Mission
More Art is a federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to forging a powerful link between contemporary art and artists, and the community at large.
Art historian and curator Micaela Martegani had long recognized the lack of interaction between artists and society as a whole – and created More Art with the goal of bridging that gap.
More Art’s mission is to seize opportunities to enable people from all walks of life to approach and access art. By engaging viewers with alternative methods, unique venues, and a dose of the unexpected, we believe art can be made truly approachable for all who encounter it.
We partner with neighborhood schools, community centers, and other local organizations, but not with the aim of simply generating a larger audience for established works. We want to actively involve our participants in the creation and exhibition of new contemporary art pieces – and forge a powerful community at the same time.
Since More Art began, it has embarked upon a number of passionate and ambitious projects, including public art presentations, community collaborations with renowned artists, workshops, and an international exchange program.
We are thrilled to introduce programs like Art Creates Communities: a collaboration between Chelsea contemporary artists and teenagers from local public schools on projects that incorporate a variety of media, including photography, video, painting, installation and performance.
The success of these initiatives like this one has encouraged More Art to broaden its scope and reach out to other constituencies, including senior citizens.
In 2008, More Art launched The Chelsea Project: a month-long series of public installations in outdoor locations around Chelsea, comprised of photography, video and sculpture works. These installations were inspired by the history, and present and future prospects of the Chelsea area, from its complex and heterogeneous architectural history, to its diverse social and economic realities.
This passionate, innovative project helped local residents see their neighborhood from a new perspective. Aspects of local color that had previously been neglected or overlooked found new life under More Art’s spotlight.
