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.
Open Call for Emerging Curators
Smack Mellon seeks proposals from Emerging Curators based in the New York City area for our annual Emerging Artists Summer Group Exhibition. The exhibition will take place across Smack Mellon’s two gallery spaces and is slated to open during the summer of 2027.
We define Emerging Curator as someone either independent or affiliated with an institution who is beginning their career as a curator. This exhibition will be curated by the selected Emerging Curator and should only include works by Emerging Artists. In addition to providing a curatorial framework, the curator will work in collaboration with Smack Mellon’s staff to develop an open call for artists that will be announced during fall 2026. Curators must select more than 70% of their artists from the open call, and exhibitions must include at least 60% artists who identify as women (inclusive of trans and nonbinary individuals) in accordance with Smack Mellon’s mission.
We advise potential curators to be familiar with our mission and programs before submitting a proposal. We are interested in engaging with projects that consider relevant political, social, or environmental issues.
The deadline for applications is August 15, 2026 at midnight, EST.
Eligibility:
- Curators must live within NYC’s five boroughs or within reasonable commuting distance. This opportunity is not a position with regular work hours, but it will require curators to be on site repeatedly throughout the process.
- Proposals must show a history of at least 3 prior curatorial projects successfully presented to a public audience.
- If Curators also have their own artistic practice, they may not include their own work in the final exhibition.
- Those currently enrolled in a degree seeking program are not eligible for this opportunity.
Prospective Timeline:
- August 15, 2026 – Open Call for Curators closes
- Early September 2026 – Curator selected and notified
- October 2026 – Open Call for Emerging Artists announced and open
- June - August 2027 – Exhibition open to the public
Specific dates to be confirmed with the Curator through the process.
Curators do not have to propose a fully actualized exhibition, but Your submission should include:
1. Curatorial Statement (350 words maximum): This statement should narratively describe your research interests, curatorial methodology, and how you envision your work fitting into Smack Mellon’s programming. As an artist-centered organization, we would also like for you to describe your relationship to the artists that you work with.
2. Brief Proposal Idea (350 words maximum): This should outline the overall idea and stakes of the project, its relevance to our current moment, and why it should be shown at Smack Mellon. You do not need to have a confirmed artist list, as this will be developed through the open call, but please include the language and framework that you would like to use as a starting point to develop this exhibition.
3. Curatorial CV: Please include exhibitions, programs, publications, and related projects as well as educational background. You can include employment history as long as it is relevant to the field. If you are an artist applying with a curatorial proposal, you should only include exhibitions that you have developed as a curator. PDF only.
4. Work Samples: You may include up to ten (10) images that are representative of your work as a curator. Images should be saved as .jpeg or .png, 1000px maximum in any direction. Image files should be formatted as follows:
01_FirstLastName.jpeg
02_FirstLastName.jpeg
03_FirstLastName.jpeg
...etc.
You may include a description of each image, up to 100 words each. Image descriptions should include: the exhibition title, date, location (name of the space and city), and names of artists involved / pictured.
5. 2 professional references: Include: Name, phone number, email address, and relationship to you.
A floorplan is available for download HERE
The side view of Gallery One (the large space) is available HERE
Please note:
The curator should realize that we expect a hands-on approach at the gallery. Because of this, we are currently only accepting proposals from curators based in New York City, or the greater New York area. The curator is expected to be present at the gallery throughout the installation, as well as at designated times leading up to the exhibition, and must understand that the artists involved in the exhibition are responsible for the execution and installation of the artwork. The curator should clarify to all artists when invited to participate that they are responsible for delivering their work to the gallery, installing, and de-installing their work.
Curators will not be able to include their own artwork in the final exhibition.
Smack Mellon does not have a full-time staff of preparators. We will hire freelance preparators to help with the installation of the artwork, but the amount of time available to each artist is limited. Smack Mellon has media equipment available for our exhibitions. We can provide details of the equipment as well as specifics about the installation of work after the proposal has advanced to the final round.
Smack Mellon provides curators a stipend of $2,000, and a modest budget for artists' honoraria. Smack Mellon cannot provide funding for shipping, travel, or artwork production.