BRIC Receives $50k from the National Endowment for the Arts

BRIC has received a $50,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support the expansion of visual arts education programs and curatorial fellowships for students in New York City. Through the support of the grant, Brooklyn-based students from underserved communities will develop critical thinking and language skills through discussions of visual arts at the BRIC Media House Gallery (647 Fulton Street), visits to other contemporary art galleries, and in-school classroom workshops and student exhibitions. In addition to the school residencies, BRIC will engage students in the development, management and curation of BRIC's Youth Media Festival through the Youth Curatorial Fellowship, a dual-track program focused on curation and professional development.

Leslie G. Schultz, President of BRIC shared, "We are grateful to count on the NEA's support for BRIC's arts education initiatives-programs that allow our youth to experience, create and learn from the arts in ways that will make a difference in their development and in their communities."

"The arts reflect the vision, energy and talent of America's artists and arts organizations," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support organizations such as BRIC in serving their communities by providing excellent and accessible arts experiences."

The leading presenter of cultural programming in Brooklyn, the non-profit BRIC incubates work by artists and media-makers who reflect the diversity that is thriving in the local Brooklyn community. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Recently on view at the Gallery at BRIC House, This Land Is..., was the 29th Annual Contemporary Art Exhibition developed by BRIC's Education team, teaching artists and students from throughout Brooklyn. This Land Is... showcased student works created through 57 school-based residencies, representing over 800 student works from 35 schools located in 19 Brooklyn neighborhoods. This past May, BRIC presented Concrete Stories: Brooklyn Youth Media Festival a showcase of media produced by Brooklyn-affiliated youth under the age of 21. The fourth annual festival celebrated the talented young media makers who are telling their stories through short films, documentaries and animations. Concrete Stories was produced and curated by a group of media-savvy local high school students as part of the BRIC Youth Media Education Internship Program.

This month, BRIC also presents reSISTER: Race, Identity & the Women's Movement, a special #BHeard Town Hall, Broadcast by BRIC TV, on June 22; and the 2017 BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival at the Prospect Park Bandshell, through August 12.

To join the Twitter conversation about this announcement, please use #NEASpring17. For more information on projects included in the NEA grant announcement, please visit to arts.gov. For more information about BRIC, please visit bricartsmedia.org.

About BRIC

BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. We present and incubate work by artists and media-makers who reflect the diversity that surrounds us. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Our main venue, BRIC Arts | Media House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio, and artist work spaces.

Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park, several path-breaking public access media initiatives, including BRIC TV, and a renowned contemporary art exhibition series. BRIC also offers education and other vital programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.

In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences.

BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables us to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America's rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America.