To provide unprecedented opportunities for local artists to have their work seen at large scale in the public sphere.
ArtBridge empowers local artists to transform construction fencing, scaffolding and underutilized urban spaces into
large-scale canvases for public art. We place artists and art at the center of public life, prioritizing exhibitions that amplify the voices, cultures, and histories of local communities.
ArtBridge was founded in 2008 by graphic designer and artist Rodney Durso. He envisioned New York’s ubiquitous landscape of construction scaffolding as a canvas for local and emerging artists. Where others saw eyesore, Rodney spotted an opportunity; turning a communal liability into a collective asset. This vision became ArtBridge.
Since that time, ArtBridge has grown to a team of more twenty including staff, Board members and Advisors and has installed hundreds of thought-provoking exhibitions, providing unprecedented exposure for local, emerging and established artists. At numerous construction sites in all five boroughs of New York City, and in partnership with international organizations in Italy, South Africa, and Brazil; ArtBridge has covered hundreds of thousands of square feet of public space with art, enriching the lives of countless pedestrians, residents and visitors alike in NYC and across the globe.
New York City’s streets are dominated by scaffolding and construction fencing, symbols of urban development that often lack creativity or vitality. At the same time, emerging artists face mounting challenges—from rising rents to an increasingly competitive gallery world.
ArtBridge bridges this divide by providing artists with exceptional exposure while beautifying the cityscape. Without intervention, New York City’s streets would remain dominated by lifeless construction fencing, while talented artists struggle to find opportunities to showcase their work.
In 2019, we expanded our mission by launching Bridging the Divide, a program at New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments, which provide homes to 400,000 lower-income New Yorkers. Founded by Executive Director Stephen Pierson, this initiative creates two-month artist residencies at NYCHA developments during construction periods. These residencies encourage artists to collaborate directly with residents, resulting in works that authentically represent the community’s history, culture, and experiences.
Scaffolding has been an integral fixture of the New York City landscape since the 19th century, when buildings started shooting skyward following the invention of elevators. The Scaffolding Law was passed in 1885 to deal with the safety hazards these new skyscrapers posed. The presence of scaffolding and sidewalk sheds spread exponentially after the passage of Local Law 11 in 1998, which mandated meticulous inspections of building facades every 5 years for all buildings over 6 stories high — inspections that required sidewalk sheds (‘scaffolding’ in common parlance) to be erected underneath.
Today, these ubiquitous structures symbolize the city’s evolution, and through ArtBridge, they have become canvases for artistic transformation.
Photo credit: First Exposure, first ArtBridge exhibit on London Terrace Gardens, 2008. Credit: Pieter Van Hattem
How artists are selected varies from site to site.
— Curated in-house from our general submissions database;
— Site-specific open calls, judged by local arts dignitaries and/or curated in-house;
— A vote by local community members
— Or a combination of any of the above, for example, we may narrow down the candidates in house, then put it to a vote in the community where the artwork will be installed.
In most instances we strive to select artists who live locally to the installation site.
What we require from artists varies from one project to the next depending on the requirements of the installation, but generally falls into these categories:
— Previously made artwork that ArtBridge prints onto vinyl for installation;
— Artwork that is designed for the installation and then printed on vinyl;
— Artwork that is designed for the installation and hand-painted onsite.
For artwork that is installed by the artist, all materials will be provided by ArtBridge. For artwork that is printed onto vinyl for installation, high resolution files must be provided by artists, but the rest is handled by ArtBridge.
In all cases, we will meet or exceed the payment standards set by W.A.G.E. The precise amount depends on how much funding we can raise for each specific site, and the amount of labor the installation will entail for the artist; e.g., artists who spend 40 hours hand-painting plywood fencing will generally be paid more than artists who simply send us digital files for previously made artwork.
Please check our submissions page for current open calls. To be alerted for any upcoming calls, follow us on Instagram, or sign up for our email list.
— You may submit as many individual pieces or series as you see fit. Series must not exceed ten images.
— Artwork must be designed to be installed on a flat surface and cannot include illumination, electronic signage, protrusions or projections.
— All genres of art, except film/video, are allowed, though film/video stills are permitted.
— Images should measure approximately 800px on their longest side and saved at roughly 72dpi. Neither measurement must be exact.
— Art must be approved by the city, we will not be able to use work that contains: obscenity or hate speech, political messages, religious content, sexual content, advertisements, depictions of illegal activity.
City Canvas is an NYC pilot program that allows us to install art exhibitions on construction fences and sheds. The program will last for two years. More info.
We’ll be installing via two basic mechanisms: 1) art (photography, paintings, sculpture) reproduced on vinyl/mesh, which will be affixed to the construction fence/shed; or art painted directly on it.
Submit your work here. We will also post individual calls for art for specific sites, as they arise. To be alerted to these, follow us on Instagram or sign up for our mailing list.
A variety of mechanisms: At some sites we’ll curate in-house from our submission database; at others we’ll use open calls, which will often be judged by local arts dignitaries; at others we’ll have active collaborations between local artists and community members. In all cases, we’ll try to select artists who live locally to the sites.
Since our founding in 2008 we’ve curated, produced and installed over 100 public art exhibitions.
Yes! Please send email us or tag us on Instagram. We are looking for high foot-traffic locations, where the construction is a real nuisance for the community, and where the construction will likely remain up for at least 6 more months.
We are especially keen to install in lower-income neighborhoods that are traditionally under-served by the arts, collaborating with local artists and community groups.