronx, are preferred. Notification of selection will be sent by Friday, January 12, 2024.
Finalists will be contacted for a virtual or in-person interview before selections are announced. Applications will only be accepted through Submittable. All applications will be kept in our files for future reference. For questions or technical inquiries, please contact longwood@bronxarts.org.
*No phone calls inquiring about the status of your submission, please.
2025 OPEN CALL FOR BRONX ARTISTS
The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) invites Bronx artists from all disciplines to submit their proposals for the Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos FY2025 Exhibition Season (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025). This season's theme is The World We Want To Live In.
BCA hopes to support and amplify diverse voices and narratives that demonstrate a commitment to social justice.
ABOUT LONGWOOD ART GALLERY @ HOSTOS
The Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos is part of The Longwood Arts Project, BCA’s flagship program. Founded in 1981, it was one of the first alternative gallery spaces in The Bronx and to this day it maintains its pioneering focus on artists whose traditions and cultural practices are underrepresented by mainstream venues. The gallery derives its name from its original location at PS39 on Longwood Avenue. In 2003, the gallery relocated to the campus of Hostos Community College.
The Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos predominantly showcases artists of color, women and LGBTQ+ artists. Its exhibitions explore Bronx history, intersectional Bronx cultures, and social justice issues facing our communities. The gallery also offers programs for youth and adults that encourage dialogue and explore exhibition themes in greater depth.
ABOUT THE BRONX COUNCIL ON THE ARTS (BCA)
Founded by visionary community leaders in 1962, The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is a pioneer in advancing cultural equity in The Bronx. From our early beginnings as a presenter of affordable arts programming in select Bronx neighborhoods, we have grown into a cultural hub that serves the entire creative ecosystem of the borough. Our programs serve artists, the public, and the field at large by building connections, providing resources, and advocating for equitable practices. Then as now, we focus on supporting the work of underrepresented groups – especially artists of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Through this lens we offer affordable programs for seniors and youth and provide direct services to over 1,500 artists and 250 community-based arts groups each year. For more information, please visit www.bronxarts.org.
2025 OPEN CALL: The World We Want To Live In
Art has the power to inspire, provoke, transform, and heal. Artists play a crucial role in social and political movements, expressing their views on the world around them. In today’s visage, artists can be a powerful force for change. Whether creating thought-provoking pieces or collaborating with other activists, artists help galvanize a movement and inspire others to take action.
For the FY2025 Exhibition Season, BCA seeks projects and artworks that focus on a range of social justice issues, including racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental justice, food justice, body justice, and mental health, among others.
Artists are invited to submit their proposals through Submittable. We encourage the submission of artworks of all disciplines, including, but not limited to, installations, technology art, performances, poetry, video art, sound pieces, objects, sculptures, and paintings.
The FY2025 Open Call will include three exhibitions. One is open exclusively to independent artists, while the other two are open for curators. Make sure to carefully review the guidelines for your preferred category before submitting your application. For the Curators Open call, please click here. Curators/artists may apply to both categories but will be selected only in one of them. Individual artists selected in the Artists Open Call may not participate in the Curators Open Call.
SELECTION PROCESS:
The Submission deadline is Friday, December 29, 2023. The application is open to artists/creatives residing in The Bronx. Notification of selection will be sent by Friday, January 12, 2024.
Finalists might be contacted for a virtual or safe in-person interview before selections are announced. Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos will only accept submissions through Submittable. All applications will be kept in our files for future reference. For questions or technical inquiries, please contact Longwood Art Gallery @ Hostos at longwood@bronxarts.org.
*No phone calls inquiring about the status of your submission, please.