Our Open Call for Year 11 (Sept 2024-August 2025) Incubator Members has closed. Open Call for Year 12 will open early 2025.

NEW INC is a shared workspace and incubator program supporting a multidisciplinary community of individuals and small teams. Our year-long program runs September - August, and is designed to support creative practitioners as they pursue a sustainable practice or bring a new business to life. We are based in New York City and welcome virtual or hybrid participation.

Applying to NEW INC

Benefits

NEW INC is an emergent ecosystem of ever-evolving resources and community life. Below are some of the benefits you can expect.

Tracks: In Year 11, running September 2024 - August 2025, each member or small team is invited to join a Track to build intentional communities around common themes and concentrate on relevant opportunities. This year, we will offer five Tracks for members to participate in: Art & Code, Creative Science, Extended Realities, Social Architecture, and Cooperative Studies. Each Track is assigned a dedicated Mentor-in-Residence, and in some cases, we have partnered with like-minded foundations, organizations, or companies to offer special programming and opportunities for members. 

Community: NEW INC is a space for artists, creative practitioners, and entrepreneurs who collectively believe in the equitable* advancement of culture and making an impact. At NEW INC, we know space for rest, play, and non-transactional conversation is essential. The visions we bring to fruition do not happen in solitude. Our thriving community of creative professionals lean on each other for collaboration, feedback, technical support, references for funding and exhibitions, new opportunities, and friendship. We bridge ideas and exchange across Tracks through an array of purposeful gatherings where members can hang out, share work-in-progress, and participate in pop-up workshops.

*At NEW INC, equitable advancement of culture and social exchange includes a centering of BIPOC, queer, and trans voices, transparent sharing of resources, open forum dialogue, and public engagement. 

Mentorship: A core part of NEW INC member growth is having sustained access to over 150+ mentors. We know that dialogue with seasoned leaders results in impactful work and inspiration. We offer mentorship with industry experts including a range of executive professionals hailing from top creative agencies, interdisciplinary art organizations, law firms, funding bodies, social justice groups, and commercial brands. All NEW INC individuals and/or teams are matched with a Dedicated Mentor, who offers 1-on-1 and sustained guidance throughout the program year. Each Track has the opportunity to participate in regular meetings with their Mentors-in-Residence, who each act as a guide and champion for the Tracks for the year. They help find alignment and connections between Member’s projects. We also offer weekly appointments from our large pool of Office Hours Mentors for one-time consultations or virtual studio visits. NEW INC staff and select New Museum staff offer consistent 1-on-1 time with members throughout the program cycle. Browse our Year 10 mentor pool.

Professional Growth: Through working groups, workshops, guest lectures, and peer-to-peer learning, our values-centered approach provides NEW INC members with an understanding of business fundamentals, empathetic team-building skills, storytelling, practical technologies, and a roadmap for growth. We shape our program to make space for you to bring your lived experiences as they relate to your creative project or business. Each year, we outline 3 potential growth areas, or “paths” within which we organize our offerings–paths that we’ve identified based on our members’ needs and goals. Our program intentionally supports members in developing their practice while navigating social and systemic marginalization related to race, country of origin, socio-economics, health, disability, sexuality, and gender.

Our program includes, but is not limited to: 

• 3-Day CAMP experience

• Seasonal Intensives

• Monthly “foundational” workshops

• Seminar-style Working Groups 

• Work-in-progress peer discussions 

• Pop-up information and learning sessions with NEW INC Community Mentors 

• 100+ available Office Hours appointments with our team and Mentors

• Monthly Community programs 

Programming will take place virtually and in-person. Sessions are synchronous and highly interactive, and take place during working hours, 10:00am - 6:00pm, EST. 

Bookable Workspace: As New Museum is currently undergoing a renovation, NEW INC has moved to a temporary space not far from our old home on the Bowery. The temporary NEW INC space is located at 250 Hudson St and includes desk space, monitors, a soft seating area, three conference rooms, three phone booths for private calls and video conferencing, storage lockers, 24/7 security card access, media production equipment, light refreshments and a roof deck.

Equipment and resources including Canon cameras, projectors, VR headsets, audio amplification, DJ equipment, event lighting, seamless backdrops, and media production resources. This inventory of equipment is free to use through our borrowing system. 

The three conference rooms are also available to be booked for meetings and events. 

Opportunities to present and share work at our annual flagship festival DEMO, with NEW INC professional peer networks, and via NEW INC communications channels.

New Museum Membership: Incubator Memberships come with an Individual New Museum Membership. This means you gain complimentary access to the Museum for you and half-price for a guest. There are additional reciprocal museums that give you access with these memberships as well, more details provided during the onboarding process. Memberships are distributed digitally and will be officially activated in September 2024.

All Year 11 members of NEW INC will be invited to participate in a focus Track that sits within our overall incubator program. Our tracks are designed to help members build intentional communities around common themes and concentrate on relevant opportunities. This year, we’re offering five Tracks: Art & Code, Creative Science, Extended Realities, Social Architecture, and Cooperative Studies. Each Track is assigned a Mentor-in-Residence, and in some cases, we have partnered with like-minded foundations, organizations, or companies to offer special programming and opportunities for members. 

The information summarized and linked below is provided to help you understand more about our Year 11 Track offering. However, there is only one application, and while you’ll be able to select your Track preference(s) when you apply, the NEW INC team will make the final decision on Track participation. We base our decisions by reflecting on your preferences, goals, and the overall balance of the Track cohort.

If you would like to join NEW INC but are unsure of which Track to select, there is an option in the application to indicate that you are open to which track you are placed in.

Eligibility

• Participation in NEW INC’s program is a year-long commitment, Sept 2024-August 2025. While NEW INC journeys vary from member to member, average participation in our program looks like 4-8 hours of engagement per week with an option to work from NEW INC’s space.

• Members do not have to be based in New York to pursue a NEW INC membership, as many of our offerings are hybrid. When in New York, you will have access to our space.

• Applicants should be aligned with NEW INC's values of Collectivism, Experimentation, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Stewardship, and Justice

• Membership is not open to students / people enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs. However, people completing dissertation work as part of a PhD program may be considered.

Cost of Participation

The year-long program is a cost-share between NEW INC, New Museum, and members. All memberships are subsidized through institutional support. The total member cost is divided into convenient monthly payments. Each member is responsible for the total yearly amount listed in their membership contract, which varies depending on tracks and subsidies. The yearlong commitment has a monthly member fee of:

$150/month (per person)

This year, we are able to offer additional subsidies in the following ways:

Grant-Supported Tracks: Please see the Track pages for where we are able to offer discounts on membership thanks to the additional support of our funders and partners.

Application & Interviews

Our community is an emergent ecosystem that represents a range of skills, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. While individual or team attributes are important, ultimately the selection team is looking to create a dynamic community and Track cohorts.

Application Review

Applications (including your slide deck) are reviewed by at least three people including NEW INC staff and a panel of external reviewers who have expertise related to the Track themes each year.

To give you a sense of who will be reviewing your application, Year 10 reviewers were: Michael Connor, Celine Katzman, Makayla Bailey, Laura Forlano, Danielle McPhatter, Ethan Edwards, Ravon Ruffin, Tony Patrick, Rad Pereira, and Sruiti Suryanarayanan. 

Interviews

After applications are iniatially reviewed, a select number of applicants move to an interview round. If you are invited to a virtual interview, you’ll share your slide deck and the NEW INC team will ask follow-up questions. If you are applying as a team, all of your team members are required to be present for the interview. The interview panel includes at least two New Museum or NEW INC staff members who will be shared in advance. Last year, 28% of new applicants were invited for an interview and 53% of interviewees were invited to join our Year 10 cohort. 

What We Look for in Candidates

Through both the application review and interview process, we look for evidence of a(n):

• Strong practice working across disciplines of art, tech, design, and/or architecture. 

• You have shared your projects with communities of which you are a part.

• You demonstrate awareness of how your work’s reception, feedback, or failure has influenced the way you’d like to move forward.

• You can communicate a point of view through your creative practice.

• Clear commitment to growth

• You have the desire and ability to actively pursue goals related to the sustainability of your creative practice and/or the advancement of your business.

• Your application shows a journey focused on growth, learning, and reflection.

• You are open to coaching and show tolerance for vulnerability, tension, and putting yourself out there. 

• You provide a general idea of how you think participation in NEW INC’s program might advance your work.

• Advancement of culture and/or driving change

• Your project(s) are timely and anticipate or respond to a real need. 

• You consider the social and environmental implications of your practice.

• You have done your research, and or have the experience to understand the opportunity, and to build.

• Your practice advances creative thinking and/or applications of technology

• Community-minded

• You have experience working or learning in a community setting.

• You appreciate the opportunity to co-create, you’ve built projects with others.

• You are seeking a broader network of thoughtful, like-minded professionals.

• You want to make work and build your business on your own terms with others pursuing similar goals.

Statement on qualifications:

Apply even if you do not meet all of our qualifications. Men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet, women and gender-diverse people tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. NEW INC and its review panel will evaluate you on a growth mindset, how you engage in the process of culture making, and the relevance and strength of your creative practice. Our criteria are grounded in how you articulate your values and bring them in the future.

Timeline

Our Culture

NEW INC is a spirited community. What you give, you get. Our robust community of members, alumni, and mentors share a spirit of generosity, curiosity, and kindness.

Showing up, whether virtually or in person, is by far the best way to maximize the NEW INC experience. NEW INC membership is a one-year commitment from September 2024-August 2025. Within the year, CAMP, Intensives, monthly meetups with your dedicated mentor, and any track-specific programs are required. We also offer additional, opt-in activities on a weekly basis that are designed to enhance your experience with NEW INC, and to benefit you, your business, and your creative practice. We do record programs when we can, but again emphasize that many of our offerings are created with live, real-time engagement (via Zoom or in-person) in mind. While NEW INC journeys vary from member to member, average participation in our program looks like 4-8 hours of engagement per week with an option to co-work an average of 3 days a week. September is an especially busy month for NEW INC members with onboarding, mentor matchmaking, and CAMP.

There is no typical program experience as each member comes to NEW INC at different stages in their lives, creative practices, and business journeys. Additionally, each Track has its own unique cadence and offering. Each cohort differs from year to year, and members contribute to the needs and personality of the program.

Each Track has different participation requirements. Please check the Track-specific pages to understand any additional requirements and benefits. Some Tracks are well suited for members who thrive with maximum creative freedom and who don’t have the bandwidth for additional obligations, while our sponsored Tracks come with more specific participation requirements and also unlock additional benefits designed to connect members with special resources and interest areas. In order to achieve Track goals, these sponsored Tracks typically include monthly expectations including group meetups, project milestones, and tangible deliverables.

No business experience is required. However, applicants to NEW INC should apply with a set of development and business goals in mind. NEW INC’s program is designed for practitioners who are interested in pursuing their work on their own terms, and are entrepreneurial in spirit.

You do not need to be an artist to apply to NEW INC. However we seek applicants with a creative or arts-aligned project, initiative, or business. NEW INC’s program is designed for people with a strong desire to realize cultural growth or transformation. 

NEW INC is a program of the New Museum, however NEW INC operates as its own ecosystem. There are often opportunities to develop relationships with New Museum staff, but there are no formal avenues at this time to show work or be considered as a part of New Museum programming.