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Wednesday 12pm - 6pm Thursday 12pm - 6pm Friday 12pm - 6pm Saturday 12pm - 6pm Sunday 12pm - 6pm

Smack Mellon

Name: Smack Mellon
Address: 92 Plymouth Street, New York, NY, 11201, US
Telephone: +17188348761
Rating: 3.6

Smack Mellon’s mission is to nurture and support emerging, under-recognized mid-career and women a

Smack Mellon is a nonprofit arts organization located in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Smack Mellon's mission is to nurture and support emerging, under-recognized mid-career and women artists in the creation and exhibition of new work, by providing exhibition opportunities, studio workspace, and access to equipment and technical assistance for the realization of ambitious projects. We see ourselves as a vehicl

e whereby under-represented artists can create, explore and exhibit their creative ideas outside the concerns of the commercial art world, offering many artists the exposure and recognition they deserve.

12/21/2024

Open this weekend! Come for a visit to see our current exhibitions on view “To trace the line where your body cut the air”(pictured) and Carmen Amengual: “A Non-Coincidental Mirror” co-presented with the .

Please note our holiday closures: We will be closed next week, Dec 4 through Jan 1. ❄️

Photo: Installation view, “To trace the line where your body cut the air.” Photo by

12/05/2024

Opening this Saturday! Join us 6-8PM for a reception celebrating our winter exhibitions: “A Non-Coincidental Mirror” by Carmen Amengual (2022–2024 VLC Fellow), co-presented with the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, and a group exhibition curated in tandem, “To trace the line where your body cut the air”.

Amengual’s first solo institutional exhibition in the US, “A Non-Coincidental Mirror“ is a film installation resulting from her ongoing research into a little explored event in the cultural history of the global South solidarities: the First Third World Filmmakers Meeting in Algiers (1973) and its second iteration in Buenos Aires (1974). The event served as a hub where self-identified “third-world” filmmakers discussed the role of filmmaking in anti-colonial struggles, made agreements, and strategized about how to produce and distribute films under dire political conditions.

Carmen Amengual: “A Non-Coincidental Mirror” is supported by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts (), the Creative Capital Foundation (), and a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant ().

Image: Carmen Amengual, “A Non-Coincidental Mirror,” still from film, 2024. Courtesy the artist.

12/04/2024

While you’re in the neighborhood for Open Studios this Saturday, 1-6PM, with our Studio Artists, be sure to check out the DUMBO-wide Shop the Studios! Artists across the neighborhood will open their doors and work available for purchase, just in time for the gift-giving season 🎁

11/26/2024

Join us for the first Open Studios with the 2024-25 Artist Studio cohort! Meet the artists and visit their workspaces for a behind-the-scenes look into their work and practice.

While you’re in the neighborhood, check out DUMBO-wide Shop the Studios, during which artists will open their studios to the public to sell their art, just in time for gift-giving season! 🎁
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From 6 to 8PM, join us in celebrating the opening of our winter exhibitions: A Non-Coincidental Mirror by Carmen Amengual, co-presented with the Vera List Center for Art and Politics, and a group exhibition curated in tandem, To trace the line where your body cut the air. 💫

11/23/2024

The deadline to apply for the 2025-26 Artist Studio program has now been extended to Sunday, Dec 1, 11:59PM EST!

The Artist Studio Program provides six emerging NYC-based artists with a free private studio accessible 24/7, access to our shared production facilities, coordinated studio visits, public open studios, and a fellowship (amount dependent on funding) for an eleven-month period (September 2025 to August 2026).

Email us with any questions on your application or eligibility at [email protected]

Images (L to R): Yuchen Chang, Madjeen Isaac, mujero. Photos by Etienne Frossard

11/18/2024

Announcing our upcoming winter exhibitions! Join us for the opening reception on Sat. Dec 7, 6-8PM.

Presented with the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School (), “A Non-Coincidental Mirror” is an exhibition by 2022–2024 VLC Fellow Carmen Amengual. The artist’s first solo institutional presentation in the US, the exhibition features a film installation resulting from the artist’s ongoing research into a little explored event in the cultural history of Global South solidarities: the First Third World Filmmakers Meeting in Algiers in 1973 and its second iteration in Buenos Aires in 1974.

Curated in conjunction with Amengual’s installation in the adjoining gallery, “To trace the line where your body cut the air” explores the ways information can alternatively be recovered or obscured via memory, personal encounters, architecture, and historical record. Featuring work by artists: Noor Abed & Mark Lofty, Christopher Gregory-Rivera, Utza Hazarika, Cici Wu & Yuan Yuan.

Images:
1. Carmen Amengual, A Non-Coincidental Mirror, still from film, 2024. Courtesy the artist.
2. Christopher Gregory Rivera, excerpt from Las Carpetas (2014- ). Courtesy the Archivo General de Puerto Rico, San Juan.

11/15/2024

✨Here is a recap of sessions three and four of Art Ready:✨

🔸 We had the pleasure of visiting long-time Art Ready mentor, Phillip Shung (). Art Ready students began by creating their own personal logo before learning about what Phil and his team at do. Thank you Phil for having us! ✏️🙏🏽

🔸 The following week, students got the chance to hear from former Studio Program artist and former Art Ready mentor, Madjeen Isaac () about her current exhibition here at Smack Mellon, Come as You Are, This Is Our Battle Too. These are the last few days to come see the show! 🖼️🎨

🔸 Students then headed downstairs to hear from Sonya Blesofsky (), also a former Studio Program artist, about building a cohesive portfolio for college applications. Sonya touched upon what students should include in their art portfolios, tips on how to photograph their artworks, and how to go about picking the right art school/program for you. Some of the students even got to share their pieces with Sonya and get her feedback! 💼🖌️

To learn more about Art Ready, please visit the Smack Mellon website or visit our blog. ❣️

11/14/2024

It’s 🔥 when we highlight the 2024-25 Hot Picks from the top applicants to the Artist Studio program.

Ebony Joiner () was born in Lockport, NY, and raised in Dearborn Heights, MI, but always says she’s from Detroit. Her practice is characterized by domestic construction methods, home videos, recorded phone calls, and chairs but is dedicated to composition, memory, secret-keeping, and fragmentation. She was a terribly shy kid, likes the quiet, and misses her family.

Ebony earned her BFA from New York University with a minor in Chemistry in 2022 and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2023.

Images:
1. Ebony Joiner, Everywhere, Everytime (Instillation Back), 2022, Plywood, 2x4 lumber, charcoal on paper, 113 x 96 inches
2. Ebony Joiner, Fire, Larping, And Bernie Mac (a time capsule), 2022, Single channel video still
3. Ebony Joiner, Isle of Chairs pt.1, 2023, Charcoal on paper, dining hall window, 28 x 28.5 inches

11/13/2024

Don’t miss the final few days to catch the beautiful, moving exhibitions by and closing this Sunday, November 17.

Open Wednesday-Sunday, 12-6pm. Come on by!

Images 1-4: Installation view, Madjeen Isaac, Come As You Are, This Is Our Battle Too. Photo by Etienne Frossard
Images 5-7: Installation view, Miatta Kawinzi, Numma Yah. Photo by Etienne Frossard

11/12/2024

“Participating in Smack Mellon’s long-term studio program was a transformative experience, providing invaluable space and time for experimentation. It allowed me to reflect deeply on my previous work and ignite new projects that reshaped my artistic journey.” -

Apply to the Artist Studio residency, a nearly year long residency program for NYC-based emerging artists, by November 24! All the details at the link in our profile 💫

Photo: Kyoung eun Kang at Smack Mellon. Photo by Etienne Frossard.

11/01/2024

✨We are so excited to welcome our 2024-25 cohort of Art Ready students!✨ Art Ready is Smack Mellon’s free arts education and mentorship program for NYC public high school students.

Here is a recap of the first two sessions:

🔹During the first session, students got a tour of Smack Mellon’s current exhibitions, Miatta Kawinzi’s Numma Yah and Madjeen Issac’s Come as You Are, This Is Our Battle Too. Shortly after, students got to visit the studio of returning mentor, CAM (). Each student got to take home their own original work they created using custom stencils made by CAM. Thank you to CAM for being so welcoming and hosting an incredible first studio visit! 🎨🖌️

🔹This past Wednesday, students took a trip to the Poster House () to see the Just Frame It: How Nike Turned Sports Stars into Superheroes exhibition. Students got a private tour of the exhibition before getting to design their very own Nike sneakers for a celebrity of choice. Thank you to our tour guide Jossie for educating us on the history of Nike’s poster advertising and for leading the design workshop! 👟 🏀 🏈 ⚾️

To learn more about Art Ready, please visit the Smack Mellon website and check out our blog.

10/31/2024

While our world may now feel more divided than ever, exhibitions by Miatta Kawinzi and Madjeen Isaac show us that our collective strength is in our interconnectedness. No matter what the future holds, Smack Mellon remains committed to supporting artists’ visions across our exhibition, Artist Studio, and Art Ready youth programs.

In this upcoming season of giving, consider a gift, no matter the size, to secure the future of Smack Mellon’s programming.

And be sure to visit Miatta Kawinzi, Numma Yah and Madjeen Isaac, Come As You Are, This Is Our Battle Too, open for two more weeks through November 17!

Images:
1. Installation view, Miatta Kawinzi, Numma Yah, 2024. Photo by Etienne Frossard
2. Installation view, Madjeen Isaac, Come As You Are, This Is Our Battle Too, 2024. Photo by Etienne Frossard

10/24/2024

POSTPONED: due to unforeseen circumstances, this week’s panel discussion has been rescheduled to Sat. November 16, 4PM, on the exhibitions’ closing weekend.

Join us for a conversation between Erica N. Cardwell (.cardwell) and exhibiting artists Miatta Kawinzi () and Madjeen Isaac () exploring the overlapping themes of home, diaspora, and inheritance excavated within each artists’ respective practices and exhibitions.

10/17/2024

Despite the cooling temps, it’s ! 🔥☕️☀️🥵

This week, we’re featuring the work of Alex Dai (.dai), an artist based in Brooklyn, NY whose photography practice centers the intersection of q***r and Asian-American identities.

Dai is currently working on the series, “My American Portraits,” informed by his upbringing in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, home to a large population of immigrants from Guangdong, China (where his parents immigrated from). “My American Portraits” is a series of staged portraits that uses the q***r concept of “coming out” to proudly display the immigrant Chinese family.

Alec Dai obtained his undergraduate degree from Yale University. His work has most recently shown at “(In) Directions: Queerness in Contemporary Chinese Photography” at Eli Klein Gallery.

Images:

Alec Dai, Portrait of an American Grill, Series: My American Portraits, 2023
Alec Dai, Self-Portrait as a Clothesline, Series: My American Portraits, 2023
Alec Dai, Portrait of Ginseng-Soaked Liquor, Series: My American Portraits, 2024

10/11/2024

Come by this weekend to visit our fall exhibitions on view! Open Wed-Sun, 12-6P through November 17.

Miatta Kawinzi, Numma Yah brings together immersive sculptural installation, soundscape, and projected moving image to reflect on root systems materially and conceptually. Informed by ’s Liberian cultural heritage, this exhibition meditates on ideas around protection, inter-connectivity, embodied memory, and the lessons learned from plant life.

Madjeen Isaac, Come As You Are, This Is Our Battle Too is an exhibition of recent works by that centers healing and transformation. Following a battle with an unexpected health diagnosis starting in fall 2023, the artist embarked on an inward journey exploring the depths of her own spirit, reflecting on the guidance, prayers, and support of her community.

Installation photos by Etienne Frossard

10/08/2024

Now accepting submissions to the Emerging Artist Summer 2025 Group Exhibition! Due December 1, Smack Mellon seeks artwork submissions from emerging artists for a Summer 2025 group exhibition, guest-curated by NYC-based writer and curator Pallavi Surana.

This exhibition conceptually departs from the salt marsh—a transitional zone between terrestrial and aquatic environments that provides critical habitat for a variety of species. Using Smack Mellon’s location on the waterfront as an anchor, Smack Mellon seeks submissions from artists exploring themes of in-betweenness, belonging, and global movement.

Link in our profile for more information and to submit by December 1.

Image: Installation view, Spiral Time curated by Alex Santana, 2024. Photo by Etienne Frossard.

10/04/2024

Join us next week on Thurs. Oct 10, 7PM, for a virtual Info Session to learn more about applying to the 2025-26 Artist Studio residency program!

The session is not required to submit an application, but potential applicants may find it helpful in learning more about the program’s offerings, understanding applicant eligibility, and preparing a strong application. At the end, we’ll answer any questions submitted in advance or in the Zoom chat.

Register at the link in our profile and email us at [email protected] with any questions you’d like us to answer during the session!

The program provides six eligible artists working in all visual arts media a free private studio space accessible 24/7 and a fellowship (dependent on funding). The 2025-2026 program begins September 5, 2025 and ends August 5, 2026. The studios are located on the lower level of our building at 92 Plymouth Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn and range in size from 250 to 300 square feet. The program does not provide living space.

All applicants for the Studio Program should be NYC-based emerging or early career artists.

Applications are due Nov 24, 2024

Address

92 Plymouth Street
New York, NY
11201

Opening Hours

Wednesday	12pm - 6pm
Thursday	12pm - 6pm
Friday	12pm - 6pm
Saturday	12pm - 6pm
Sunday	12pm - 6pm

Telephone

+17188348761

Website

http://www.smackmellon.org/

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🔥 Extended deadline! Purchase a car kit with your ticket, and return your customized pinewood derby-style car to Smack Mellon by April 28! https://www.smackmellon.org/special-event/gravity-racers-benefit-party-art-auction-2023/ 🏎️ At the Gravity Racers Benefit Party & Art Auction on May 6, we'll race and bet on the radically customized cars to determine the order in which ticket holders select an artwork, included in the price of a ticket. 🎟️ One ticket admits two and guarantees one original artwork. 🖼️ Tickets start at $400, and ticket packages offer discounts on multiple tickets. ✨ Funds raised at the benefit will support Smack Mellon’s mission to serve a diverse group of emerging, under-recognized, mid-career, and women artists through our free admission exhibitions, artist studio program, and artist mentorship program for high school students. A special thank you to our generous sponsors: Media sponsor: @Hyperallergic Graphic identity design by @team_studio Beverages generously donated by @grimmales, @tedward_ws and @drinkaha Party rentals generously supplied by @partyrentalltd Artwork packing supplies generously donated by @patheshippingsupplies Silent auction artwork frames by @greenpointframes Gif images: "Beef Roast" gravity racer by Lee Boroson; gravity racer by Carri Skoczek; "The Eraser" gravity racer by William Powhida; gravity racer by Meryl Bennett; "A Penny A Day Is A Winner In May!" gravity racer by eteam (Franziska Lamprecht and Hajoe Moderegger)

Smack Mellon Studio Artist Conversations 🔹 Featuring Destiny Belgrave @destinybelgrave and Chela Mitchell, Art Dealer & Advisor @chelamitchellart

Smack Mellon Studio Artist Conversations ▪️ Featuring Sasha Wortzel @sashawortzel & Kristan Kennedy, Artist & Curator at Portland Institute of Contemporary Art @kristankennedy

Smack Mellon Studio Artist Conversations ▫️ Featuring Anne Wu & Danni Shen, Writer & Curator @danni_sh

Featuring Megan Mi-Ai Lee @meg.miai & Herb Tam, Curator & Director of Exhibitions at the Museum of Chinese in America @herbtam

Included with a $300 ticket to the Gravity Racers Benefit are admission for two and an original artwork won by betting on races of the handmade, radically customized pinewood derby Gravity Racers! 🏁 Doors open at 3PM 3:30-4:30PM: Elimination races Be sure to arrive by 5PM to bet on the final race! 5:30PM: Betting window closes 5:45PM: Final races! 6:45: Tickets are drawn to select artwork Our very generous event sponsors: @twotreesny @taleabeer @pbsevents @captlawrence @blancetrougewines Sign Solutions LLC Gif images: Rachel Beach, Untitled (Dyad Study), 2019 Watercolor, acrylic, graphite, collaged paper, 7" x 5" Kevin Quiles Bonilla, Carryover (Blue tarp in San Juan), 2018 Digital photograph / C-print, 11" x 14" Jesus Benavente, NO (Protest Flyer Study), 2022 Gouache on Galvanized sheet Metal, 8.5" x 11" Reade Bryan, Traces of the Desert Bloomed, 2022 Copper pipe, solder, copper bell hangers, 24" x 17" x 10" Cecile Chong, Duck Issues, 2021 Encaustic and mixed media on wood, 5" diameter Maya Ciarrocchi, The Ruin, 2020 Monotype, Ink on Paper, 16" x 12" LIZ COLLINS, Ascension Stripe 1, 2021 Acrylic yarn, sharpie, 22" x 24" Blane De St. Croix, Anatomy of a Landscape II, 2021 Ink on paper Caroline Cox, Stitch in Blue, 2022 Horsehair fabric, 12" x 10" x 7” LoVid, Cut Back, 2020 Archival inkjet print on Hahnemühle paper, 10 1/2" x 13 1/2" (image); 11” x 14” (paper) Signed edition of 10 + 2 AP Elana Herzog, Untitled, 2010 Handmade abaca paper, mixed textiles, 11" x 14" Linda Nagaoka, Tree Eye, 2021 Oil on wood, 8" x 8" Rebecca Shapass, untitled (craters), 2022 silver gelatin print, 8" x 12" Jia Sung, community roots, 2021 Four-color risograph on natural uncoated paper, 8.5" x 11" Diana Shpungin, Broken Drawing 4, 2018 Graphite pencil on paper on paper on paper, 18" x 24" x 1" Anne Wu, Untitled (Two Lychees), 2021-2022 plaster, foam, tinted joint compound, 6" x 5" x 3" (with handmade display box)

Extended deadline! Get your pinewood derby-style car kit today and customize it for the races by April 28! The basic car is simple to build from the standard kit, but the creative possibilities are endless! At the Gravity Racers Benefit on April 30, bets made on the races will determine the order in which guests select an artwork included with their ticket. 🎫 Tickets and sponsorships: http://www.smackmellon.org/special-event/gravity-racers-benefit-party-art-auction/ Gravity Racers by: 1. eteam 2. Phil Shung 🏁 Special thanks to our very generous event sponsors!: Two Trees Management Co. TALEA Beer Co. Please B Seated Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Blanc et Rouge Wines

Next weekend! Save the date for a weekend of open studios throughout DUMBO. Join us at Smack Mellon for open studios with our 2021-22 Studio Artists: American Artist @a_____rtist Destiny Belgrave @destinybelgrave Jesus Benavente @testotesto3 Megan Mi-Ai Lee @meg.miai Sasha Wortzel @sashawortzel Anne Wu @annewu_ http://www.smackmellon.org/program/dumbo-open-studios-3/ @art_dumbo

This #GivingTuesday, support Smack Mellon by shopping our Benefit Print Sale! Under $250, each 11 x 14 inch archival inkjet print is a limited edition signed by the artist. We are thrilled to announce the addition of three new prints by artists Derrick Adams, Michele Oka Doner, and Simonette Quamina alongside Cecile Chong, Liz Collins, Elana Herzog, Summer Wheat, Dan Zeller, Jennifer Dalton, Ghost of a Dream, and LoVid Hinkis-Lapidus. Every purchase champions our mission to nurture and support emerging, under-recognized mid-career, and women artists in the creation and exhibition of new work. Your participation in Smack Mellon’s Benefit Print Sale ensures that we can continue to serve artists for years to come. https://smackmellon.square.site/

ON VIEW STARTING TOMORROW - We hope you join us for An Unofficial Gathering, an exhibition of selected works by the 2020/2021 MFA Graduates from Brooklyn College that address a wide range of issues and sensibilities. The show will be on view June 5-13, 2021! Find all of the info here -> http://www.smackmellon.org/exhibition/an-unofficial-gathering/

🌷 We are excited to announce the spring edition of our Benefit Print Sale, featuring new prints by artists Cecile Chong, Liz Collins, Elana Herzog, Summer Wheat, and Dan Zeller! 🌷 https://smackmellon.square.site In place of our annual Spring Benefit, Smack Mellon is hosting an online fundraiser to support our studio, exhibition, and education programs through this financially difficult time. While we remain excited and optimistic that the cultural life of NYC is returning, the loss of income from our annual in-person benefit has created a substantial deficit in our budget. Your contribution is essential for our programs to continue through 2021. Each 11 x 14 inch archival inkjet print is a limited edition of ten, signed by the artist, so be sure to choose the works you want before they sell out! Limited prints are still available from our 2020 Benefit Print Sale by Jennifer Dalton, Ghost of a Dream, LoVid, and Mary Temple. Your participation in our Benefit will help secure Smack Mellon's future. Thank you for your generous support!

We are so excited to announce this year's Benefit Print Sale, with limited edition works by artists in our community! https://smackmellon.square.site For a $230 donation you can choose a signed print by one of these generous artists: Janet Biggs | Jennifer Dalton | Ghost of a Dream | LoVid | Glendalys Medina | Joiri Minaya | Mary Temple Each 11” x 14” archival inkjet print is a limited edition of 10, so be sure to choose the works you want before they sell out! At $230, these affordable fine art prints will also make great holiday gifts for your loved ones. If you don't wish to purchase a print but would like to support Smack Mellon, please scroll to the bottom of the page to make your donation. Your participation in our Benefit will help secure Smack Mellon's future. The Benefit Print Sale ends on December 31, 2020, so don’t wait! https://smackmellon.square.site