Two people, a man and a woman, wearing headphones, looking at a black exhibit with small screens in an indoor gallery or exhibit space. The woman is holding a cup and drinking.

artworks

A fellowship on career sustainability for emerging, underrepresented visual artists.

ARTWorks is a six-month fellowship for emerging, underrepresented NYC visual artists who identify as BIIPOC (Black, Immigrant, Indigenous, People of Color) and/or are based in Queens. Fellows expand their professional network through in-person meetings with art world leaders and mentors; gain knowledge from diverse seminars; exhibit in a group show; and receive $5000.

Fellows emerge from ARTWorks with career-sustainability tools to support their vision and practice, and the practical knowledge to navigate the aesthetic and socioeconomic complexities and substructures of the NY art world.

Resorts World New York City is the exclusive corporate sponsor of JCAL’s 2025-26 Visual Arts season. ARTWorks is also generously supported by the Jerome Foundation. ARTWorks receives additional public support from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (Speaker’s Initiative), City Council Member Nantasha Williams, and the Cultural Immigrant Initiative.

JCAL gratefully acknowledges operating support from the Mellon Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Matisse Foundation, Altman Foundation, and Mac Millan Foundation.

Group of nine diverse individuals posing on a stage with black background, some seated and some standing, in casual attire.

PROGRAM MANAGER

Sherwin Banfield

A Queens, NY based mixed-media artist with recent work attempting to explore journeys of identity and ancestry, Sherwin's creative practice tends to deconstruct the imaginative and physical journey of identity within his preferred subject matter, the human experience. While exploring the journey of his subject, he seeks to draw a connection between their personal stories and established culture, frequently imposing mythological and imaginative ideas as accessories within his sculptures. His portrait busts and figurative works are expressions of mood meant to draw out the inner identity of his subjects. Accompanying each sculptured identity are accessories of light, sound and/or cultural references that hyper realize this identity to complement the organic design of their facial, skull and anatomical structure. The goal is to create a projection of attitude, aura and lived experience within his sculpted figures.

A man with dark skin, a beard, and wearing a baseball cap backwards, a denim jacket, and black pants, sitting with his legs crossed against a black background.

ARTWorks represents a sample of why JCAL continues to be relevant and critical in our beautiful Jamaica Queens. It alerts, invites, and introduces potential to grow roots and provide shade through the worst and best of times.

Artistic Director Courtney Ffrench