2016 Call for Artists: Site-specific Installation in Bay Ridge

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn — The Storefront Art Walk (SAW) is now accepting artist applications for 2016. Fifteen Brooklyn artists will be chosen to create site-specific art installations in collaboration with merchants along the avenue from 68th Street to 84th Street. The storefronts along 5th Avenue will be the stage to display these works, offering Bay Ridge residents and visitors a unique opportunity to engage with the visual arts and explore the dialogue between commerce, art and community. 

The artists will be selected by a jury of six, comprised of curators, arts administrators, and artists, based on artistic merit, feasibility, and an ability to successfully engage with the Bay Ridge community. Last year’s jury included Anna Lise Jensen, a SAW 2013 Artist, Maureen Drennan, a SAW 2014 Artist, Jason Andrew, co-founder/director of Norte Maar and co-owner of OUTLET, Jillian Steinhauer, Senior Editor for Hyperallergic, and Leigh Holliday Brannan, owner of The Art Room Bay Ridge.

Each artist will eventually pair themselves with a 5th Avenue business and will create a unique installation with the particular business in mind. Beginning on May 14, 2016 each SAW artist will display in a storefront window so that Bay Ridge residents and visitors alike can enjoy the unique pieces while outside the establishment.

Artists will receive a stipend to create new work that will be installed for the duration of SAW. Interested artists are urged to send their application materials no later than 5PM on Monday, January 27, 2016 to info@bayridgesaw.org. More details are available at www.bayridgesaw.org.
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SAW was created in 2010 by local business owners John Avelluto (The Owl’s Head Wine Bar) and Heather Hamilton (Long’s Wine & Liquors) as a way to showcase the diverse community of Bay Ridge and give it a unique platform for engagement and dialogue with the visual arts. While Bay Ridge is home to many artists, the neighborhood is under-served and underfunded in terms of public arts spending and grants.  The SAW, now in its 7th year, is sponsored by the 5th Avenue Business Improvement District, Red Hook Winery, and SixPoint Brewery.