AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

from Franklin Furnace

https://whiteboxny.org/2026/exhibitions/workshops/touchstones-open-call/

Presented within the framework of WhiteBox Portable, TouchStones extends WhiteBox’s commitment to intersectional, site-aware practice beyond the traditional gallery format. Portable understands space as contingent rather than neutral, shaped by the social and material conditions in which art circulates.

Developed through the WhiteBox SIP — Staff & Internship Involvement Program, TouchStones builds on earlier initiatives such as Have a Good One! and continues a collaborative, research-driven approach to curatorial practice. Curated by Kaylie Pykkonen and Tabitha Haugen, and mentored by Yohanna Magdalene Roa, the project investigates the East Village as a dynamic system shaped by memory, repetition, encounter, and ongoing social change.

Click here to learn more about the project: https://whiteboxny.org/2026/exhibitions/touchstones/

OPEN CALL

Exhibition Dates: May 2–3, 2026

Hours: 2:00–6:00 PM

Submission Deadline: April 4, 2026

Honorarium:

• $150 flat fee per selected visual artist or performer

• $130 flat fee per workshop leader (2-hour workshop)

TouchStones explores how everyday places—parks, sidewalks, storefronts, and libraries—become meaningful through repetition, encounter, memory, and shared experience. The project invites artists to engage the layered social fabric of the Lower East Side and East Village, foregrounding questions of neighborhood identity, belonging, and public space.

Programming will unfold across several locations including:

• Tompkins Square Park

• Two Boots Pizzeria (Avenue A)

• New York Public Library – Tompkins Square Branch

• A connected presentation at the Times Sq–42 St subway station

We are seeking:

Visual Artists

Small-scale works (16 × 20 inches or smaller) are suitable for public display.

Honorarium: $150

Performers

Musicians, dancers, puppeteers, experimental and socially engaged performers for presentations in Tompkins Square Park.

Honorarium: $150

Workshop Leaders

Artists, educators, and organizers proposing participatory workshops such as zine-making, public speaking, theater composition, CPR training, Know Your Rights education, or other community-centered activities.

Honorarium: $130

NYC-based artists and creatives with a meaningful connection to the Lower East Side are encouraged to apply.

Click here to apply: https://whiteboxny.org/2026/exhibitions/workshops/touchstones-open-call/

Submission materials:

• Artist bio (150 words max)

• 5–10 work samples

• Short proposal (max. 500 words)

• Preferred site and format

→ Click here to apply: https://whiteboxny.org/2026/exhibitions/workshops/touchstones-open-call/

Curated by Kaylie Pykkonen and Tabitha Haugen

Mentored by Yohanna Magdalene Roa, Curator at Large, WhiteBox

For questions: info@whiteboxny.org

Presented by WhiteBox (WBX Portable)

Supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).