Artists are invited to submit a proposal for an artwork to be installed in the Zuckerman Institute Education Laboratory, located on 129th Street and Broadway, or artwork that can be presented digitally via our web page or in another creative format (including talks, workshops, or interactive events). All media are acceptable. The work must be publicly accessible. Visual, audiovisual, digital or installation artists are also welcome to apply.

We seek an artist to create a work that will invite and inspire community members to explore science through an artistic lens. Artists will be invited to spend time meeting with scientists at the Zuckerman Institute to inspire the creation of artwork that helps bring science to the public in novel and inspiring ways. We particularly seek artwork that will engage our local community in Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many interactions with scientists and the public may be virtual in nature, and we encourage the submission of concepts that may help build community and bring people together in these especially challenging circumstances.

At Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute, we believe that understanding how the brain works — and gives rise to mind and behavior — is the most urgent and exciting challenge of our time. The Education Lab, a custom-built street-level space located in the Jerome L. Greene Science Center at 609 W 129th St, is where science and community come together for public and education programs. During normal operation, we host in-person programs in the space and in partnership with local organizations such as the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Arts and Minds, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, for students, teachers and the general public. Our aim is to invite our community to access and enjoy science in fun and inventive ways.

We particularly welcome submissions from artists in Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx. We are strongly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, differently-abled and neurodiverse persons, indigenous peoples, youth, seniors, and women to apply. There is no fee to apply.