Welcome to Bronx Arts Pathways: Performing Arts application. The goal of this year’s festival is to include as many schools as possible to showcase a piece from their Performing Arts programs. Families will have the opportunity to see arts programs (by performing arts discipline) in Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, and High Schools that they may want their children to attend. This is an opportunity as an arts educator to advertise your program to families in the Bronx. This year’s festival will take place at The Andrew Freeman Home at 1125 Grand Concourse Bronx NY.
Application Deadline: March 6, 2026
Festival Dates (all at the Andrew Freedman Home, 1125 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY):
-Tuesday, April 28: Band and Modern Band
-Wednesday, April 29: Chorus, Musical Theater and Theater
-Thursday, April 30: Dance and Orchestra
PLEASE NOTE that we will ask Modern Band, Theater, and Dance to arrive for sound checks as early as 3 PM. Performances will begin at 5:30 PM on each evening.
Please complete the form for the performance you wish to enter in the festival. Answers cannot be edited once you have submitted this form, however you are able to save a draft prior to submitting, so please review your answers when inputting.
The spelling submitted on the application will be the spelling in the catalog, playbill, and/or title card. Please double check the spelling/capitalization of student names, school names, principal names, etc.
Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
While it is not mandatory to submit a video, do not send submission videos via email as they will not be considered as part of a complete submission. Any questions, email BronxBAF@gmail.com.
Tips on Creating a Virtual Audition Video:
The Citywide Theatre office has a video titled “Recording Your Performance Presented by BerkleeNYC” on the following link:
ELIGIBILITY
- Music, Theater and Dance performances from Bronx students in grades Pre-K to 12
- Each Performing Arts specialist may submit up to 1 (one) performance. You may submit from any genre.
- The performance should represent the best student-produced piece from this academic year, and of the work you plan to perform.
*(Please note- Dance submissions do not have to be student-choreographed)
- Please refer to the grade appropriate Blueprint Benchmarks to help guide decision making regarding submission choices.
- ALL FINAL PERFORMANCES will run 5-7 minutes in length (please do not submit videos longer than 7 minutes).
-Please submit videos that are of the submitted piece itself. Do not submit full assembly videos.
CURATION:
- Due to space limitations and occupancy restrictions, it is not possible to guarantee representation of every school. Our committee will do its best to be inclusive and assure even representation amongst Districts 7-12 , District 75, and District 79.
- Individual expressiveness, technical proficiency as well as thoughtfulness in answering the Student Reflection Questions will be considered.
Welcome to Bronx Arts Pathways application for our Visual Arts Showcase. The goal of this year’s festival is to include as many schools as possible so they can showcase a piece from their Visual Arts programs. Families will have the opportunity to see arts programs in Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, and High Schools that they may want their children to attend. This year's festival will take place at the Lehman College Art Gallery at 250 Bedford Park Blvd Bronx, NY.
Application Deadline: March 13, 2026
Festival Date: Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026
Please complete a form for the student artwork you wish to enter in the festival. Answers cannot be edited once you have submitted this form however you can save a draft prior to submitting, so please review your answers when inputting. If accepted, the spelling will be the spelling in the catalog, playbill, and/or title card. Please double check the spelling/capitalization of student names, school names, principal names, etc. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
Do not send submission videos, images, or student reflections via email as they will not be considered as part of a complete submission. Any questions? Please email BronxBAF@gmail.com.
ELIGIBILITY:
- 2D, 3D artwork and video from Bronx students in grades Pre-K to 12
- Each Visual Arts Specialist may submit 1 (one) art work per school level. For example: If you teach all grades in a K-8 school, then you may submit 1 from the Middle School level and 1 from the Elementary level.
- Please ensure the artwork you are submitting to the festival is not a duplicate artwork submitted to PS Art.
- Have 1 (one) high resolution JPEG image file(s) of your student artwork, no larger than 2MB, ready for upload (3-D works, you may upload up to three (3) images), this will be the image used on the website if the work is selected.
- Artwork should represent the best student-created classroom work produced this academic year.
- Please refer to the grade appropriate Blueprint Benchmarks to help guide decision making regarding submission choices.
ARTWORK SUBMISSION TIPS:
- Position the camera lens directly in front of the artwork, parallel to its surface, to prevent distortion
- Focus & Exposure: Tap the phone screen to set focus and exposure (AE/AF Lock), then gently press the shutter.
- No Zoom: Avoid digital zoom to maintain quality - get closer.
- Take several shots to ensure you have a good one.
- Make sure the entire artwork is in the shot.
- Do not shoot with a window behind the artwork to avoid bright light in frame.
- Natural light from a window will look good, so if possible bring the artwork closer to a window and shoot with YOUR back to the window so that the sunlight is on the artwork. This will work best for sculptures.
CURATION:
- Due to space limitations, it is not possible to guarantee representation of every school. Our committee will do its best to assure even representation amongst Districts 7-12, District 75 , and District 79.
- Individual expressiveness, technical proficiency as well as thoughtfulness in answering the Student Reflection Questions will be considered
The Visual & Performing Arts will be presented
@ El Museo del Barrio
Tuesday, June 2nd - Opening reception for Pre-K through 6th grades
Wednesday, June 3rd - Opening reception for 7th - 12th grade
Application Deadline: Friday, March 6th, 2026
Now in its 12th year, the MBAF will continue the combined experience of a Visual Arts Exhibit and Performing Arts Showcase into a 2-day Arts Pathways Experience at El Museo del Barrio. The NYCPS Arts Office defines an "arts pathway" as a series of learning opportunities available to students from Pre K through 12th grade that provides meaningful, rigorous, coherent, and continuous arts education within their district or borough. We will continue to build on last year’s experience of using this Festival to:
- offer school communities a strategic opportunity to present student artistic work to a wide swath of audience members, including potential incoming students.
- illuminate for and educate parents about potential arts pathway opportunities across school levels and districts within Manhattan.
SO… what does this all mean for you?
WHAT'S NEW?
- Location - El Museo del Barrio. The Visual Arts Gallery and Performing Arts spaces are combined!
- There will be two (2) opening night exhibits: June 2nd for Pre-K through 6th grade and June 3rd for 7th through 12th grade.
- We have space to exhibit a total of 200 student visual art works. This is a nearly 40 % increase in the number of pieces displayed in previous years.
- There is ample space to showcase larger sized and 3D work.
- The Exhibit will be up and open to the public from June 4 - 7.
- All schools will be labeled to draw potential connections between Pre-K, elementary, middle, and high schools by district and across the borough as applicable.
- Schools who have not applied in the past ten years will be given additional consideration in the adjudication process.
- Additional tickets, as requested, may be made available for the opening receptions.
WHAT STAYS THE SAME?
- All applications will be adjudicated by a panel of arts administrators, arts teachers and arts partners.
- Students must attend a public school located in Manhattan.
- All districts 1-6, M75 and M79 will be represented.
- All NYS licensed Visual Arts specialists on the school's TO are eligible to submit work.
- Teachers may submit up to 3 total works from 3 different students. (Do not submit multiple works by the same student.)
- Please ensure that the artwork you are submitting to the MBAF is not duplicate artwork submitted to PS Art. It will not be accepted.
- Please do not submit the same students that were submitted in past years and/or to PS Art. The goal is to be as inclusive to all students as possible.
- Complete this form once for each artwork you wish to enter.
- Have JPEG or MOV file(s) ready to upload
Student Artist Statement: Please have students write an artist statement to submit with their artwork.
We are looking for each student’s voice to express, in their own words, what they feel is important for viewers to know about their artwork. This may include discussing aspects of the process to create it, or their thoughts on the final product. Students may also write about aspects of their arts education experiences that were part of creating the piece.
Suggested guidelines for length:
PreK-1 : One to two sentences to be dictated by students and written down verbatim by an adult.
Grades 2-5 : Two to five sentences to be written by the student.
Grades 6-12: One to two paragraphs written by the student.
Students have the option of recording their artist statement as a video. If selected, this will be shared as a QR code on a card in the exhibit. If recording video responses, please keep it to around 1 min in length. Please prepare this in advance as you will need to upload it as part of the application.
Teacher Question:
In 3-5 sentences, describe your current arts program. Please include any mission or vision statements you may have. What is one value you wish to pass on to your students during their time in your classroom? Why is this important for them to know?
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We are pleased to once again offer SEEDS of the League Scholarships from the Art Students League! Students of all ages can take classes at the League free of cost, including materials.
If your student's work is accepted into MBAF and you are a Title 1 school, the artwork will automatically be entered for adjudication for SEEDS of the League scholarships.
For technical questions about the application, email support@submittable.com For content questions, email mvaklinova@schools.nyc.gov
The Visual & Performing Arts will be presented
@ El Museo del Barrio
Tuesday, June 2nd - Music, all ensembles, all grades
Wednesday, June 3rd - Dance and Theatre, all grades
Application Deadline: Friday, March 6th, 2026
Now in its 12th year, the MBAF will continue the combined experience of a Visual Arts Exhibit and Performing Arts Showcase into a 2-day Arts Pathways Experience at El Museo del Barrio. The NYCPS Arts Office defines an "arts pathway" as a series of learning opportunities available to students from Pre K through 12th grade that provides meaningful, rigorous, coherent, and continuous arts education within their district or borough. We will continue to build on last year’s experience of using this Festival to:
- offer school communities a strategic opportunity to present student artistic work to a wide swath of audience members, including potential incoming students.
- illuminate for and educate parents about potential arts pathway opportunities across school levels and districts within Manhattan.
SO… what does this all mean for you?
WHAT'S NEW?
- Location - El Museo del Barrio. There are multiple performances spaces available; details TBD during adjudication and will be communicated in acceptance emails.
- There will be two days of performances:
June 2nd- Music (Choral, instrumental, band, orchestra,etc.)
June 3rd- Dance /Theatre
- The focus on arts education pathways will continue this year. All participating schools will be asked to highlight arts pathways across school levels in order to help establish connections between districts and across the borough.
- Tech will be done in festival style and will be simplified in comparison to years past.
- Instrumental ensembles may be asked to bring their own amps and monitors.
- If accepted, schools MUST COMMIT to a tech day, date TBD, but will take place during the school day. Please note the tech date may be on a different date than the performances.
- There will be a walkthrough for accepted teachers within a few weeks of the performance night, date TBD.
- Schools who have not applied in the past ten years will be given additional consideration in the adjudication process.
WHAT STAYS THE SAME?
- All applications will be adjudicated by a panel of arts administrators, arts teachers and arts partners.
- All districts 1-6, M75 and M79 will be represented in the final decisions.
- Students must attend a public school located in Manhattan.
- Each school may submit up to three (3) applications. These can include K - 12th grade students in Music, Dance, and Theater ensemble performances. We will not be accepting any solo submissions.
- Complete this form once for each performance you wish to enter in the competition.
- Performances may not exceed 5 minutes and will be cut if they exceed that timeframe.
Teacher Question:
In 3-5 sentences, describe your current arts program. Please include any mission or vision statements you may have. What is one value you wish to pass on to your students during their time in your classroom? Why is this important for them to know?
For technical questions about the application, email support@submittable.com
For content questions, email mvaklinova@schools.nyc.gov
Welcome to the 2026 Staten Island Borough Arts Festival - Visual Arts Submission System.
- The 2026 Student Visual Arts Exhibition will be on view from Friday, May 8th through Saturday, June 6th at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center.
- Opening Reception (timed tickets): Friday, May 8th, 2026, 4:30 PM- 7:30 PM
- Submission Deadline: 10:00 PM on February 13, 2026
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Each District 31 and 75 visual arts teacher is invited to digitally submit up to FIVE high-quality pieces of artwork for consideration using this platform. A panel of arts professionals will jury submissions to determine the selections. In March, schools whose student’s work is selected will be notified and asked to bring the artwork to J. Englehart at the Petrides Complex Building A.
- Not sure how to make a BAF visual arts submission? A step-by-step video tutorial is available here. GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION
- Visual artwork from students in grades Pre-K to 12 may be submitted
- All submitted work should represent the best student-created artwork produced in classrooms during the 2025-2026 academic year
- Work may be executed in ANY 2-D or 3-D medium
- Work will be adjudicated on technical proficiency, uniqueness of the image, and style. For the list of look-fors, please click here.
- Please limit sizes to: 8x10, 9x12, 11x14, 12x18, 16x20, and/or 18x24 (maximum framing size)
- Exhibited artwork will be available for pick up in June of 2026 and may also be shown online
- Submission window is Monday, November 24, 2025 through Friday, February 13, 2026
For technical support, please email support@submittable.com.
For questions about the Staten Island Borough Arts Festival, please email bafstatenisland@gmail.com. ****************************************************************************************************************
For Dance, Music, or Theater submissions, please visit https://tinyurl.com/SIBAF-PA-25Call