UrbanArts

UrbanArts
Name	UrbanArts
Type	Nonprofit arts organization
Founded	1987
Headquarters	New York City
Area served	International
Key people	Michael Rivera; Aisha Thompson

UrbanArts UrbanArts is a nonprofit arts organization focused on contemporary urban creative production, public art, and cultural programming. It operates across multiple sites and partners with museums, galleries, municipal agencies, and universities to develop exhibitions, festivals, and educational initiatives. UrbanArts often collaborates with artists, curators, collectors, foundations, and community groups to present interdisciplinary projects in metropolitan settings.

History

UrbanArts was founded in 1987 amid the rise of street art movements and cultural revitalization projects in cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Early initiatives drew on connections with institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Brooklyn Museum as well as independent spaces such as PS1 Contemporary Art Center and The Kitchen. Throughout the 1990s UrbanArts expanded its programming to include public commissions and festival partnerships with events such as SXSW, Frieze Art Fair, and Venice Biennale collateral projects. In the 2000s the organization forged collaborations with municipal cultural offices including the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and international partners like the British Council and Goethe-Institut. Recent decades saw projects with institutions such as the Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, and community partners including Harlem Arts Alliance and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Mission and Activities

UrbanArts’ mission centers on amplifying metropolitan artistic practices through exhibition, public art, residency, and research programs. It works with curators drawn from organizations like the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Carnegie Hall, Walker Art Center, and Smithsonian Institution to present multidisciplinary projects. Activities include curatorial research tied to archives such as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and collaboration with universities such as Columbia University, New York University, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Chicago. UrbanArts engages producers, funders, and cultural policymakers from entities like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts to support programming.

Programs and Exhibitions

UrbanArts produces site-responsive exhibitions and public commissions in partnership with galleries and museums including Gallerie Perrotin, David Zwirner Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, and Sadie Coles HQ. Biennial-scale projects have been organized in dialogue with festivals like Documenta, Art Basel, and Manifesta. The organization runs artist residency programs linked to institutions such as Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and Yaddo and mounts traveling exhibitions that have appeared at venues like The Broad, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and Centre Pompidou. UrbanArts has curated thematic series featuring work by contributors associated with movements represented in retrospectives at the National Gallery of Art, Royal Academy of Arts, and Centre for Contemporary Arts.

Education and Community Outreach

UrbanArts develops educational curricula and outreach in partnership with cultural institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Museum, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and public schools in districts served by Department of Education (New York City). Community programs include after-school studio classes run with nonprofits like 826NYC and mentorship schemes linked to the National Guild for Community Arts Education and AmeriCorps. Public workshops and panel series have featured speakers from Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, Cooper Hewitt, and the New School. Collaborative community initiatives have been implemented with neighborhood organizations including South Bronx Unite, East Los Angeles Community Corporation, and Pilsen Community Development Corporation.

Organization and Funding

UrbanArts is governed by a board with advisors from the galleries, museums, and philanthropic sectors such as Sotheby's, Christie's, and the Knight Foundation. Core funding sources include grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and corporate partnerships with companies like Nike and Google Arts & Culture. Project-specific support has originated from regional arts councils including the New York State Council on the Arts and international funders such as the European Cultural Foundation and Canada Council for the Arts. Administration and program logistics have been coordinated with service providers like Americans for the Arts and fiscal sponsors akin to Fractured Atlas.

Notable Artists and Collaborations

UrbanArts has commissioned and exhibited work by contemporary practitioners and established figures including collaborations with artists represented by galleries such as Marina Abramović-associated projects, partners who have worked with Ai Weiwei, Jenny Holzer, Shepard Fairey, Kara Walker, and JR (artist). The organization’s programs have also highlighted emerging artists connected to institutions like MoMA PS1 and collectives resembling Wu-Tang Clan-affiliated projects and cross-disciplinary teams linked to producers from Lin-Manuel Miranda networks. Collaborative research has involved curators and scholars from The Getty Research Institute, International Contemporary Art fair organizers, and residency exchanges with centers such as Cité Internationale des Arts.

Category:Nonprofit arts organizations