About Project for Empty Space:
Project for Empty Space (PES) is a multifaceted arts organization that includes Exhibitions, Artists Residencies, Public Art initiatives, subsidized Artist Studios, and Artist Professional Development/Granting opportunities. Our programs lean into social discourse, including narratives that have been historically and systemically erased. We strive to course-correct historic instances of forced marginality, inequity, and invisibility. Today, in our efforts to support socially-oriented artists, we maintain a commitment to holding space for both looking back and looking to new potentials and futures.
Project for Empty Space is pleased to announce the open call for the 2026–2028 Artist In Residence Program. Now in Cycle 10, this two-year residency invites four visual artists to join our Newark, NJ–based community to create work that centers social impact and engagement.
The mission of the program is multifaceted, designed to benefit both the Artists In Residence and the broader public. It aims to create a symbiotic relationship between artist and audience, serving as a conduit for new artistic practices and socially driven interventions.
Throughout the residency, artists receive critical resources and support to sustain and deepen their practices:
Program Includes:
- Two years of free studio space at Project for Empty Space in Newark, NJ*
- $5,000 unrestricted honorarium
- $2,500 materials stipend
- A culminating solo exhibition at one of our Newark-based gallery locations
- Support for community-facing programming and public engagement initiatives
- Access to professional development, including studio visits, feedback sessions, and networking opportunities
The program strives to not only support individual artists; but also, to cultivate conversation around social equity and engagement that are often swept by the wayside. We see the AIR program as a bridge between artist and community, as well as community and community, to push important dialogues forward.
Dates:
- Application Deadline: October 6, 2025
- Artist Notifications: December 1, 2025
- Residency Start Date: January 2026
*Please note that housing will not be provided. For more information, please refer to our FAQ.
The 2025/6 Newark Artist Accelerator is a project grant for Newark-based, multidisciplinary visual artists. This year’s fund is made possible by the generous support of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program.
Project-based grants will be awarded in the amounts of $2,500, $5,000, and $7,500. Proposed projects must be artist-led and can include collaborative ventures, pop-up exhibitions, events, and interventions of an ephemeral nature that are radically accessible to public audiences. We are looking for investigative and authentic initiatives.
Projects may not include:
- Projects initiated or organized by existing incorporated entities (includes LLCs, B Corps, 501(c)3 organizations, and 501(c)4 organizations), universities or schools (private, public, charter), or religious institutions.
- Projects seeking support retroactively or seeking reimbursement for a past project.
- Proposals for funding to support a solo exhibition, travel costs, etc.
- Projects proposed by an individual artist to present their own work.
Applications will be assessed by the proposal’s originality, impact, and feasibility. A jury of local and national arts professionals will select projects.
The application portal is now open. It will close on Monday, September 15, at 11:59 pm. An information session about the Newark Artist Accelerator fund will be held on Wednesday, August 20, at 4 pm.
The Newark Artist Accelerator was created in 2020 to accelerate artistic activity in Newark, New Jersey. To date, the annual fund has distributed nearly $300,000 in both emergency and project-based grants.
The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program aims to support vibrant, under-the-radar artistic activity by partnering with leading cultural institutions in communities across the country. The program allows the Foundation to reach the sizable population of informal, non-incorporated artist collectives and to support their alternative gathering spaces, publications, websites, events, and other projects.
The Body Freedom Digital Space includes an extensive artist database, tour archives, and opportunities for community building. In an effort to expand intersecting communities and conversions, we are excited to open the database submissions portal!
BODY FREEDOM FOR EVERY(BODY) is not only an exhibition but a cultural movement around bodily autonomy, freedom of expression, and community building. This work happens both in physical space and also in the digital realm. Our hope with the Body Freedom Database is to build community by sharing artwork of any discipline (visual art, poetry, essays, music, dance, film, etc) and letting that artwork prompt conversation and camaraderie.
In addition to articulating the realities that we face now, this database also serves as an archive of this moment. Our goal is to create a space that we can use as a point of convening and solace, and also a time capsule that we may reflect back upon as we move forward.
Our time on the road has proven to address, confront, and educate about the critical issues affecting us—issues of healthcare, identity, and the inherent right to choose for oneself.
We chose this moment to launch the digital space because we believe that community, advocacy, and art are always relevant and always urgent. Through cultural production, we create new modes of safety and solace. And we do this through every avenue at our disposal, from physical to digital.
We invite you to contribute your voice and your vision. We invite artists across all mediums who are passionate about using their art to challenge, educate, and provoke dialogue on bodily autonomy and identity.
The PES Studio Member Program is a home for culture makers. It houses over 40 artist studios and shared spaces for creative professionals. But it is far more than space: it is community. The purpose of the PES program is to cultivate a multidisciplinary, supportive artist community. A diverse array of studio practices enhance and inspire our members but also lead to a wider audience of patrons, collectors, clients, and enthusiasts from all different areas.
PES Studio Members are part of a growing studio community. In the next year, PES’ studio footprint will grow, and we want to hear from you on the needs of our local creative community.
Please take a moment to fill out this survey so we can continue to improve how we serve artists.
The PES Studio Member Program is a home for culture makers. It houses over 40 artist studios, and shared spaces for creative professionals. But it is far more than space: it is community. The purpose of the PES program is to cultivate a multidisciplinary, supportive artist community. A diverse array of studio practices enhance and inspire our members, but also lead to a wider audience of patrons, collectors, clients, and enthusiasts from all different areas.
PES Studio Members are part of a growing studio community. Members pay a monthly fee for spacious studios that vary in size (200 - 500 sq. ft) and include 24 hour access, temperature control, complimentary high speed WiFi, kitchen access, and multiple member exhibition areas. Subsidized membership fees range from $400 - $1100, and is based on size of studio.
Membership includes an array of expanding member programs, such as the CCC Program (visiting curators, collectors and critics), professional development workshops and events, and our ever thriving bi-annual studio tours.
Membership criteria: Creatives working in all forms of media are welcome to apply. The program is designed for artists who already have or are interested in creating a dedicated studio practice. Applications are evaluated solely on the quality of the work as presented. PES is a proudly inclusive space. We do not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, age, sexual orientation or marital status. We proudly welcome everyone to apply for our Studio Member Program.