What Is Creative Time?

Kara Walker’s monumental installation A Subtlety, created inside Brooklyn’s old Domino Sugar Factory.

Creative Time is a New York–based arts organization known for producing bold, public-facing artworks that speak directly to social issues. Instead of relying on traditional museum walls, Creative Time brings art into public spaces—abandoned factories, waterfronts, parks, and urban sites where everyday people can encounter transformative work.

For audiences of African-American history and culture, Creative Time is especially important because it has supported groundbreaking projects that address race, labor, identity, and historical memory. Kara Walker’s monumental installation A Subtlety, created inside the old Domino Sugar Factory, stands as one of the most powerful examples. The artwork confronted the intertwined histories of sugar production, Black labor, and American capitalism on a scale rarely seen.

Creative Time functions not just as a presenter of art, but as a catalyst—offering artists the freedom to address urgent cultural questions in ways that resonate far beyond the traditional art world.