After 16 years in Tribeca, The Space Program of The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation is moving to DUMBO.

In 1991, the first group of visual artists moved into their studios in The Space Program, a national program which provided 14 free studios in Tribeca, New York to visual artists for periods of up to one year.  The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation and its Artists Advisory Committee: Cynthia Carlson, Chuck Close, Janet Fish, Philip Pearlstein, Irving Sandler, Harriet Shorr and Robert Storr, initiated, planned and developed The Space Program as a result of a Roundtable on the Needs of Visual Artists convened in 1988 to discuss the issues and problems that visual artists face today.   Since that time nearly 250 artists have used a free studio space at the location in Tribeca. 

In 2001, after ten years of operation, The Space Program faced substantial rent increases beyond the Foundation’s capability to pay and it was determined that the Foundation would be unable to renew their lease.  A fundraising effort garnered generous donations from the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc., Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, David Teiger and an anonymous donor.  This effort, along with negotiations with the landlord enabled The Space Program to renew the lease and remain in its Tribeca location.   Joining the consortium of funders for the next round of lease negotiations was Basil Alkazzi, The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc., The Richard Florsheim Art Fund, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Robert Gould Foundation, The Greenwich Foundation, New York, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc., The Judith Rothschild Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

This past year the building in Tribeca housing The Space Program was sold and the new owner began construction of a hotel complex and condominiums.

When it became clear that The Space Program would need to look for a new home at the end of the present lease in Tribeca, the Foundation and the Artists Advisory Committee met with David Walentas, President of Two Trees Management Company , L.L.C.  in Brooklyn.  Mr. Walentas, a big supporter of artists and the artists’ community generously negotiated a lease for a space in one of his buildings in DUMBO.  Thanks to Mr. Walentas’ generosity and financial contributions from a Consortium of funders which now include: Basil Alkazzi, The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc., The Richard Florsheim Art Fund Award for an older artist, The Robert Gould Foundation,  Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, and The Judith Rothschild Foundation, The Space Program will now be able to offer 17 free studio spaces to visual artists.  The Foundation is still seeking funders to join the consortium.

The next phase of The Space Program will be located at 20 Jay Street, with the new group of artists moving into the studios in September 2007.  Due to the lack of time to advertise and run a national jury, the Foundation’s Artists Advisory Committee invited past alternates to participate in the program for 2007/2008.

The studios are non-living spaces for the making of new works of art and are offered for periods of up to one year.  Participants must be US Citizens or permanent residents and not in school at the time of residency.  The next application deadline for The Space Program will be January 31, 2008. There is no application form.  Please click below for application guidelines.

THE SPACE PROGRAM APPLICATION GUIDELINES

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