About

Mission

The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program awards rent-free non-living studio space to 17 visual artists for year-long residencies in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Its mission is to provide working studio space and community for artists. Artists are selected annually based on merit from a competitive pool of applicants by a professional jury comprised of artists and members of the SWSP Artists Advisory Committee.

The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program is the new face of the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Space Program, developed for artists, by artists in 1991. In 2014 the program was renamed the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program to honor the legacy of Marie Walsh Sharpe and reflect the new sponsorship and commitment of the Walentas Family Foundation.

History

The Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation was established in 1984 by Marie Walsh Sharpe, dedicating her estate to her long-held dream of providing assistance to gifted visual artists. After her death in 1985, Foundation Director Joyce Robinson sought counsel from Chuck Close on how to assist individual artists. Believing that artists would best know the needs of the visual arts community, Close organized a gathering of fellow artists, facilitated by Irving Sandler, at Philip Pearlstein’s loft in Soho to brainstorm how to support artists living in New York City.

From this meeting the Foundation’s Artist Advisory Committee was formed. Notes from the meeting, released as the publication Roundtable Discussion on the Needs of Visual Artists, lead to the founding of The Marie Walsh Sharpe Space Program in 1991, a juried merit-based award offering free studio space for one year. The Space Program was originally housed at 433 Greenwich Street in TriBeCa and moved to 20 Jay Street in DUMBO in 2008. In the early years the Foundation also supported summer seminars and workshops for gifted high school students and an artists hotline, which is now run by New York Foundation for the Arts as NYFA Source. In 2014, the Walentas Family Foundation took over sponsorship of the Space Program and renamed it the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program.

In July 2020, Jane Walentas, who championed and oversaw the program’s stewardship by the Walentas Family Foundation, passed away. She was deeply dedicated to the program’s mission of supporting working artists.

The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program continues to honor The Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation’s original vision for an artist-run program. The Artists Advisory Committee includes: Elen Altfest, Phong Bui, Matthew Deleget, Deborah Kass, and program alumni Tara Donovan and Didier William.

Irving Sandler Prize

The Irving Sandler Prize is presented in honor of Irving Sandler, who co-founded the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Space Program in 1991 alongside Philip Pearlstein, Chuck Close, Robert Storr, and Janet Fish who all served on the Program's Artist Advisory Committee.

The $2,500 prize will be awarded annually to one Sharpe-Walentas alumni who demonstrates Irving Sandler’s generosity and dedication to artists. The inaugural Irving Sandler Prize was awarded in 2019.

Prize awardees include:

2019 Randy Wray ‘11

2020 Victoria Roth ‘15

2021 Valerie Hagerty ‘04

2022 Kim Brandt ‘21

Phillip Pearlstein Painter Distinction

A dedicated member of its Artist Advisory Committee, Philip Pearlstein co-founded the Marie Walsh Sharpe Space Program in 1991 alongside Chuck Close, Janet Fish, Irving Sandler, and Robert Storr who all served on the Program's Artist Advisory Committee.

Each year Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program will identify an outstanding representational painter and ensure that a non-abstract painter is awarded a residency annually in recognition of Pearlstein’s commitment to referential art.

“Philip’s guidance as a founding member of the Artist Advisory Committee has been invaluable throughout the 30 year history of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program and we look forward to supporting other non-abstract painters in his honor.” said Kate Gavriel, Director of the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program.

Distinguished Painters include:

2021 Ronald Hall

2022 David Atkin

Artists Advisory Committee

Ellen Altfest

Phong Bui

Matthew Deleget

Founders

Cynthia Carlson

Chuck Close

Janet Fish

Irving Sandler

Robert Storr

Harriet Shorr

Staff

Kate Gavriel, Program Director

Ariel Willmott, Program Coordinator

Randy Wray ’11, Studio Manager

Supporters

The Space Program has been supported over the years through a consortium of funders including:

The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation

Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc.

The Robert Sterling Clark Visual Arts Space Award

The Richard Florsheim Art Fund Award for Older Artists

The Greenwich Collection Ltd.

Agnes Gund

Joan Mitchell Foundation

The Walentas Family Foundation

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts