Lower Manhattan Cultural Council

02/18/2021

10 days left to apply for LMCC's 2021 Arts Center Residency! The application deadline is Sunday, February 28 at 11:59pm EST.

This short-term, project-based residency will provide free studio space and opportunities to share work with the public during LMCC's 2021 public season.

The residency will take place at The Arts Center at Governors Island in 2 sessions: May 4 - August 20, 2021, and August 30 - December 17, 2021.

If you are an artist or creative practitioner whose work is concerned with the broader themes of equity and sustainability, apply now!

LMCC alumni not supported by an LMCC residency program in the last 6 months are eligible to apply.

Learn more: https://lmcc.net/resources/artist-residencies/arts-center-residency/

Image credit: #LMCCAlumni Ian Tousius, photo by Salome Mindiashvili

02/17/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · KC Trommer is an artist and writer based in Queens.

"While I'm on the Island, I'm planning for the 2021 edition of my QUEENSBOUND project (www.QUEENSBOUND.com). Our website design draws inspiration from Massimo Vignelli's 1979 NYC MTA map; poets from the project are reading in February through the Red Door Series at St. Mark's Church in Jackson Heights.

I'm also at work on a series of ekphrastic poems (poems that respond to works of art), like my poem "The Couple" which appeared in the October 2020 issue of The Common after Louise Bourgeois's sculpture of the same name that hangs at MASS MoCA." –KC Trommer

Learn more about KC and her work at kctrommer.com!

Every week we will feature program participants of LMCC's 2021 GI COVID-19 Response Residency. Stay tuned for more!

Image credits:
1. KC Trommer at The Arts Center, photo by Ryan Matthews.
2. KC Trommer's poem “The Couple”, and Louise Bourgeois's sculpture “The Couple”

02/17/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · Kosuke Kawahara is a visual artist based in Brooklyn.

"During the Arts Center program, I expect to cultivate new gestures through visceral responses and research-based ideas in my latest project entitled "Into an Ultrablack." I’m excited to experience the energy, memory, and historical background of Governors Island since produced imagery in my studio practice are the fruits of the session with the site." –Kosuke Kawahara

Learn more about Kosuke and his work at http://kosukekawahara.org/

Every week we will feature program participants of LMCC's 2021 GI COVID-19 Response Residency. Stay tuned for more!

Image credits:
1. Untitled, 2021. Indian Ink, Ballpoint, Handmade Book.
2. Misty Peak, 2019. Oil color, acrylic, spray paint, beeswax, animal glue, shellac, found paper, cloth, lumber.
3. Kosuke Kawahara, photography by Mio Shimazaki

02/10/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · Nozomi Rose is a visual artist based in Manhattan.

“This residency program is an amazing opportunity for local artists like myself because it allows me to make art in my own studio alongside other like-minded professional artists during the coronavirus crisis in NYC. When everything is remote, daily face-to-face interactions with prominent artists are not only precious but also what keeps us on track. Thank you LMCC and the Trust for Governors Island for the true gifts!” –Nozomi Rose

Nozomi is currently painting and making installation art at the Arts Center at Governors Island. Learn more about Nozomi and her work at nozomirose.com.

Every week we will feature program participants of LMCC's 2021 GI COVID-19 Response Residency. Stay tuned for more!

Image courtesy of the artist, Nozomi Rose:
wings, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 12" x 9"

02/09/2021

Keyholder Residencies - Lower East Side Printshop

Residency opportunity for artists! The Keyholder Residency Program by Lower East Side Printshop offers emerging artists free 24-hour access to printmaking facilities to develop new work and foster their artistic careers. Residencies are free and one year long, starting on April 1st and October 1st each year.

Keyholders work independently, in a productive atmosphere alongside other contemporary artists. Artists from all disciplines are eligible to apply; print-making skills are not required, but some familiarity with the medium is recommended. A total of 8 artists are awarded the residency annually. Artists based in the New York City area and without access to a studio space are encouraged to apply.

The application deadline is March 1, 11:59 PM EST.

Learn more: https://www.printshop.org/keyholder-residencies/

NEXT DEADLINE: March 1, 2021 11:59 PM EST FOR RESIDENCIES BEGINNING April 1, 2021 The Keyholder Residency Program offers emerging artists free 24-hour access to printmaking facilities to develop new work and foster their artistic careers. Residencies are free and one year long, starting on April 1st...

02/08/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · Betsy Kenyon is a visual artist based in Manhattan.

“The working title of the project is Slumber but the work isn’t really about sleep. What you find in the images is evidence of bodies in repose, cocooned in their private environments. These single images are made overnight and recorded onto film. Because of the very long exposures and the many movements that happen during this time frame the details of physical appearance do not register. This work has become particularly relevant to me during this time of Covid since we are living very internal and separate lives.

I am thrilled to have the amazing opportunity to work alongside other artists in a gorgeous studio on a beautiful off-season Governors Island. Thank you LMCC!” –Betsy Kenyon

Learn more about Betsy and her work at betsykenyon.com.

Every week we will feature program participants of LMCC's 2021 GI COVID-19 Response Residency. Stay tuned for more!

Image courtesy of the artist, Betsy Kenyon.

02/04/2021

#LMCCAlumni Jen Silverman's debut novel, We Play Ourselves, will be released on February 9, 2021!

We Play Ourselves follows Cass, an emerging queer playwright on the cusp of New York City theatre stardom. But when she finds herself in the middle of a humiliating scandal, she flees to Los Angeles hoping for reinvention, while still haunted by her former life. After a chance meeting with the magnetic filmmaker next door, Cass begins to help with a semidocumentary movie that tracks a pack of teenage girls and their subversive repurposing of Fight Club.

Jen Silverman participated in #LMCCWorkspace 2013-2014.

Learn more about the novel: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554247/we-play-ourselves-by-jen-silverman/?mc_cid=c3ac310653&mc_eid=075fb7e5d5

Image courtesy of Jen Silverman.

02/03/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · Josef Pinlac is a multidisciplinary artist based in Queens.

“Being part of the LMCC artists-in-residence program is a godsend of a blessing for me after a year of feeling like my art career had stalled due to the pandemic and other circumstances. I am definitely feeling energized and so full of ideas for my time at the residency that I hope to bring into the physical realm.”

Josef’s work is multidisciplinary with an emphasis on mixed media physical assemblages. He is currently working on text wire sculpture pieces with political and social aspects.

Learn more about Josef and his work: instagram.com/istillheartnewyork!

Every week we will feature program participants of LMCC's 2021 GI COVID-19 Response Residency. Stay tuned for more!

Images courtesy of Josef Pinlac.

02/02/2021

LMCC announces an Open Call to provide short-term, project-based residencies to artists and creative practitioners whose work is concerned with the broader themes of equity and sustainability!

The residency will take place in the open plan studios at LMCC’s Arts Center at Governors Island in two sessions:

Session One: May 4 – August 20, 2021
Session Two: August 30 – December 17, 2021

The application deadline for LMCC’s Art Center Residency is on Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST.

Alumni not supported by an LMCC residency program in the last 6 months are eligible to apply.

Visit https://lmcc.net/arts-center-residency/ for more information and please share widely with your networks!

Image credits:
LMCC 2020 Arts Center artists Eleanor Kipping, Ann Kim, André Zachery, and Hilary Lorenz. Photos by Salome Mindiashvili.

02/01/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · Janelle Lawrence is a playwright and composer based in Manhattan.

"I have been falling in love with and avoiding this project for almost a year. I'm so grateful to LMCC to provide a space and an impetus to engage with my project, (black) Church again." –Janelle Lawrence

Janelle’s art investigates communal and individual strength, stories of diverse types and lives of people of color, and reaches across multiple generations while holding onto its roots of love and family lessons.

Learn more about Janelle and their work at janellelawrence.com!

Every week we will feature program participants of LMCC's 2021 GI COVID-19 Response Residency. Stay tuned for more!

Images courtesy of Janelle Lawrence:
1. Janelle Lawrence, photo by Jackie Abbott
2. (black) Church by Jei (Janelle Lawrence)

01/27/2021

#LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series · Dena Igusti is a poet, playwright, and producer based in Queens.

“Being a part of this residency program gives me the opportunity to create work I’ve had to push off because of the limitations of my current space, such as the choreopoem adaptation of my book “CUT WOMAN” and my show commission at Center At Park West. As a born and raised New Yorker who has been displaced in this city, it’s assuring to know that I’m supported by LMCC.” –Dena Igusti

Learn more about Dena and their work at denaigusti.com!

Every week we will feature program participants of LMCC's 2021 Governors Island COVID-19 Response Residency. Stay tuned for more!

Images courtesy of the artist, Dena Igusti:
1. Poem collage of “the tsunami drowns rick del gado’s ‘usa for indonesia’ (an erasure).” Poem excerpt from Dena Igusti’s “CUT WOMAN.” Original photo by Esther Lee.
2. An image of Dena Igusti from photo/poetry essay “After The Incision” a collaboration with Dena Igusti and Esther Lee about what it means to live with the trauma of female genital mutilation. Photo by Esther Lee.
3. Dena Igusti performing at “Can You Hear Us Now?” at Lincoln Center 2019.

01/26/2021

New Sounds Live

Tune in tomorrow January 27 and January 28 at 7pm for New Sounds Live, a virtual two-part series presented by Arts Brookfield!

New Sounds Live features performances by So Percussion with guests Angelica Negron and Darian Thomas as well as innovative guitarists Kaki King and Yasmin Williams. The series is curated by WNYC’s John Schaefer and filmed in the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place New York.

Register for the free virtual event: https://bfplny.com/newsoundslive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWgIHzcMxWw

🎵 🎵 Tune in on on 1/27 and 1/28 to experience the annual music series, New Sounds Live, virtually! Recorded at BFPL's Winter Garden and curated by WNYC’s J...

01/26/2021

Join the LMCC team! We are seeking an Exhibitions Coordinator for the 2021 Season at LMCC’s Arts Center at Governors Island, and a seasonal Production Manager for LMCC’s 2021 River To River Festival.

The Exhibitions Coordinator will work closely with the Curator on exhibition planning, production, and logistics, acting as line producer for all visual art exhibitions that are part of the 2021 season at LMCC’s Arts Center at Governors Island.

The Production Manager will work closely with the Creative Producer on festival planning, production and logistics for all performances or projects that are part of River To River 2021.

Learn more about these opportunities and how to apply: https://lmcc.net/about/careers/

Image credit: LMCC’s Art Center at Governors Island, photo by David Sundberg/Esto.

01/25/2021

Introducing the first artist in #LMCCArtsCenter Artist Series: Selwyn V. Garraway! Every week we will feature program participants of LMCC's 2021 Governors Island COVID-19 Response Residency.

“I feel very fortunate to be one of 22 artists selected to participate in the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Governor’s Island COVID-19 Response Residency Program. As a watercolor painter, it is quite a career opportunity to be granted such generous studio work space in a bucolic island setting for a 3-month period. During this residency, I look forward to an immersive, creative experience, and one of exploration and discovery with my art making in the company of fellow artists.” –Selwyn V. Garraway

Selwyn V. Garraway is a watercolor painter and illustrator based in Manhattan. Learn more about Selwyn and his work at selwyngarraway.com!

Images courtesy of the artist, Selwyn V. Garraway:
1. Victorian Gingerbread House, 2020, Watercolor on paper.
2. The Yacht Kingston, Battery Park City marina, 2020, Watercolor on paper.
3. Poolside view at the Caribbean Hotel, Wildwood, NJ, 2020, Watercolor on paper.

01/21/2021

Only a few days left to view #LMCCAlumni Tourmaline’s solo exhibition, Pleasure Garden, presented by Chapter NY through January 24!

Pleasure Garden features the artist’s recent film, Salacia, and introduces a series of five new photographs inspired by the world of the film. In Salacia, Tourmaline builds a fictionalized story centered around Mary Jones, a black, trans, sex worker who lived in New York in the 1830s.

Tourmaline’s work is an invitation, asking us to fundamentally reshape our beliefs about what is possible, in order to line up with our desires. Just as the Black community of Seneca Village took an enormous leap to make the impossible possible—believing that they could become free landowners at a time when Black people were enslaved—and as those who facilitated space travel made the impossible possible, Tourmaline demands of her viewers to see this moment as an opportunity to tune into the frequency of what is most desired and always possible, and tune out of the well-practiced regurgitation of the false limits imposed all around us.

Learn more: http://chapter-ny.com/exhibitions/current/tourmaline/

Tourmaline participated in #LMCCWorkspace 2016-2017.

Image credit: Tourmaline, "Coral Hairstreak," 2020, Dye sublimation print, 29.5 x 30 inches. Image courtesy of Chapter NY.

01/20/2021

We are excited to share that #LMCCGrantee Jazz Power Initiative and Eli Yamin will join a virtual celebration of the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the Clean Energy for America Inaugural Ball tonight!

Performances will feature Zah! Jazz Power Youth, vocalist Antoinette Montague, saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, bassist Jennifer Vincent, and drummer Dwayne "Cook" Broadnax.

Learn more about the event: https://www.cleanenergyforbiden.com/ball

Photo by Ed Berger, courtesy of Eli Yamin.

01/20/2021

videoFile.MP4

#LMCCAlumni Pioneers Go East Collective presents LUCKY STAR: superstar, a Cosmic-Queer Dance-Theatre Film, premiering at The Exponential Festival on Thursday, January 21 at 8pm!

Borrowing drag fabulousness from vaudeville acts to celebrate otherness, LUCKY STAR: superstar is a provocative and physical performance inspired by DIY performance artists from Club 57 and The Pyramid Club.

Visit theexponentialfestival.org/luckystar to learn more!

Video courtesy of Pioneers Go East Collective.

Featuring performance artists Anabella Lenzu, Daniel Diaz, Bree Breeden, and cameo appearance by Agosto Machado.

Cinematography by Jon Burklund, Director & writer Gian Marco Riccardo Lo Forte, Production design & writer Philip Treviño, Choreography consultant Beth Graczyk, Sound design Ryan William Downey, Episode 1 includes cinematography by Todd Carroll.

01/14/2021

Tune in today at 5:30pm for a conversation between artist Baseera Khan and Absolut Art Global Creative Director and Curator, Michelle Grey on Khan’s latest endeavors, 2021 goals, and current projects!

Watch the talk live on Absolut Art’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/absolut_art/

#LMCCAlumni Baseera Khan participated in Process Space 2015.

Photo by Maridelis Morales Rosado for The New York Times.

01/14/2021

#LMCCAlumni Esteban Cabeza de Baca’s solo exhibition “Nepantla” opens today at Garth Greenan Gallery! The exhibition features more than a dozen paintings and sculptures, all made between 2019-2020.

Esteban Cabeza de Baca employs a broad range of painterly techniques, entwining layers of graffiti, landscape, and ancient symbols. His work often draws on his complex ancestry as a person of Native American and Mexican descent with a direct link to the Spanish conquistador-turned-spiritual-healer Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, as well as on his experience growing up on the bordertown of San Ysidro.

Taking inspiration from Chicana cultural theorist Gloria Anzaldua’s use of the Nahuatl word “Nepantla” to describe thresholds between worlds or discrete cultural frameworks, the exhibition explores the complex spiritual potential of liminal territories.

Learn more: https://www.garthgreenan.com/exhibitions/esteban-cabeza-de-baca

Image credit: Esteban Cabeza de Baca, “Vessels,” 2020, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 inches. Image courtesy of Garth Greenan Gallery.