Through the Immigrant Artist Project (IAP), the New York Foundation for the Arts is building and serving a community of artists with diverse backgrounds who share the experience of immigration. We connect artists with services and resources to foster their creative careers, gain support and exposure for their work, and integrate into the cultural world of New York and beyond while upholding their distinct identities.

The free Con Edison IAP Newsletter is sent out via email and posted online every month. The newsletter lists information on upcoming opportunities and events of particular interest to immigrant artists but open to all. We also feature an artist or an arts/immigrant services organization, and helpful tips for professional development. Additionally, there are new sections on helpful tips translated into different languages as well as the Mentoring Alumni Corner to highlight the achievements and activities of past mentees of our Mentoring Program for Immigrant Artists.

Cultural Community Events expand the accessibility of the Immigrant Artist Project by offering instructional workshops, seminars, and panels on themes responsive to the needs of immigrant artists. Some topics include grant writing, legal services and marketing. To present these programs, we partner with cultural, advocacy, social and immigrant service organizations throughout New York City. This approach cultivates and strengthens a network of advocates and service providers for immigrant artists.

The Individual Consultation Initiative provides immigrant artists with practical and professional advice from an arts professional who has extensive experience in supporting artists in the areas of visual and performing arts. Each in-person appointment is $30 for a 30-minute session.

The Mentoring Program for Immigrant Artists pairs emerging foreign-born artists with artists who have received a NYFA Fellowship. The mentors interact with their mentees one-on-one for a period of six months, guiding them in achieving specific goals and providing them with broader access to the New York cultural world through an exchange of ideas, resources and experiences. The program helps immigrant artists build some necessary skills to fairly compete as professional artists in New York.

The NYFA Folk Artist Development Program helps senior members of immigrant communities build professional skills and resources to carry forward their traditional art forms. It is open to traditional artists of the material and/or performing arts. We build the capacity of participants through seminars, workshops, and individual consultations. We also provide them with the opportunity to showcase their traditions in demonstrations and performances for diverse audiences at various sites in the NYC area. Artists are provided a $100 stipend for their participation in the program.