RFP Opens: Monday, June 30, 2025

RFP Closes: Monday, August 4, 2025

Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) invites New York City-based visual artists to apply for its Artist Residency and Training Seminar Series (ARTWorks), a six-month Fellowship that focuses on career sustainability. While all New York City-based visual artists may apply, priority will be given to Queens-based BIIPOC artists.

During ARTWorks, six artists will regard their practice as a small business, identify entrepreneurial and professional goals, and generate a long-term plan to accomplish them. In doing so, ARTWorks Fellows receive the practical knowledge to navigate the aesthetic and socioeconomic complexities and substructures of the New York art world. Through fiscal and technical support, Fellows will learn the business of art as they expand their professional network Fellows will engage in regular meetings with the rest of the cohort, coordinated by Sherwin Banfield, Program Manager. Fellows will also be required to participate in at least six events in a Seminar Series that will explore topics chosen by the Program Manager in consultation with the Fellows. Seminar speakers may include:

· established and emerging artists from Queens, New York City, and the United States at large,

· curators, conservators, exhibition designers, and researchers,

· MBAs, MFAs, CPAs, managers, and agents,

· gallerists, collectors, academics, and appraisers,

· journalists, editors, and critics,

· observers, supporters, and influencers in NYC’s contemporary visual art scene

Past Seminar topics have included: 

· artist copyright & contracts,

· building relationships with collectors,

· establishing one’s artistic legacy,

· working with commercial galleries,

· career insights,

· writing about art,

· grant writing,

· wellness and artmaking,

· using social media and other marketing tools to promote one’s work,

· taxes and accounting for artists,

· art handling basics, and more!  

Fellows will also engage periodically with an established career artist, who will serve as Artist Mentor to the group. During the program, the ARTWorks Artist Mentor and Program Manager will both act as contact points and resources. Their roles, in part, are to ensure that the Fellowship serves the needs and meets the interests of each artist. Occasions for peer-to-peer, group, and/or one-on-one guidance and feedback are provided.

Members of the 2026 ARTWorks cohort will have the opportunity to interact with previous ARTWorks Fellows for occasional guidance and support. After their own Fellowship is completed, the 2026 cohort would be welcome to mentor future cohorts as well.

Each Fellow in the ARTWorks program receives $5,000, paid out over the course of the program. Fellows are also eligible for free studio space at JCAL, comprised of about 550 square feet, on an as-available basis. (Applicants should be aware that this studio space will be shared with other JCAL programs.) One 7’ x 4’ studio closet will be allotted to Fellows for storing projects and materials if needed. Working through the Program Manager, Fellows may also take one free class at JCAL on a space-available basis.

At the conclusion of ARTWorks, Fellows participate in a two-month public group exhibition (with catalogue) in JCAL’s Miller and Community galleries.

Program Timeline:

· Applications due midnight Monday, August 4, 2025

· Selected artists notified via email on Monday, August 18, 2025

· Contract and supporting materials due midnight Monday, September 1, 2025

· Announcement of Fellows made public on Monday, September 15, 2025

· ARTWorks 2025 begins Wednesday, October 1, 2025

· ARTWorks 2025 ends Friday, May 1, 2026

Program Eligibility:

Top priority will be given to Queens-based artists of underrepresented communities. Artists with multidisciplinary practices are welcome to apply, with the understanding that ARTWorks focuses on visual artists who work in traditional forms. Applicants must also:

· reside in New York City (preferably Queens) or Long Island,

· identify as BIIPOC (Black, Immigrant, Indigenous, People of Color),

· demonstrate clarity of concept in their work and strong evidence of craft,

· possess a deep commitment to social practice in their work,

· not have received major exposure via exhibitions, grants, or other residencies,

· not be enrolled full- or part-time in any college degree or certificate program.

· past ARTWorks Fellows are ineligible.

Selection Criteria:

Artists will be evaluated on the strength of their submission (see Application Requirements). Strong preference will be given to Queens-based artists and to those artists who demonstrate an interest in, and commitment to, those issues relevant to underrepresented communities of Queens and the greater New York City area.

Fellows will be selected by a jury that will evaluate all submissions without obvious identifiers. As a cultural institution, JCAL is committed to serving those of all races, colors, religions, languages, gender identities, sexual orientations, national origins, ages, disabilities, socioeconomic statuses, marital statuses, and all other differences. Demographic information will be collected internally by JCAL to determine program eligibility and for grant reporting purposes only. 

Application Requirements

To apply, all of the following must be submitted online to https://jcal.submittable.com/submit.

· Work samples: six images (.jpg, .pdf, .png, .tiff only) OR two videos 3-5 minutes in length (.mp4, .mov, .wmv, Quicktime only). No password-protected files will be reviewed.

· One-page description of work samples, including title, date, dimensions, and medium (for images) or title, date, duration, B&W/color, and silent or sound (for videos).

· One artist statement of no more than 300 words.

· One professional reference of no more than 300 words.

· CV with all relevant contact information.

· One paragraph summarizing your expectations of ARTWorks.

All submitted materials, including work samples, must be original to and the sole property of the applicant, or the application will be disqualified. Applications will not be considered complete and will not be reviewed without all required materials submitted.

Major support for ARTWorks is provided by the Jerome Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mellon Foundation, and the Howard Gilman Foundation. JCAL is especially grateful for support from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, City Council Member Nantasha Williams, and the Office of the Mayor through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. JCAL also acknowledges season support for visual arts from Con Edison.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a vendor for the Downtown Jamaica Riddim & Jazz Festival! The festival will be Saturday, July 26 at Rufus King Park, starting at 2 pm. 

Vendors pay $50 for a one-day table. Please note that tents will not be provided, but vendors are welcome to bring their own. JCAL's tables are 8 feet, and tents must be no larger than 10 feet.

Below is an application form. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate food vendors in the park at this time.

In the event of extreme weather, vendors will be granted a full refund.

Please provide a detailed description of your brand and products below. If it is a good fit, we will be in touch to set you up as an official vendor. 

Selected vendors will be asked to fill out a W9. Payment will be collected through ACH or credit card.