Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate at last week’s Creative Capital Carnival Artist Gathering! We loved spending time with artists, friends, and supporters over three unforgettable days from June 21 to 23, 2023 in New York City and on YouTube. This year’s Carnival was our largest, most accessible, and inclusive artist gathering in our 24-year history—more than 350 people attended in-person and 1,100 people online!

2023 Creative Capital Grantees. Deonté Lee/BFA.com.

We kicked it off with a lush welcome party for the 2023 Creative Capital Grantees in the Public Hotel Bowery Garden with artists, board members, and supporters.

Brea Baker, Bryan Lattimore. Deonté Lee/BFA.com.

Creative Capital Board members. Reginald Browne, Jae Rhim Lee, Christine Kuan, Kristina Wong, Corey Robinson, Lyda Kuth, Emi Kolawole, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Stephen Reilly, Joseph Melillo, Edgar Arceneaux. Deonté Lee/BFA.com.

Artists sitting down for the Artist Project Videos screening at Metrograph.

Molaundo Jones, Kristina Wong, and Colleen Jennings-Roggensack. Photo by Priya Gandhi.

On Day 2, we showcased 43 original videos by 2023 Creative Capital Grantees of their new projects-in-progress and mingled with industry experts, cultural producers, and philanthropists over mimosas, cocktails, and bites at the Metrograph Theater on the Lower East Side.

Julie Atlas Muz, Mat Fraser, Danica Vallone, Ron Athey, Viva Ruiz. Deonté Lee/BFA.com.

2023 Creative Capital Grantees presented radical new project ideas, including: teaching robots basket weaving, infrasounds of our climate crisis, a bilingual quinceñera soap opera, jazz without patriarchy, giving all Federal land back to Native Americans, and more!

Aliza Shvarts, Allison Glenn, Christine Kuan. Deonté Lee/BFA.com.

Samora Pinderhughes, Amanda Krische, Marcos Varela. Deonté Lee/BFA.com.

Artists dancing with the backdrop of the NYC skyline. Photo: Christine Kuan.

Then DJ Quiana Parks and SONI withanEYE entranced us with beautiful vibes while cruising on the Circle Line. While enjoying hot dogs, snow cones, cotton candy, Tex-Mex, and popcorn, the Creative Capital artists and guests danced the night away with spectacular views of the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty.

Alice Sheppard, Laurel Lawson. Deonté Lee/BFA.com.

Notable guests included: Adam Khafif, Alice Shepard, Allison Glenn, Alton Murray, American Artist, Bill T. Jones, Camila Falquez, Catharine R. Stimpson, Christine Kuan, Claude Grunitzky, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Corey Robinson, Emi Kolawole, Hall Rockefeller, Jae Rhim Lee, Jared Owens, Jesse Krimes, Joan Shigekawa, Joseph Melillo, Kate Fowle, Kevin Claiborne, Kristina Wong, Laurent Claquin, Laurel Lawson, Linda Genereux, Lyda Kuth, Michelle Coffey, Miriam Ghani, Noor Tagouri, Nyugen Smith, Quiana Parks, Reginald M. Browne, Samora Pinderhughes, Seph Rodney, SONI withanEYE, Stephanie Nass, Stephen Reily, and Timur Galen. 

Alton Murray, Charmaine Warren, Tony Turner. Deonté Lee/BFA.com

Dancing on the Circle Line. Deonté Lee/BFA.com.

Carmen Montoya, Kimi Maeda, Bang Geul Han. Photo: Priya Gandhi.

On Day 3, Creative Capital held an intimate Open House where we discussed our range of grantee services as well as our new, free online Creative Capital Curriculum. 

See all the photos: 2023 Creative Capital Grantee Welcome Party, Artist Project Screening at Metrograph, and the Circle Line cruise.

Huge thanks to all of our awe-inspiring artists, Board of Directors, National Advisory Council, industry friends, staff, and supporters for making these incredible events possible! A special thank you to event partners Tito’s Handmade Vodka and BFA.

Rewatch the Creative Capital Carnival Artist Project Screening on YouTube. Check out these playlists: Literature, Technology, Jazz & Music, Theater & Multidisciplinary, Dance.

Check out the Artist Project Screening program. 

Read the coverage of Creative Capital Carnival in Surface!

Guest raves about Carnival!

“I was both floored and validated by the variety, intelligence, and beauty of the projects.”

“Great vibe in the room. Wonderful to see artists and their supporters so constructively and joyously engaged with each other over the course of the Carnival.”

“The dancing was everything! Especially around so much risk-taking energy.”

“Thank you for a fantastic Carnival experience. I appreciate how much effort and care it takes to get events like this together, and it felt tightly run but also super fun to take part in. It’s profoundly gratifying to have my strange little body of work seen and uplifted by Creative Capital, to be held in such a rad company of artists.”

“You guys did a great job at getting us to meet lots of different people in a short amount of time! I made a few good connections and am leaving with energy and excitement of what’s to come. We already got offered a very exciting opportunity in New York from it. We also made some new friends, it was the perfect balance of fun and business.”

Support the Creative Capital Fund by June 30!