What to Know
- NYC has many mission driven art galleries that celebrate artists who are underrepresented on the basis of age, gender identity, cultural background, or socioeconomic status.
- Most of the exhibitions are free to the public to visit!
- These galleries also often offer fellowship programs to support up and coming artists related to their mission.
As a hub for the arts, New York City boasts an unparalleled number of art galleries. From interactive and three-dimensional exhibits, to historic art ones, there is no shortage of spaces celebrating the arts.
While many are world renowned art museums, the Big Apple also has a plethora of smaller art exhibitions fueled by inclusivity or social change missions. Check out some below:
Smack Mellon Gallery
Smack Mellon Gallery was founded in 1995. When the gallery first opened, it was housed in the loft of the gallery’s two founders, Andrea Reynosa and Kevin Vertrees. In 2004 the gallery moved into an exhibition space in DUMBO, Brooklyn, and it has since moved into other spaces in that same neighborhood.
Smack Mellon’s mission is to provide a platform for under-represented artists through showcasing their artwork in its exhibition spaces. When curating art and selecting resident artists, the gallery prioritizes those from underrepresented cultural, racial, socioeconomic, and gender identities.
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Along with featuring artwork in their exhibits, Smack Mellon gallery offers development programs for under-recognized artists. These programs range from giving artists a studio workspace with materials to use for free, to mentorship for high school student artists, to solo exhibition spaces for selected artists.
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Smack Mellon Gallery is free to visit Wednesday - Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m.
Carter Burden Gallery
Carter Burden Gallery celebrates older adult artists and aims to dispel the narrative that older artists are out of touch with the contemporary art scene. They believe that artists of any age can create cutting edge artwork, and they prove this by showcasing their pieces in their contemporary art gallery. Carter Burden Gallery was created by the Carter Burden Network, which advocates for the well being, safety, and continued livelihood of seniors.
The gallery space features 3 separate exhibition spaces, some for galleries and some for installations. Any adult above the age of 60 who is practicing art in the New York area can submit their artwork to the gallery’s curators to be considered for their exhibitions. The gallery is located in Chelsea, and is open 11 am - 5 pm from Tuesday - Saturday every week.
El Museo del Barrio
El Museo del Barrio preserves and showcases art from Caribbean and Latin American artists to highlight their contributions to the United States and, specifically, the New York City art scene.
Raphael Montañez Ortiz founded El Museo del Barrio in 1969 along with Puerto Rican educators and activists. They originally founded the museum to create a platform for Latin American artists, as most of the city's mainstream museums failed to showcase their artwork. The museum features a vast permanent collection, which includes around 8,500 objects from over 800 years of Latin American history.
El Museo del Barrio also hosts bilingual programs, festivals, and cultural celebrations to educate museum goers on Caribbean and Latin American art history. This includes special workshops and programming for Día de los Muertos and Three Kings Day. The museum is located in East Harlem, and tickets cost $9 for adults and $5 for seniors or students.
A.I.R. Gallery
A.I.R. Gallery stands for Artists in Residence, but was also inspired in part by the namesake of the feminist novel, Jane Eyre. The gallery exclusively showcases women artists, with an added focus on celebrating experimental artists. When A.I.R. Gallery was created in 1972, it was the first not-for-profit, self-directed gallery for women artists. The cornerstone of the gallery is its governing body of artists who curate the art chosen for their exhibitions through a majority vote.
In addition to exhibiting artists’ work, A.I.R. Gallery has a fellowship program for emerging artists who identify as underrepresented women or non-binary people. The collective hosts several events throughout the year to shed light on and grow their artist community, including lectures and symposiums. A.I.R. Gallery is free to visit and is open Wednesday - Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m.
