Resources

Van Alen Institute provides a range of project production, research and programming resources to support and enable fellows' work.

PROJECT PRODUCTION

Work Space
Fellows are provided dedicated work space at Van Alen Institute, located in Manhattan’s Flatiron District on West 22nd Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. The Institute’s sixth floor was redesigned in 1999 by award-winning architects Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis to include an innovative open program of offices and galleries. Fellows occupy a flexible work area of roughly 600 square feet that is adjacent to the Institute’s main gallery and staff offices. They receive individual desks with storage, media station, and access to the Institute’s other facilities and resources during their stay at the Institute.

Gallery Space
Van Alen Institute’s public gallery is primarily dedicated to fellowship projects. Fellows have continuous access to the 2000+ square foot gallery for the public presentation of their projects, and during the fellowship term, they may choose to hold meetings, roundtables, or other activities that benefit their work.

Project Planning and Management
From the receipt of the fellowship award and throughout the duration of the fellowship term, the Institute’s staff assists fellows with all facets of project planning and management, including concept development, budgeting and scheduling. Fellows share the Institute’s facilities and resources with Institute staff, and staff provide assistance to fellows for basic administrative and technical needs.

Marketing and Publicity
Van Alen Institute publicizes fellow’s work and projects through its highly trafficked website, extensive network of press contacts and relationships with other organizations and institutions in New York City and beyond, and widely disseminated digital and printed announcements.

Fiscal Sponsorship
During their fellowship term, fellows have the ability to solicit and receive grants and other tax-deductible contributions that are available only to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. The institutional affiliation and organizational sponsorship provided by Van Alen Institute substantially strengthens fellows’ effort to secure support for their work from a broader spectrum of funders.

RESEARCH

Libraries, Museums and Other Institutions
The Institute maintains relationships with libraries, museums and other organizations in New York City and surrounding regions, and can arrange for Fellows’ access to special collections and archives for their research and projects.

VAI Historical Archive
Van Alen Institute maintains an extensive archive of materials documenting over a century of fellowships, public design competitions, and related programs and events. The Institute is currently in the process of developing an online platform which will provide free public access to these materials, and will eventually serve as an infrastructure for indexing and documenting the future work of the Institute, including fellows’ research and projects.

PROGRAMMING

"In Conversation" Series
Van Alen Institute’s IN CONVERSATION series pairs diverse practitioners in spontaneous, unscripted dialogue - to bridge work in contemporary architecture and urbanism with other disciplines that engage the public realm. The Institute curates many of the conversations to resonate thematically with fellowship projects, and fellows are invited to plan and participate in the series.

Workshops and Forums
Fellows’ research and projects benefit from the Institute’s ongoing roundtables, symposia, and other forums for in-depth dialogue and debate. Fellows also have the opportunity to share their works-in-progress in fellows’ workshops. The workshops are meant to be informal platforms for critical feedback and exchange, and fellows determine their scale, format and frequency of to best support their work.

Special Events
The Institute schedules a range of events throughout the year that provide opportunities for fellows to interact with a broad network of peers, colleagues and public audiences. The Institute hosts receptions in association with fellows’ public presentations of their projects, and holds an annual dinner to honor the New York Prize Fellows, the Senior Fellow, and the Fellowship Council.