Open Call

The Shed will support selected projects with a commissioning fee of up to $15,000 of producing stewardship per artist or collective. Over the course of the Open Call program, each commission will be produced and designed in collaboration with The Shed’s artistic and production teams, who will work closely with each artist or collective throughout critical moments of the project’s development. This collaboration will include the creation of a customized plan that integrates accessibility into each piece. Additionally, in-kind presenting support managed by The Shed will go toward the implementation and installation of the work on-site, including artistic and production support outlined in detail on the application.

By decentralizing the curatorial voice within the selection process, which challenges the gatekeeping tendencies common to arts institutions, Open Call realizes The Shed’s civic mission to be truly of, by, and for New York City. As in the three previous iterations, participants for Open Call’s fourth edition will be selected by more than 50 independent leaders across all artistic fields, including artists, cultural programmers, curators, producers, academics, and members of The Shed’s program team. The selection will take place in summer 2024.

The selected projects will be presented in summer 2025 (visual art) and in 2026 (live performance) in various spaces at The Shed. All tickets to Open Call will be offered to the public for free. Along with the points of access created for each piece, these free tickets make the program accessible, welcoming, and inviting for all New Yorkers.

Applications to Open Call will be accepted via Submittable between Thursday, February 22 and Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 6 pm. There is no processing fee for The Shed’s Open Call application. Artists or collectives whose projects have been selected will be notified by early fall 2024 and will be publicly announced in fall 2024.

Requirements

• NYC-based, early-career artists

Application Instructions