At the Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs, artists are a key demographic of our patrons. We strive to support artists through research, whether for a piece, inspiration, or pure curiosity. While research is crucial to artistic practice and depth of knowledge, artists need financial support, access to workspace, and crucially, the time to work.
We want to present artists in the New York community with organizations that can help support through providing space, money, or time. We want to connect artists to funding resources that can help them complete projects, prepare for emergencies, and apply for artist residencies where they can deepen their practice. While we tried to focus on opportunities for artists in New York City and New York State, we included some that are national and international in scope. All of the opportunities here take applications -- none are by invitation only.
In addition, the opportunities listed are for visual artists specifically. Some of the residencies also have spots for performance artists; but that requirement was not a part of our criteria.
We hope that these resources are helpful. If you know of an artist grant, residency, or award that you think should be added to this guide, please email us and we will review it.
Miss Selma Day working on a mural, 1938.
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b15591219. Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture, Photograph and Prints Division
Francisco Lord working on sculpture, 1938.
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b15591219. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division.
Eitaro Ishigaki and his assistants, Chikanichi Yamasaki and Wolf Ubogi, working, 1935-1943.
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b15591219. Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division.
NYPL Career Services
The NYPL has a Career Counseling program, with Career Coaching available both online and in person from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library and the Bronx Library Center.
There is Career and Resilience Coaching, which is aimed at individual's potentials, skills, and interest for career paths for them.
They also have a number of Databases with Career Advice and Job Searching Tools, which can help you find career guides, online tutorials, and various trainings.
The Career Services Center also has a helpful research guide detailing all of the online resources that they have. We encourage you to explore it: Welcome to Career Services -- Career Services Research Guide
Reference Librarians
Third Floor, Room 300
New York, NY 10018
NYPL Collections for Artists
NYPL has a number of general and special collections that can be of great use to an artist's practice. We support artists through research as a creative practice. Below are some other research guides that could help you find artistic and visual resources for your work:
- Art Deco: A Research Guide
- Artists' Book Collection (ABC) at NYPL
- Binding Us Together: Quilts of the African Diaspora
- Black Artists: A Research Guide
- Finding Pictures in the Picture Collection
- Fluxus Materials at the New York Public Library
- Graphic Design Resources at the New York Public Library
- How to Research an Artist
- Latin American Art & Latine Art
- Guide to Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs