Silver Art Projects’ second annual gala on November 14, 2024 will honor justice-impacted artists who have been residents in the program: Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, Russell Craig, Jesse Krimes, Jared Owens, Rowan Renee, and Sherrill Rowland.
Founded in 2019, Silver Art Projects provides emerging New York artists from marginalized communities with free studio space at 4 World Trade Center as well professional opportunities. Four of the 28 studios are set aside each year for justice impacted artists. Since its inception, the program has hosted and enhanced the careers of more than 100 artists. It is funded in part by Silverstein Properties, the real estate development, investment and management firm best known for redeveloping the World Trade Center. The annual gala helps raise funds to support Silver Art Projects’ mission of empowering artists through generous studio spaces and supporting thriving practices.
“It is an honor for Silver Art Projects to recognize the achievements of the justice-impacted artists who have been residents,” said Gregory Thornbury, Executive Director of Silver Art Projects. “Each one of them has experienced the highest accolades and opportunities the contemporary art world has to offer. By doing so, they prove that the human spirit is indominable, and that art is a powerful vehicle for healing and understanding in the world today.”
Recent achievements by the honorees include:
- Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter (2023 cohort) won the 2024 Frieze impact prize. She also stars in the award winning 2024 documentary Paint Me A Road Outta Here.
- Russell Craig (2024 Senior Fellow) won the 2024 Creative Capital Award with a solo show to follow in 2025.
- Jesse Krimes (2023 cohort) currently has a solo show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Jared Owens (2024 Senior Fellow) recently opened his first solo show in Mexico City to critical acclaim, entitled Shadowboxing. He was also selected by For Freedoms to do an installation in the newly built Brooklyn Detention Center.
Jesse, Russell, and Jared all won an Emmy in 2023 for their film Art in Krimes. - Rowan Renee (2024 Cohort): was recently named a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow for Interdisciplinary Work for 2024 and is preparing for a solo show at Island Gallery in New York in May 2025.
- Sherrill Roland (2024 Cohort) is represented by Tonya Bonakdar Gallery (New York/Los Angeles), and received an appointment this fall for a tenure track position as Assistant Professor of Sculpture at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Roland’s work could also be seen at The Gund at Kenyon College this year in the acclaimed exhibition “No Justice Without Love.”
On November 14th, the Silver Art Gala will kick off with cocktails on the 28th floor of 4 WTC, which currently houses 28 studios of the inspiring 2024 cohort. Dinner ticket buyers will then be whisked away to the 71st floor with a surprise host. The program will be filled with compelling stories of how art changes lives and minds. A DJ afterparty returns this year bigger, and longer, with star DJs soon to be announced.
Silver Art Projects supports, incubates, and accelerates emerging artists and creative professionals through an annual program focused on community-driven patronage, artist-to-artist mentorship, and professional development. Silver Art provides artists access to 44,000 square feet of working studio space for up to 10 months. Artist cohorts are selected annually through an open call application process by a rotating jury of prominent artists, curators, and neighborhood leaders.
The results of the program are impressive. Residents boast a track record which stands out and shines because they are able to show their work to and eventually be represented by some of the most celebrated galleries, museums, and art collectors in the world. Every resident in the 2023 cohort has had their art featured in a show or featured by a prominent institution, due in no small part to this remarkable program.
The Silver Gala 2024 is presented by Cultura and made possible by support from Art for Change, Christie’s, Legacy Partners, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Silverstein Properties, and UOVO.
If you are interested in sponsoring the Silver Gala, please reach out to silverart@joincultura.com.
Learn more at silverart.org.
About Silverstein Properties
Silverstein Properties is a privately held, full-service real estate development, investment and management firm based in New York. Founded in 1957 by Chairman Larry Silverstein, the company has developed, owned, and managed more than 40 million square feet of commercial, residential, retail, and hotel space. Recent high-profile projects include 7 World Trade Center, the first LEED-certified office tower in New York City (2006), 4 World Trade Center (2013), Four Seasons Walt Disney Resort (2014), the Four Seasons Downtown and 30 Park Place (2016), One West End (2017) and 3 World Trade Center (2018). For further information on Silverstein Properties, please visit www.silversteinproperties.com or www.wtc.com.
