By Natasha Gural | Forbes
The cost of studio space has become an extreme barrier to entry for emerging artists, especially in New York City. Studio spaces are shrinking and struggling artists are forced further away from galleries, museums, and dealers, into neighborhoods that are nowhere near a subway line, if they’re able to stay in New York at all. Amid more and and more shuttered storefronts, it’s easy to give up hope.
Silver Art Projects, a corporate social responsibility project established by Silverstein Properties, the real estate development firm best known for rebuilding the World Trade Center, aims to reverse that trend. Thirty emerging artists will be selected to take over 44,000 square feet on the 50th floor of 3 World Trade Center every September for up to eights months. Fostering a bourgeoning contemporary art community in lower Manhattan, the project seeks to make fine art part of the revitalization process of a rapidly transforming neighborhood.
Co-founded by Cory Silverstein and Joshua Pulman, who met at George Washington University School of Business and bonded over a shared love of fine art, Silver Art Projects invites artists to compete for the new purpose-built studio spaces with panoramic views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.
“Art has always played a big role in my personal and professional life,” said Larry Silverstein, chairman of Silverstein Properties, and Cory’s grandfather. “I’m thrilled to support artists working in a variety of disciplines in studio space at 3 World Trade Center, and I’m very excited to see what they will accomplish with Cory and Joshua’s support.”
A rotating jury of fellow artists, curators, and neighborhood leaders, will select the artists for each residency over multiple years. Jurors for 2019 include: Isolde Brielmaier, executive director and curator of arts, culture and community at Westfield World Trade Center shopping center; Evan Moffitt, associate editor of frieze magazine; and Nicola Vassell, founder of Concept NV, a curatorial agency specializing in art projects focused on social and cultural phenomena, and curatorial director of the artist incubator Dean Collection.
“Silver Art Projects will foster a continual dialogue around contemporary art in the financial district,” said Cory Silverstein. “We have the ability to support artists while encouraging dialog with tenants. It’s exciting that through this residency, people working in business, media, real estate, and technology can visit and learn about the artists’ right where they work. Not only our tenants, but we hope the neighborhood benefits from this program.”
“We expect emerging artists to push the limits of their practice in a charged environment, surrounded by peers and mentors. With 30 artists working in 44,000 square feet of space, we hope to encourage dialogue and collaboration among the artists that will further their practice,” said Pulman. “Our hope is for each chosen artist in residence to make new connections and gain new perspectives by working alongside incredible talent in an environment unique to lower Manhattan.”
All artists interested in working in New York City are encouraged to apply for the first eight-month round of sponsored studio space by July 31. A new group of 30 artists will accepted to join every year.
An ongoing initiative, Silver Art Projects will provide a preserved space giving artists the opportunity to create projects, and engage with new audiences, while building the creative culture of the neighborhood. Artists will have the opportunity to partner with cultural institutions and brands on future programming.
Cory Silverstein co-founded Realtime Space in 2016, a New York real estate consultancy company. Previously, he was a partner at Reign Capital, a real estate private equity company that acquires real estate in Chicago. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in real estate development at NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate.
Pulman joined the product strategy division of Arthena, an art investment fund in 2018, after working briefly in the executive office of Goldman Sachs. He is active on young art leadership committees, including the Parrish Art Museum in the Hamptons, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Performa, a non-profit interdisciplinary arts organization established by the curator and art historian RoseLee Goldberg in 2004.
Artists interested in learning more about this opportunity should contact Silver Art Projects at info@silverart.com.
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