The International Studio & Curatorial Program was founded in 1994 by Dennis Elliott. Known first as the International Studio Program, the organization was formed in order to establish an international community of artists in New York City, and to help develop their professional careers. Working in partnership with The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, ISP was located in lower Manhattan and moved to midtown Manhattan in 1998. The following year, the program was expanded to include curatorial residencies as well, so the institution was renamed the International Studio & Curatorial Program. In 2006, ISCP became a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
ISCP relocated from midtown Manhattan to an 18,000 square-foot factory building in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 2008, where it thrives in close proximity to the burgeoning art community of Bushwick. This move expanded ISCP’s facility and activities to include 35 private studios, exhibition and projects spaces.
Today, ISCP is New York’s most comprehensive visual arts residency program, and one of the largest in the world.