Storefront for Art and Architecture, in partnership with frieze magazine, are thrilled to launch an open call for proposals that reflect on the spatial dynamics of New York City’s ground floor. 

 

Building upon On the Ground, our yearlong program focused on the critical role storefronts play in shaping public life, this open call is an opportunity for artists, architects, and researchers to develop a new body of work that will be presented at Storefront’s exhibition space during January 2024. 

 

Amongst other things, storefronts act as thresholds between public and private space, as social anchors or carescapes within communities, as voids of real estate speculation or markers of changing consumption patterns. This new initiative invites critical responses to the forces that shape the city’s street life through the production and presentation of new work by individuals or collectives.

 

Ever since it was founded in 1982, Storefront has chronicled the changing urban landscape of New York City and beyond. We’re interested in supporting work committed to presenting diverse notions of place and public life, which is at the core of Storefront’s mission. 

 

We are open to diverse forms of practice, including video, photography projects, performance-based work, installation pieces, architectural ideas, and other media. Proposals should take the form of a new body of work aligned with On the Ground that can be presented as a month-long exhibition at Storefront. Collaborations across different professional fields and practices are welcome.

 

The selected proposal will receive a $10,000 production budget in addition to a $1,500 artist fee and curatorial assistance from Storefront to present the work at the gallery. Through the support of our partner frieze magazine, and their unparalleled platform for the discovery, inspiration, and discourse of contemporary art and culture, the selected project will gain additional attention from an arts and culture audience worldwide.

 

Storefront is committed to determining the successful project through a blind review process composed of a New York-based jury of curators, scholars, and leading cultural practitioners. Projects will be considered by the strength of the ideas, the applicant’s engagement with the subject matter, the feasibility of the project with regard to budget and timeline, and the responsiveness to Storefront’s mission at large.

 

To find out more about On the Ground series please click here.

 

– Naomi Beckwith, Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

– Tom Finkelpearl, Social Practice Teaching Scholar-in-Residence, The City University of New York 

– Danielle A. Jackson, Curator, Artists Space

– Sohrab Mohebbi, Director, SculptureCenter

– Manuela Moscoso, Executive Director and Chief Curator, CARA

– Felicity D. Scott, Professor of Architecture, Director of the PhD program in Architecture (History and Theory), and Co-Director of the CCCP program, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, Columbia University

 

–  The successful project will be announced through Storefront and frieze digital platforms by the end of July.

–  The selected candidate will be announced with an advertisement in the printed edition of frieze magazine.

–  As part of Storefront’s public program, a conversation between the selected participant with frieze’s senior editor Terence Trouillot will be held at the gallery space during the run of the show. 

–  The work must be realized within August and December 2023 and be ready to be installed at the gallery during the first two weeks of January. (Please note the facade panels will be closed during the winter. Interventions on the exterior facade will not be possible due to our ongoing Groundworks commission.). 

– The production budget is $10,000, which should include all costs involved in the development and installation of the project, including materials, fabrication, printing, transportation and shipping, installation, and the realization of any other related events and activities. There is an artist fee of $1,500 for the selected applicant in addition to the production budget.

– The work will be presented at Storefront from January through February 2024. 

– This opportunity is open to New York City-based applicants at any stage of their careers, regardless of experience level or background. 

– No curriculum vitae or letters of recommendation are required.

– There are no application fees at any stage of the process. 

– Only one proposal per applicant will be reviewed.

 

SUBMISSIONS DUE: June 19th, 2023 (11:59pm)

To apply, you will be asked to submit the following information through this online form:

To download 2D and 3D drawing sets of the Storefront gallery, please visit this link: Storefront Drawing Set

 

– Title of your proposal

– A brief description of your proposal. (150 words)

– A detailed explanation of the project, as well as how it relates to the On the Ground theme and your practice at large. (500 words)

– Up to 5 conceptual or reference images with credits that inform your project proposal. The naming of files should follow: ApplicantInitials_ImageNumber_Title. Example: AM_01_Installation view of Public Space in a Private Time.

Admitted formats for images are: jpg, jpeg, png, gif. Size per file is limited to 2 MB

– List of descriptive captions using the following format: Name (author), “Title,” date. Description / medium, dimensions (if applicable: height x width x depth, inches). Rights acknowledgement, location (if necessary). Photo: Name (photographer)

– Up to 5 additional relevant texts or images of past work in relation to your proposal. The naming of files should follow: ApplicantInitials_ImageNumber_Title. Example: AM_01_Installation view of Public Space in a Private Time.

Admitted formats for images, videos or writing pieces are: pdf, doc, docx, xls, xlsx, csv, txt, rtf, html, zip, mp3, wma, mpg, flv, avi, jpg, jpeg, png, gif. Size per file is limited to 2 MB

– List of captions using the following format: Name (author), “Title,” date. Description / medium, dimensions (if applicable: height x width x depth, inches). Rights acknowledgement, location (if necessary). Photo: Name (photographer)

– Name and contact information (e-mail address and telephone number).

 

 

We look forward to reviewing your proposal. If you have questions please contact opencall@storefrontnews.org

 

Support
Storefront’s On the Ground program is made possible through the support of the Graham Foundation, the Ruth Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the Storefront Circle and Storefront’s Board of Directors, members, and individual donors.