Apply Now: Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program for Visual and Multidisciplinary Artists 2024

The deadline to apply to this competitive New York City-based program is Friday, October 6, 11:59 PM ET.

Are you an immigrant artist working in the Visual or Multidisciplinary Arts? Do you live in New York City or within commuting distance of the New York City Metropolitan area? If yes, consider joining New York Foundation for the Arts’ (NYFA) growing immigrant artist community and apply to be part of the Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program.

This competitive program is open to visual artists from all disciplines (Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Video, Film, Photography, New Media, Multidisciplinary, Socially-Engaged Practices, Folk and Traditional Art) and provided free of charge to accepted participants. The program runs from December 2022 to April 2023, and the application deadline is Friday, October 8, 2022, 11:59 PM ET.

Program Goals 

• Provide one-on-one support. The program pairs immigrant artists with artist mentors who guide them to achieve specific goals and provide them with broader access to the New York cultural world through an exchange of ideas, resources, and experiences.
• Build a community. The program provides opportunities for participants to connect with other immigrant artists through group meetings, peer learning, and informal gatherings that include alumni from 2007 to the present. 

Through access to other artists, arts professionals, and organizations, the program offers immigrant artists the opportunity to focus on their career goals while navigating the shared experiences and challenges of being an immigrant artist.

Program Benefits

• 1-on-1 mentorship 
• Professional development workshops (previous topics: cultivating relationships with curators, organizing collaborative projects, etc.)
• Opportunity to be selected to exhibit your work in In/Between (link to 2023 exhibition), an annual immigrant artist group exhibition scheduled to take place in spring 2024. In partnership with New York Live Arts. 
• Opportunity to participate in professional development training designed for ProjectArt’s Teaching Artist Residency, observe classes, and receive 1:1 consultation from a Resident Teaching Artist. In partnership with ProjectArt. 
• Access to one free 30-minute legal consultation with Michael Catailotti, immigration attorney at Cataliotti Law. 
• Opportunity to be highlighted in NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Program Monthly Newsletter. 
• Networking opportunities with the program cohort, IAP Mentoring Program alumni, arts professionals, and staff members from various arts organizations, including our Cultural Partners in NYC.

Cultural Partners

New York Live Arts, Bronx Council on the Arts, Asian American Arts Alliance, Flushing Town Hall, Haiti Cultural Exchange, International Center for Photography, Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance, ProjectArt, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, and Staten Island Arts.

Eligibility

• Visual and multidisciplinary artists working in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Video, Film, Photography, New Media, Multidisciplinary, Socially-Engaged Practices, Folk, and Traditional Art
• Able to attend mandatory meetings in person in New York City Metropolitan area
• Artists born outside of the U.S. or in the U.S. territories (Puerto Rico or Guam, The U.S. Virgin Islands) may apply.*
• Have been pursuing a career as an artist within the range of 1-10 years in the United States**
• Are NOT currently enrolled in an arts graduate or undergraduate degree program***

    *If you have a unique immigrant experience that doesn’t meet the stated eligibility and feel you would benefit from this program, please reach out to i.outreach@nyfa.org with some information on your immigrant story.

**This program often benefits those who are at more emerging stages in their U.S. careers. If you’ve been pursuing a career as an artist in the U.S. for more than 10 years and feel you would benefit from this program,  please reach out to i.outreach@nyfa.org with some information on your immigrant experience.

***Students who will graduate before the program starts are welcome to apply.

Guidelines

For the application, we ask you to provide:

• Your short and long term goals and why you are interested in applying to this program
• Any challenges you are facing in your artistic practice, including your immigrant experience, and how you would like to work with a mentor to seek solutions
• A narrative bio of your professional career
• A link to your online presence (e.g. website or social media etc.)
• Work samples

Selection Process

The selection process has several phases:

    1. With the support of local cultural partners, NYFA will identify established professional artists from a variety of disciplines—whose backgrounds reflect the applicant pool—to serve as mentors.

2. Mentors will review mentee applications focusing on the applicants’ artistic vision, resources they are looking for, and career goals. The mentors’ ability to offer the necessary resources and information that the applicant is seeking is taken into consideration.

3. NYFA will participate in the process of identifying the pool of mentees, considering the cohort makeup as a whole while aligning mutually beneficial pairings of mentors and mentees.

Mandatory Program Dates

Introduction (in-person)
    Wednesday, December 13, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Meet the Mentors  (in-person)
    Wednesday, January 31, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM 

Alumni Mixer  (in-person)
    Wednesday, February 28, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Check-In  (in-person)
    Wednesday, March 27, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM 

Final Celebration  (in-person)
    Wednesday, April 17, 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM 

In/Between Exhibition  (in-person)
    March 2024

A virtual “Meet the Partners” session will be arranged during the program in December or January. Date TBD. 

In-person programs will be implemented in accordance with local and state health guidelines. Meeting locations may vary, but all are based in New York City. The program will be moved online, if necessary.

Attendance is mandatory for all sessions, so please check your calendar before applying.

Questions? Contact the IAP Team at i.outreach@nyfa.org. 

How to Apply

Application Link: Click here to review the application guidelines and to apply via Submittable. First-time users will need to register with Submittable to access the application portal.

Application Deadline: Friday, October 6, 11:59 PM ET

Notifications: By Monday, November 13

To request an accommodation or assistance in applying, please email i.outreach@nyfa.org or contact 212-366-6900 Ext 253. We ask that requests for accommodation be made as soon as possible or by Wednesday, September 27, to allow adequate time for staff to support you in submitting an application before the deadline.

Questions? Contact the IAP Team at i.outreach@nyfa.org.

Testimonials

"NYFA IAP has changed my life as an artist in the USA. I am ever grateful to the NYFA IAP people who supported us in every way possible, which paved our path for a better future." – Bipasha Hayat (IAP: Visual and Multidisciplinary Artist ‘23)

“I feel so grateful for being part of the IAP mentoring program. A huge thank you to the organizers! My mentor was a perfect fit for me. A very warm person, supportive, knowledgeable and professional. I truly enjoyed our conversations. I also feel grateful for the opportunity to connect with other artists, create friendships and possibilities for future collaborations. All the above made this experience meaningful, valuable and unique.”

Despina Zografos (IAP: Visual and Multidisciplinary Artist ‘23)
 

"Being able to share experiences and resources with fellow immigrant artists makes me feel less alone, and enables me to dedicate my goal as an independent artist in the city." – Xinan Ran (IAP: Visual and Multidisciplinary Artist ‘23)
 

Our thanks to International Center of Photography (ICP) and Motion Picture Enterprises (MPE) for hosting our group meetings. 

NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program is made possible by the generous support of: Consolidated Edison; Deutsche Bank; Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund; New York Community Trust; and Pollock-Krasner Foundation.