Are you an international visual artist seeking to work in the United States? Meet an attorney of the Visual Artists' Immigration Clinic.
About this event
The Visual Artists' Immigration Clinic is designed to guide emerging and established international visual artists through the process of obtaining a visa to the United States. Please be sure to read the following information and to refer to our FAQ below to ensure that you come fully prepared for the Clinic.
Dates:
Two sessions are offered, co-hosted by the Center for Art Law and EFA Project Space. You only need to register to one:
March 23, 6:00pm-8:00pm EST (past)
June 8, 6:00pm-8:00pm EST
Schedule:
6:00–6:30 PM EST: presentation on best practices and practical steps you can take to build and strengthen your application case, focusing particularly on O-1 visas.
6:30–8:00 PM EST: participating artists will be paired with a Volunteer Attorney for a confidential 20-min consultation.
For the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Visual Artists’ Immigration Clinic is continuing virtually: sessions are hosted on Zoom and the consultations take place in breakout rooms to ensure confidentiality.
The Visual Artists' Immigration Clinic is sponsored, in part, by the Wolf Kahn & Emily Mason Foundation and by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
Volunteer Attorneys:
Sharon Brenner | Surowitz Immigration, P.C., CA
Michael Cataliotti | Cataliotti Law, P.C., NY
Rebecca Lenetsky | Stropheus, LLC, NY
Rakhel S. Milstein | Milstein Law Group, NY
Teresa Woods Peña | Woods Law Group, NY
Nadia Zaidi | Roam Immigration, NY
Are you interested in becoming a participating attorney? Please contact us at clinic@itsartlaw.org.
Hosts:
The Center for Art Law is a Brooklyn-based research and education nonprofit that offers resources and programming for the advancement of a vibrant arts and law community. Through its website and monthly Art Law Blast newsletter, the Center disseminates information and keeps readers updated on art- and law-related news, events, cases, and publications. The Center facilitates conversations by hosting and participating in programs including conferences, workshops and clinics for visual artists, film screenings, and more. Today a world-renowned asset to the art law field, the Center serves artists, attorneys, students and scholars of both disciplines, art market professionals, and members of the general public.
The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) public charity, dedicated to providing artists across all disciplines with space, tools and a cooperative forum for the development of individual practice. We are a catalyst for cultural growth, stimulating new interactions between artists, creative communities, and the public. EFA Project Space, launched in September 2008, is a collaborative, cross-disciplinary arts venue founded on the belief that art is directly connected to the individuals who produce it, the communities that arise because of it, and to everyday life; and that by providing an arena for exploring these connections, we empower artists to forge new partnerships and encourage the expansion of ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who may register?
We encourage participation by visual artists who wish to build and strengthen their case for employment-based visa applications over the next 6-12 months.
The 1:1 consultations that occur at the Clinic are not suitable for artists with urgent immigration issues. However, all visual artists are welcome to attend and listen to the presentation.
The Clinic best serves those artists which have no attorney and are seeking a first-time legal consultation. If you already attended a session of the Visual Artists’ Immigration Clinic, we encourage you to reach out to the attorney(s) you already met with (contact information is in the handouts distributed at the session).
How do I register?
Pre-registration is mandatory for a $10 fee.
Registration takes place through Eventbrite, where you will need to fill out a confidential intake form.
Choose your preferred session date; you do not need to attend all open sessions.
Dial-in details and other instructions will be emailed once registration has been confirmed; be sure to check your emails in the days leading up to the Clinic.
How do I prepare for the Clinic?
Make sure that you have the following documents on your computer:
A passport showing your current visa;
CV or resume;
List of exhibitions and media publications about your work.
What happens after the Clinic?
The Center for Art Law will be providing immigration law guides and the contact information of the Volunteer Attorneys participating in each session.
If you wish to pursue the conversation with the Volunteer Attorneys participating in the session, you should reach out to them directly!
VERY IMPORTANT:
Attending this legal clinic does not create an attorney-client relationship.
The information provided during the individual strategy session does not constitute legal advice.
All the information shared during the Clinic will be kept confidential.
If you have any further questions, please write to clinic@itsartlaw.org.