About Art-Bridge
ArtBridge empowers local artists to transform construction fencing into canvases for art. We seek to place artists at the center of public life, while prioritizing exhibitions that amplify the voices, cultures, and histories of local communities. We partner with site owners, and have a robust program at public housing developments. Since 2009, we’ve installed exhibitions at dozens of construction sites in all 5 boroughs of New York City, and supported programming in Italy and South Africa. ArtBridge’s exhibitions have provided unprecedented exposure for hundreds of artists, and have covered more than 60,000 square feet of public space. For inquiries, call (646) 450-1463 or contact us at: info@art-bridge.org
The ArtBridge
Story
Scaffolding has been a 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 sheds to be erected underneath.
At the same time that scaffolding has overtaken NYC’s urban environment, emerging artists are facing increasing obstacles to success — from rapidly rising rents to an ever-more cloistered gallery world.
In 2008, designer and artist Rodney Durso’s Chelsea apartment building was undergoing a year-long facade inspection. Durso saw an opportunity for sidewalk sheds to serve as a canvas to provide unprecedented exposure for local, emerging artists, while turning a communal liability into a collective asset. This idea soon became ArtBridge.
Since 2008, ArtBridge has installed art at dozens of construction sites in New York City, with installations as far north as the Hudson Valley, and as far away as Italy. ArtBridge’s exhibitions have provided prominent exposure for more than 150 artists, and have covered over 50,000 square feet of public space.
In 2019 ArtBridge expanded its scope to create programming at NYCHA developments, which provide affordable housing to 400,000 lower-income New Yorkers. This program, Bridging the Divide, was founded by ArtBridge’s Executive Director, Stephen Pierson. It produces 2-month artist residencies at NYCHA developments across the city, coinciding with times of construction fencing at these buildings. During these 2 months, artists collaborate with residents to create art that empowers the narratives of residents.
Artist Selection
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.
Artwork Requirements
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.
Payment
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.
Open Calls
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.
General Submissions
ArtBridge accepts art on an ongoing basis. General submissions will be considered for all ArtBridge exhibitions that do not have sufficient time for an open call. You may submit here while simultaneously submitting the same, or different, works to current open calls for specific ArtBridge projects.
Guidelines
— 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.
FAQ
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.
We will hustle to try to obtain a variety of funding sources for each site — grants, donations, and payments from site owners. If you have funding source ideas, please tell us!! We’re starting from scratch here…
As many as possible! We are aiming for 50 sites, across all 5 boroughs, during the program’s 2 years. We believe this is feasible.
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.