NYAB Venue - Dept. of Signs & Symbols

Dept. of Signs & Symbols

Event Space in The DUMBO, other Brooklyn area

Located within the distinctive neighborhood of Vinegar Hill, the Dept. of Signs and Symbols began as the studio of Daniel Horowitz and Rachel Libeskind, and will be temporarily transformed into a project space for a duration of the summer and early fall-- with an open-ended mandate for the future.

The Dept. functions as a laboratory for innovative experimentation and expression. The curatorial program serves to nourish emerging artists, to discourage the ordinary and to incite the unexpected. Focused on interaction and visible process, the project space allows for critical exposure for the artists, as well as a fostering of curatorial voices and collaboration. Through this crossing of art and life, a constellation of people, ideas, backgrounds, aspirations and intentions form.

The Dept. is multifunctional, taking on the role of residency, studio, gallery, and meeting place. Following the residency model, the Dept. provides artists a haven to create their work on site. The period of concentration offers a fully immersive experience leading to the production of visionary and experimental work. The artist, invited to collaborate on an exhibition, receives the resources and support of a studio prior to and during their show, giving them a space they can call their own within a city where space is a coveted resource.