BRIC Arts

BRIC Arts
Name	BRIC Arts
Type	Nonprofit arts organization
Founded	1979
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York
Leader title	Chief Executive Officer
Leader name	Sheila Lewandowski

BRIC Arts is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit arts organization that produces contemporary visual art, performing arts, film, and public media programs. It operates exhibition spaces, performance venues, media studios, and education programs, and is a cultural anchor in neighborhoods such as Fort Greene, Brooklyn and DUMBO, Brooklyn. BRIC Arts has partnered with major institutions and artists across the United States and internationally to present exhibitions, festivals, and community initiatives.

History

BRIC Arts traces its institutional lineage to community media and arts projects in Brooklyn during the late 20th century, evolving alongside organizations like the Brooklyn Academy of Music and citywide initiatives such as Percent for Art (New York City). Early activities intersected with civic projects in New York City neighborhoods including Clinton Hill, Brooklyn and Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Over decades BRIC Arts engaged with national trends in nonprofit arts development exemplified by partnerships with entities like the National Endowment for the Arts and foundations including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Ford Foundation. Its growth paralleled capital campaigns similar to those of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art that redefined institutional space and program scope in the 21st century.

Programs and Exhibitions

BRIC Arts presents rotating exhibitions that have included contemporary practices comparable to shows at Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Walker Art Center. Exhibition programming has showcased artists connected to international biennials such as the Venice Biennale and the São Paulo Art Biennial, and engaged curators from institutions like Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Performance series have hosted musicians and ensembles who have appeared at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Apollo Theater. Film and public media programs screen works alongside festivals like Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and Berlin International Film Festival. Special initiatives have included commissions and site-specific projects resonant with public art practices by artists associated with Public Art Fund and retrospectives akin to those mounted by the Getty Research Institute.

Education and Community Engagement

BRIC Arts operates arts education programs that collaborate with public schools and community partners in New York City Department of Education districts, drawing pedagogical models from institutions such as MoMA PS1 and Lincoln Center Education. Youth media labs and apprenticeships have trained participants in practices used at NPR, WNYC, and VICE Media. Community engagement efforts include workshops, artist residencies, and neighborhood festivals paralleling outreach programs at The Kitchen, Southbank Centre, and Hayward Gallery. BRIC Arts’ initiatives have connected with civic arts campaigns like New York City’s Cultural Plan and workforce development programs similar to those led by AmeriCorps and YouthBuild USA.

Facilities and Locations

Facilities comprise exhibition galleries, a 5,000-square-foot performance space, and media studios located within Brooklyn cultural corridors such as Flatbush Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The organization’s gallery architecture reflects design practices comparable to projects by firms that have worked for Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Technical infrastructure supports collaborations with broadcast outlets like PBS and streaming platforms akin to Netflix for special presentations. Residency spaces have hosted visiting artists from programs affiliated with Yaddo and MacDowell.

Governance and Funding

BRIC Arts is governed by a board of directors and executive staff, drawing governance models from nonprofit arts institutions such as The J. Paul Getty Trust and Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Funding sources include municipal and state arts agencies similar to New York State Council on the Arts and private philanthropy from foundations like Rockefeller Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Capital grants and earned revenue strategies mirror those used by organizations including Brooklyn Museum and Ailey Arts Foundation. Corporate partnerships and sponsorships have aligned with brands and corporations with arts philanthropy histories such as Bloomberg Philanthropies and Morgan Stanley.

Notable Artists and Partnerships

BRIC Arts has presented work and partnerships with a range of artists, collectives, and collaborators who have also been associated with major institutions and events: artists who have exhibited at Whitney Biennial, participants from programs of the Studio Museum in Harlem, musicians linked to Blue Note Records and Nonesuch Records, filmmakers whose work screened at Cannes Film Festival and the New York Film Festival, and choreographers who have appeared at American Ballet Theatre and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Collaborations have included cultural partners such as Brooklyn Historical Society, New York Transit Museum, The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, and media partners like WNYC and PBS Arts. Visiting artists and project leaders have included individuals who have affiliations with Columbia University, Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, Yale School of Art, Harvard University, and The New School.

Category:Arts organizations based in New York City