DLCA and ACS Seek Artist-in-Residence at Five LGBTQ Youth Homes in Brooklyn & Queens

The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and the NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS) have announced a new artist residency designed to provide enhanced resources and support for the City's population of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) in the foster care system.

The agencies are seeking an artist-in-residence for the SCO Family of Services' Group Living for LGBTQ Youth program, to use their art practice to work with LGBTQ youth, create opportunities for them to express themselves creatively, to experience NYC's cultural offerings, and to further engage them with the services and resources available through ACS.

"The arts have the power to cut across all kinds of barriers, opening new pathways to engagement and understanding among people through creative practice, and that's exactly what this pioneering partnership with ACS seeks to tap into," said Acting Cultural Affairs Commissioner Edwin Torres. "This administration is committed to providing every New Yorker greater access to the arts, and we encourage artists and arts collectives to apply to be a part of this exciting new initiative."

"I am proud to partner with the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in creating the artist residency," said ACS Commissioner Gladys Carrión. "The arts are a powerful tool to help young people express themselves in a supportive environment."

The NYC Administration for Children's Services contracts with private nonprofit organizations, such as SCO Family of Services, to support and stabilize families at risk of a crisis through preventive services, and provide foster care services for children not able to safely remain at home. SCO is the only foster care agency in New York City that has residential placements specifically designated for LGBTQ youth. They have five houses, four in Brooklyn and one in Queens, currently serving 30 youth. The selected artist would find ways of working with residents in all five houses to enrich and enhance their experience and engagement through creative practice.

The City is seeking applications from an artist or artist collective with a collaborative practice to create art with LGBTQ youth in the SCO program. This is a year-long opportunity starting in April 2016. The project aims to engage as many youth as possible in the program for the duration of the residency.

The residency is being supported by funding from DCLA and ACS. This is the third artist residency announced as part of a new initiative by DCLA to integrate art and artists into City government to rethink critical civic issues using creating tools. The first artist residency announced last year is with the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, where artist Tania Bruguera is working to engage undocumented residents with MOIA's IDNYC card program. The second residency, announced in November 2015, places Social Design Collective in residence with the Mayor's Office of Veteran's Affairs by way of the Harlem Vet Center to better connect female veterans to the services provided at the center.

More information and application instructions are available on www.nyc.gov/culture.