OPEN CALL FOR VISUAL ARTISTS

Artichoke Dance Company is commissioning three visual artists to create works that topically speak to climate change and the environment for inclusion in the Eco Arts Festival on Governor’s Island held during Climate Week NYC 2026 in September.

Artists will be given a stipend of $1250 to create a work of any visual arts medium. Interactive or participatory experiences that involve festival goers in visual arts experiences are also welcome. Applying for this opportunity with works-in-progress/process are acceptable, but the work must not have been publicly shared/exhibited before the festival.

Applications are due by April 24!

Selected artists will be notified by the end of May.

What is Eco Arts Festival?

Produced annually by Artichoke Dance Company in collaboration with Governor’s Island local organizations, Eco Arts Festival brings artists of all mediums together to creatively reflect on climate change and the environment. The festival is a day full of eco-inspired performances, films, visual art, and participatory activities on Governor’s Island that are free and open to the public and as an official event of Climate Week NYC.

Realities of Governors Island

Governors Island is only accessible by ferry from Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. Wall space within the Climate Imaginarium is limited as the rooms are not large and the walls are intersected by doors, windows, fireplaces and the like. The largest area is approximately 14' wide.  Free standing items for the lawn area on Colonels Row are welcome, however no stake or other object can be driven into the lawn deeper than 6".  You will need to be able to transport what you need onto and off of the island without a vehicle. Please consider these realities in what you're proposing. 

Visual artists and their work featured in the Eco Arts Festival 2025 include Leslie Kerby, Vasudev Vashisht, Lenore Solmo, and Janice McDonnell. Photos by Robin Michals.