BRIC To Award 10 NYC-Based Artists $10K
FORT GREENE – BRIC announced this week the inaugural Colene Brown Art Prize, a $100,000 grant the organization will split among ten under-recognized New York-based visual artists.
The award is underwritten by BRIC board member and artist Deborah Brown, and honors her late mother, Colene Brown. It is funded through the Harold and Colene Brown Family Foundation.
“I am privileged to be on the board of BRIC and partner with this great institution to create and administer the Colene Brown Art Prize,” Brown said in a statement. “With the awards, I hope to aid an outstanding group of artists in the pursuit of their dreams and at the same time recognize the role of not-for-profit cultural institutions like BRIC that make a transformational difference in their communities.”
Ten NYC-based curators, critics, and artists each nominated five artists “of exceptional merit that have yet to receive substantial institutional support,” according to BRIC. Eligible artists could be at any stage of their career, from up-and-coming to established. An internal BRIC committee will review the 50 nominations and select the ten artists who will each receive a $10,000 prize.
BRIC will announce the ten recipients on October 1 and honor them at the institution’s annual gala on November 7.
“BRIC is grateful for the tireless support of Deborah Brown, a board member who reflects our ethos and understands firsthand the challenges facing contemporary artists,” Kristina Newman-Scott, BRIC President, said in the announcement. “Her generosity will help support a diverse community of artists at key moments in their careers.”
Founded in 1979, BRIC is a leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, including the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, a contemporary art exhibition series, Brooklyn’s Public Access initiative, Brooklyn Free Speech, and BRIC TV. BRIC also offers educational programs at its headquarters, BRIC House, in Fort Greene.
BRIC’s contemporary art program was launched in 1981 to present exhibitions and programs focused on emerging and mid-career artists whose work reflects Brooklyn’s diversity. The contemporary art programming includes residency programs, biennial exhibitions, an online registry, and youth education. The exhibition Beyond Geographies: Contemporary Art and Muslim Experience, featuring eight Brooklyn-based Muslim artists working in various media, opened at BRIC on September 12. Read about the exhibit here.
