Programs
Smack Mellon's Exhibition Program is at the center of the organization. Designed to advance public interest in the visual arts, the program focuses on providing opportunities for artists to create site-specific works that creatively respond to our space, and work that explores innovative uses of both new technologies and traditional materials. The gallery space provides for large, ambitious shows that allow our artists ample room to explore and present their work. Exhibiting artists also have unlimited access to Smack Mellon’s in-house media equipment. On average, Smack Mellon produces five exhibitions a year showcasing the work of more than 50 artists for 20,000 visitors. We also produce on average one exhibit per year by an emerging guest curator. The gallery, which is free to the public, is open five days a week.
The Artist Studio Program was launched in 2000 in response to the crisis in availability of affordable workspace for artists living and working in New York City. This program provides free studio space, access to a workshop for metal, wood and general fabrication, a common area equipped with the latest technology, and a fellowship (dependent on funding) to six artists for an eleven-month period. Each year, Smack Mellon convenes a panel of arts professionals to select the six Studio Artists from over 600 applicants. The panel also chooses approximately 15 additional “Hot Picks” artists, whose work is featured on our website for one year, along with that of our studio artists. Smack Mellon hosts two Open Studios events annually, as well as sponsored visits from curators, critics and gallerists, which provide significant exposure and invaluable career building opportunities.
In 2007 we developed Arts Education Programs for local youth, in order to better prepare underserved young people for the professional world and to expose them to diverse artistic disciplines. Our Art Ready after-school program partners high school students with professional artists in NYC for a series of studio visits, field trips and a 4-month mentorship in order to help them make a more informed decision about pursuing a career in the arts.
ART READY: Smack Mellon’s Professional Artist Mentorship Program for High School Students
ELIGIBILITY: Open to students in grades 10-12, attending NYC public high schools PROGRAM DATES: October 21, 2026 to June 2, 2027 PROGRAM TIMES: Wednesday afternoons, 4:00-6:30pm LOCATION: Students will meet regularly in person. From October through January, the group will visit each of our artist mentors in their studios as well as meet for trips to museums and galleries. We will hold a culminating exhibition to showcase work participants created with their mentors at our gallery space, located at 92 Plymouth Street Brooklyn, NY.
QUESTIONS? Please contact 718-834-8761 or info@smackmellon.org
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION – The Program is FREE for Participants Overview
Smack Mellon’s Art Ready program brings high school aged artists in 10th to 12th grades into the studios of NYC’s most innovative and inspiring cultural makers.
Art Ready operates during the school year and includes a series of studio visits with emerging and established artists; a series of field trips to museums and galleries; a portfolio prep workshop; and a four-month arts mentorship. Art Ready connects up to twenty-one high school students with six diverse artists, to gain practical experience working with professionals in a variety of artistic disciplines. There is no fee to participate, and all expenses are paid.
Art Ready engages young people in a way no other arts education program does. It pairs students directly with working artists; the students learn firsthand over the course of a school year what it is to be an artist. Working as mentors, the artists provide professional and creative guidance as the students make decisions about their futures in the arts. Mentor/teaching artists tutor the students in their creative process, introduce them to new ways of working, and engage them in continuous critical reflection.
Group Visits
From October 21st until January 13th, the group of high school students meets with each Artist Mentor who introduces their studio practice showing them the different ways artists navigate life and approach their work. Art Ready visits artists in the fields of graphic design, architecture, sculpture, video, photography, drawing, and textile art. Visits take place Wednesday afternoons from 4:00-6:30pm.
Artist Mentorships
After the group has visited all the Mentors, each student works with one Artist Mentor from January 27th through May 26th in the Mentor’s studio. Students attend their mentorships in groups of up to 4 students, from 4:00-6:30pm on Wednesdays. Our Artist Mentors are a varied group of professionals that represent the cultural and artistic diversity of NYC. In keeping with Smack Mellon’s mission, a majority of the Mentors are woman-identifying. Our Mentors are also selected based on their interest in sharing their knowledge, experience and skills with students, and all have prior teaching or mentoring experience. All are successful in their field.
Field Trips
We periodically take field trips to galleries and museums. Past field trips have included a tours of The Whitney, Brooklyn Museum, and Poster House, as well as tours and art-making workshop at Urban Glass, Robert Blackburn Printmaking, and Dieu Donné Papermill.
Final Exhibition
Art Ready culminates in a final exhibition of work created during the program and gallery reception open to students, mentors, families, and friends, located in Smack Mellon’s 6,000 square foot gallery space.
About the Organization
Smack Mellon's mission is to nurture and support emerging, under-recognized mid-career, and women artists in the creation and exhibition of new work by providing exhibition opportunities, studio workspace, and access to equipment and technical assistance for the realization of ambitious projects. We see ourselves as a vehicle whereby under-represented artists can create, explore, and exhibit their creative ideas outside the concerns of the commercial art world, offering many artists the exposure and recognition they deserve. In 2007, Smack Mellon initiated Art Ready to extend its artistic services to creative high school students.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Please answer the questions on all sections of the application honestly and to the best of your ability. The information in your application is strictly confidential and will only be used by Smack Mellon staff and mentors for the purpose of best meeting the needs of our program participants. You must also provide the name and contact info for a teacher or counselor at your school or another youth program who can be contacted as a reference. Finalists will be interviewed and up to 20 students will be selected with these criteria in mind: their interest in pursuing a career in the arts, their ability to attend every session and complete a 15-week mentorship, and the quality of their application.
APPLICATION CHECKLIST: Part 1: Completed Application Form Part 2: Completed Short-Response Questions Part 3: Release Form signed by a Parent/Guardian (will be emailed to applicants upon completion of this form) Part 4: Permission to Use Photographs Release Form signed by a Parent/Guardian at the start of the program.