Performance Opportunity for Emerging Artists in New York City
The NYC performance open call for Dark Matters invites performers, sound artists, musicians, and interdisciplinary artists living in New York City’s five boroughs to present work responding to surveillance, anti-surveillance, countersurveillance, and sousveillance. Organized by Flux Factory at Flux IV in Hunters Point South, the program will feature two selected performances followed by a public discussion and artist Q&A. Selected artists receive a $500 stipend and access to Flux Factory resources.
If you regularly apply for artist opportunities, grants, residencies, and open calls, join the Contemporary Performance newsletter to receive new opportunities each week.
Opportunity Snapshot
What: Dark Matters Performance Symposium Open Call
Who: Emerging performers, sound artists, musicians, and interdisciplinary artists residing in NYC
Where: Flux IV, Hunters Point South, Queens, New York City
Award / Support: $500 artist stipend, Flux Factory resources, Access to Materials for the Arts, Public presentation, Artist Q&A participation
Deadline: July 1, 2026, 11:59 PM EST
Official Link: Flux Factory
Strategy Coach Notes: https://www.patreon.com/pformart/posts/strategy-coach-161417234
Get The Application Strategy
This opportunity looks simple on the surface, but the application questions reveal a specific curatorial framework. Reviewers are not searching for the strongest performance in general. They are looking for artists whose work can engage directly with the themes established through Simone Browne’s Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness.
The Strategy Coach Notes break down how to frame your project, how reviewers are likely reading the application, how to approach the thematic questions, and how to position work samples so they reinforce the proposal. Join the Contemporary Performance Network to access the full Strategy Coach Notes.
About Dark Matters
Dark Matters is a one-day symposium connected to the themes of surveillance and resistance. Flux Factory is inviting artists to consider how systems of observation shape identity, behavior, power, memory, and public life. The project takes inspiration from Simone Browne’s influential study of surveillance and Blackness, using performance and sound-based practices as a way to engage these ideas publicly.
The symposium format is intentionally focused. Two selected artists or collectives will present performances, followed by a moderated discussion led by artist and organizer Kamari Carter and curator and writer Kennedy Hollins Jones. The event places equal emphasis on artistic presentation and public dialogue. Applicants should understand that their broader practice will become part of the conversation alongside the specific project being proposed.
What Is Offered
- $500 artist stipend
- Public presentation opportunity
- Curated symposium participation
- Moderated artist discussion
- Access to Flux Factory resources
- Access to Materials for the Arts
- Technical planning visit to the space
- Light rehearsal opportunity before presentation
Who Should Apply to Dark Matters
This opportunity is designed for emerging artists living in New York City. Flux Factory defines emerging broadly. Applicants may be early-career artists, self-trained practitioners, recent graduates, current students, or artists developing new directions within their practice.
The strongest applicants will likely demonstrate a clear relationship between their artistic methods and the themes of surveillance, anti-surveillance, countersurveillance, or sousveillance. Experimental approaches are encouraged. Work-in-progress projects are welcome. Existing works may also be submitted, although priority will be given to projects that have not been presented in New York City during the previous year.
Timeline
Application Deadline: July 1, 2026, 11:59 PM EST
Performance Date: August 16, 2026
Selected Artists: Two artists or collectives
Performance Length: 20–40 minutes
Why Dark Matters
Many open calls focus primarily on production support. Dark Matters functions more like a curatorial selection process. Artists are being invited into a focused public conversation around surveillance, visibility, and power. The symposium structure creates a context where the performance itself and the discussion surrounding it carry equal weight.
For emerging artists working in performance, sound, interdisciplinary practice, media, or socially engaged work, the opportunity offers visibility, critical dialogue, and institutional support while remaining accessible through a relatively straightforward application process.
Apply
Explore More Opportunities
Join the Contemporary Performance newsletter for weekly artist opportunities, grants, residencies, and fellowships.
Discover artist opportunities, grants, residencies, fellowships, and open calls updated weekly at ContemporaryPerformance.com.
