BRIC (nonprofit organization)

BRIC (nonprofit organization)
Name	BRIC
Formation	1979
Type	Nonprofit arts and media organization
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York
Services	Arts education, media training, exhibitions, performances
Leader title	President and CEO
Leader name	Deborah Cullinan

BRIC (nonprofit organization) is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit arts and media organization founded to expand access to contemporary art, performance, and media production in New York City. It operates exhibition galleries, performance spaces, media labs, and education programs serving diverse communities across Brooklyn and collaborates with cultural institutions, artists, and civic organizations. BRIC has become a platform for visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, and community organizers, hosting festivals, residency programs, and public art projects.

History

Founded in 1979 amid neighborhood revitalization efforts in Brooklyn, BRIC emerged alongside civic initiatives such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music expansions and the cultural resurgence in neighborhoods like DUMBO and Fort Greene. Early decades saw collaboration with artists connected to institutions such as Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, and School of Visual Arts; BRIC’s programming paralleled movements visible at venues like MoMA PS1, Whitney Museum, and The Kitchen. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s BRIC developed media education tied to public broadcasting trends exemplified by WNET and PBS, while engaging with local development debates similar to those around the Atlantic Yards project and arts-led urban change in Williamsburg. In the 2000s BRIC expanded facilities influenced by cultural capital investments seen at Lincoln Center and the Brooklyn Museum, and launched festivals and community media initiatives that echoed models from Sundance Film Festival satellite programs and artist residency frameworks like those at Yaddo and MacDowell.

Mission and Programs

BRIC's mission centers on advancing contemporary art, media, and civic participation through exhibitions, performances, education, and public programs. Its arts programming includes gallery exhibitions that reflect curatorial practices familiar to audiences of Guggenheim Museum, Tate Modern, and Centre Pompidou, alongside performance series that reference experimental traditions from Bang on a Can and the Soho Rep. Media initiatives offer training comparable to youth media programs at Paley Center for Media and documentary workshops associated with Sundance Institute, while civic arts projects mirror community-engaged efforts by organizations like Creative Time and Public Art Fund. Educational offerings serve young people and adult learners through after-school studios, summer intensives, and workforce development comparable to programs at New Victory Theater and Harlem School of the Arts.

Facilities and Locations

BRIC's principal campus is located in downtown Brooklyn with exhibition spaces, a 400-seat theater, and media labs. The site renovation paralleled capital projects at Brooklyn Academy of Music and adaptive reuse efforts similar to those in DUMBO loft conversions. Performance venues host artists who have appeared at institutions such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Apollo Theater, while gallery spaces show work in dialogue with collections at Metropolitan Museum of Art and Brooklyn Museum. BRIC’s media center provides equipment and editing suites influenced by standards at NPR production studios and university labs like those at Columbia University and New York University.

Funding and Governance

BRIC is funded through a mix of philanthropic support, earned income, and public grants, reflecting funding patterns seen at National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and private foundations such as the Ford Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Corporate sponsorships have included partnerships akin to collaborations between arts institutions and companies like Bank of America and Bloomberg Philanthropies, while individual giving and membership models follow practices used by Museum of Modern Art and Brooklyn Museums donor programs. Governance is provided by a board of directors composed of civic leaders, cultural professionals, and philanthropists, similar to boards at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Carnegie Hall.

Partnerships and Community Impact

BRIC partners with local schools, nonprofit services, and cultural organizations, working alongside entities such as New York Public Library, NYC Department of Education, and neighborhood groups comparable to Brooklyn Community Foundation. Its public art and outreach efforts have aligned with municipal initiatives seen in collaborations between New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and advocacy groups like DCLA-supported projects. Community impact assessments reference benchmarks used by organizations such as Americans for the Arts and community development efforts associated with Local Initiatives Support Corporation, measuring outcomes in youth engagement, job training, and neighborhood cultural vitality.

Notable Exhibitions and Artists

BRIC has presented exhibitions and performances by artists and collectives who operate in the same ecosystem as Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, Julie Mehretu, Theaster Gates, and Mickalene Thomas, as well as emerging practitioners who have shown work at PS1 Contemporary Art Center, Queens Museum, and Henry Street Settlement. Film and media festivals at BRIC have screened work resembling selections from Tribeca Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival, featuring filmmakers with profiles similar to Ava DuVernay, Spike Lee, and Barry Jenkins. Performance programming has included musicians and ensembles comparable to artists who perform at BAM, Apollo Theater, and Carnegie Hall, and collaborative projects with choreographers and theater makers engaged with institutions like Brooklyn Academy of Music and The Public Theater.

Category:Arts organizations based in New York City Category:Non-profit organizations based in Brooklyn