Governors Island Arts Announces 2026 Organizations in Residence
May 12, 2026 3:40 pm
Through the annual program, a range of over two dozen arts and cultural nonprofits will fill the historic houses on Governors Island through October 25, creating a vast ecosystem of artistic programs that are free and open to the public
Governors Island Arts, the public arts and cultural program presented by the Trust for Governors Island, announces nonprofit organizations that will, this year, be in residence in the Island’s historic homes. The Organizations in Residence program, kicking off on Saturday, May 16, 2026, serves vital and eclectic arts and cultural organizations as well as artists and the visiting public: as it provides two dozen organizations space in these buildings, they in turn offer free exhibitions and public programs and host artist residencies.
President and CEO of the Trust for Governors Island Clare Newman said, “Each year, the Organizations in Residence here on Governors Island contribute to a unique, generative artistic ecosystem each year, in tandem with Governors Island Arts’ own season programming. We are so thrilled to see what’s created and showcased here in 2026, and for a new community to emerge and grow between organizations, artists, and the public throughout the summer on the Island.”
This year’s resident organizations include American Indian Community House, AnkhLave Arts Alliance, ArtCrawl Harlem, Bangladeshi American Artist Forum, Bronx Council on the Arts, CaribBEING House, Climate Imaginarium, Dancers Unlimited, Dark Laboratory, DuYe Moves, Escaping Time: Art from U.S. Prisons, Filmshop, Forest for Trees Collective, Glass Clouds Ensemble, Harvestworks, Koda, New Women New Yorkers, New York Latin American Art Triennial, Red Hook Art Project, Noo Arts, Residency Unlimited, Soul of Nations Foundation, Southeast Queens Artists Alliance, Swale, Taiwanese American Arts Council, and West Harlem Art Fund.
The Organizations in Residence program creates an untraditional working and exhibition environment that helps organizations connect with a diverse and growing audience of nearly 1M annual visitors. Selected organizations staff their assigned houses in Nolan Park and along Colonels Row for public hours on weekends from May through October. They devise seasonal programming, including but not limited to exhibitions, events, workshops, and artist residencies, in the Island’s historic former military houses.
Organizations are selected via an annual open call process, based on their alignment with Governors Island Arts’ goal to provide all New Yorkers with the opportunity to engage in dynamic arts and cultural programming on the Island. They are open to the public weekends from 11AM to 5PM through October 25, 2026.
Funding Credits
Governors Island Arts presents its program with support from Charina Endowment Fund, Anonymous, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, Surgo Foundation US, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, Ripple Foundation, Great Hill, and the Howard Gilman Foundation.
About Governors Island Arts
Governors Island Arts, the public arts and cultural program presented by the Trust for Governors Island, creates transformative encounters with art for all New Yorkers, inviting artists and researchers to engage with the issues of our time in the context of the Island’s layered histories, environments, and architecture. Governors Island Arts achieves this mission through temporary and long-term public art installations and exhibitions, an annual Organizations in Residence program in the Island’s historic houses, and the curated multidisciplinary INTERVENTIONS performance series. Learn more at www.govisland.org/arts.
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About the Trust for Governors Island
The Trust for Governors Island is the nonprofit corporation created by the City of New York that is responsible for the redevelopment and operation of 150 acres of Governors Island. The Trust’s mission is to realize the full potential of Governors Island for the inspiration and enjoyment of all New Yorkers, demonstrating a bold vision for public space. For more information, visit www.govisland.org.