About Project for Empty Space:
Project for Empty Space (PES) is a multifaceted arts organization in downtown Newark, NJ and downtown Manhattan, NY. PES is a woman-run, femme-powered, People of the Global Majority/BIPOC, Queer, and unapologetically radical ecosystem for creatives. Today, PES provides safe, equitable spaces for artistic innovation and complex public engagement by supporting artists whose work is oriented toward social discourse. Our programs lean towards discourses that have been historically and systemically erased such as marginality, in-equity, and visibility. Today, in our efforts to support socially-oriented artists, we maintain a commitment to holding space for radical future-making.
These programs include the Artists In Residence program, Feminist Incubator, Gallery Exhibitions and Programs, PES STUDIOS subsidized studio program, Newark Artist Accelerator (NAA) regranting program, the Newark Artists Database, and Public Art. In addition to fulfilling this mission in Newark, PES will also add an exhibition and hybridized residency program in New York City’s Lower East Side, where the organization originally began in 2010. This space will not only broaden the visibility of efforts in Newark, but also create a wider geographical reach for discourses around liberation, radicality, and social change. Intersectionality is holistically embedded in this mission across both the current Newark space and our future New York City space; our programs are created to fulfill this aspiration.
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.