Untitled #7, from the series Mimesis © Birthe Piontek

Balloons, 2013 © Phillip Toledano

New York City is a mecca for artists, drawing countless creative powerhouses from around the globe every year, and yet remarkable talents in the metropolis’s underserved communities continue to remain unseen. Artbridge, and its groundbreaking Radical Arts Fund, is helping to change all that by honing in on and empowering emerging artists from East Harlem, Brownsville, the South Bronx, East New York, and Far Rockaway. A whopping 190 miles of our city is consumed by street-level construction fencing; Artbridge transforms these eyesores into large-scale gallery caliber public art exhibitions. In giving space for local artists to exhibit work, in addition to hosting neighborhood events and introducing after-school arts programs, the Radical Arts Fund is working to reshape and revamp the city, allowing it to truly become a place where diverse and powerful voices can be heard.

On May 28th, 2015, Artbridge will bring together some amazing photographers (many of whom have had their work on Feature Shoot)— including Birthe Piontek, Phillip Toledano, Rachel Hulin, Richard Renaldi, Ryan Schude, Jennifer McClure, Jon Feinstein, Jaime Permuth, Manjari Sharma, and Richard Tuschman—for its fourth annual Spring Art Auction at Jack Studios in the Chelsea Gallery District. More that sixty artworks will be open for bids on Paddle8 leading up to the event. This year, Artbridge will honor Kenyan-born artist Wangechi Mutu, whose elaborate and thought-provoking collage, video, and sculpture work examines themes of globalization, race, consumerism, war, and gender. The event will feature Le Tigre’s own JD Samson and will run from 6:00 until 9:00 PM. Get your tickets here.

Feature Shoot is a proud sponsor of Artbridge.

Crime and Redemption © Clara Vannucci

Istanbul, 2013 © Renato D’Agostin

Brooke © Richard Tuschman