fill your space with creativity
FILL YOUR SPACE WITH CREATIVITY
Connecting Real Estate and the Arts Since 1995
MISSION: chashama empowers artists by transforming unused property into affordable work and presentation space.
ABOUT Since being founded in 1995, chashama has transformed 70 locations throughout the city and launched the careers of over 12,000 artists. chashama has formed relationships with some of NYC’s largest developers and property owners. chashama provides free and subsidized space for artists to work and present. To do this, we partner with developers and property owners, offering an easy way to transform their vacant buildings into centers of creativity. chashama allows space donors to active their space, increase local foot traffic, and bringing support to area businesses.
By partnering with chashama, we offer: • • • •
Letter of Agreement with flexible license terms Comprehensive Insurance ($5 million liability) Professional management and general upkeep of building facilities We bring life to your space on a temporary basis
Transforming vacant real estate into popular art space:
BEFORE
AFTER
Image: 461 W. 126th Street, Harlem, NYC. Gallery and Studio Spaces donated by Janus Management
LANDOWNER TESTIMONIALS “Working with chashama had a lot of positive aspects other than just helping people, which is an important goal in itself, but it also had a lot of benefits for us as the landowner, as the developer. We got to activate space that otherwise would have been fallow, and it brought the type of people that we wanted to bring into the neighborhood.” - Justin Elghanayan, Rockrose Development Corporation
“chashama was a pleasure to work with. They made the move in /out process very easy, and while they occupied the space they were very careful to maintain (and actually improved) the property. Their artists and exhibits increased pedestrian traffic to our store, and the area, and was a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I would strongly recommend them as an enhancement to any vacant store.” -William Abramson, Buchbinder & Warren Realty Group LLC
“chashama is one of the most effective organizations with which I have worked. As an organization, they under promise and over deliver. They have made a major contribution to the revitalization of Downtown Jamaica. I simply cannot say enough good things about their mission, business model and leadership.... We could not have attracted such a wonderful buyer without chashama having improved the block! -Andrew M. Manshel, EVP, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation
“I had nothing but praise for chashama and the artists that were in our spaces. It was a pleasure to be able to develop a relationship with chashama.” - Adrienne Collier, HEC Real Estate Group
OUR PARTNERS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Atlantic Development Corporation Brause Realty Inc. Buchbinder & Warren Group Cammeby’s LLC The Durst Organization Ekstein Development Forest City Ratner Grand Real Estate Greater Jamaica Development Corporation Janus Management, Inc. LLC JRT Realty L + M Development Partners New York City Economic Developement Corporation New York Public Library Newmark Knight Frank Rockrose Development SALT Equities LLC Scope Capital LLC Stonehenge Management LLC
HISTORY chashama was founded by Anita Durst in 1995 as an organization dedicated to serving performing artists in New York City. Durst realized the lack of affordable space was the greatest threat to a diverse, dynamic, and provocative cultural environment in NYC. Durst’s vision was to find a way to connect artists and performers with untapped reserves of temporarily vacant commercial real estate: empty storefronts and office spaces languishing between tenants. chashama has supported some of New York City’s most renowned contemporary visual and performing artists, giving them a home for courageous experimentation, and nurturing their careers and creative focus. chashama has assisted over 12,000 artists and presented over 3,000 events. Since its first performance, staged in 27 windows on the second floor of a Tribeca office building loaned by Jeffrey Gural of Newmark and Co., chashama has managed spaces contributed by some of New York City’s largest real estate corporations, including Rockrose Development, Forest City Ratner and Newmark and Co. Bringing edgy, contemporary theater and visual art to the forefront, chashama has created and exhibited art in some of the most prominent and dynamic spaces in the city.
WE CAN FILL YOUR SPACE WITH: GALLERIES
PUBLIC INSTALLATIONS
CURATED LOBBIES
VISUAL ARTS STUDIOS
REHEARSAL SPACES
PERFORMANCE SPACES
Activate Your Space Today! Contact: Jeanine Wilson, [email protected], (267) 879-4056 Offices: 675 3rd Avenue, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10017 | T 212.391.8151 | F 212.391.8153 | chashama.org
VISION FOR THE FUTURE The identity and character of New York City depends on strong organizations to support artists living, working and contributing to our city’s creative environment. It is vital to expand into new locations to reach and to better serve the artistic community.
chashama has identified six growth tracks to maximize our impact in the arts
1
2
3
4
5
6
Rebranding and Marketing chashama recognizes that conveying a strong and concise brand is necessary for us to grow the reach and efficacy of our programs. By improving marketing efforts, consistency, and outreach, we hope to help artists, audiences, partners and funders better understand what chashama does, the need for our programs, and how our services meet this need. With a renewed brand and marketing plan, chashama will be able to develop and share our successful 20-year history with a broader range of constituents. Increasing Awareness to Property Owners By increasing awareness of our services to the real estate community through outreach materials, improved marketing efforts, partnerships with REBNY, and proactive networking, chashama can transform how property owners envision unused space, and be able to triple the amount of donated property converted for artist use, from 250,000 sq. ft to 750,000 sq. ft. Improving Services to Artists chashama adds value to our existing programs by providing artists-in-residence with opportunities to present their work in chashama’s spaces, annual Open Studio events, professional development workshops, a visiting curators program, an online registry, and access to partner organizations like Materials for the Arts, which provides free supplies to our artists. We seek to expand and improve these services to create a well-rounded support network for artists. Strategic Planning We are continuing to develop a strategic plan to help guide chashama’s visions for growth in the next 5-10 years. This strategic plan will inform the steps, benchmarks and timeline needed to achieve our goals, and help us identify areas of focus, such as improving administrative practices, staff recruitment, and marketing and fundraising directions. Bronx Artist Housing Initiative Launched in mid-2013, chashama partnered with the Mid Bronx Senior Citizens Council (MBSCC) to offer artists subsidized apartments in exchange for taking part in community projects aimed at revitalizing the neighborhood. chashama has operated this program on a pilot basis, and anticipates the need for a part time staff member who can oversee the program, monitor participant feedback and develop a program model for community-oriented, artist-driven housing that can be re-envisioned citywide. chaNorth Founded in 2005, chaNorth is chashama’s live/work artist residency on a 4 acre estate in Pine Plains, New York. In 2015, we plan to incubate a cultural organization who is able to program the space for the community, while chashama provides property, maintenance and utilities support.
Help us change the way we use empty space in New York City. Get Involved by contacting Jeanine Wilson, Property Manager, [email protected], (267) 879-4056
Connecting Real Estate and the Arts Since 1995
MISSION: chashama empowers artists by transforming unused property into affordable work and presentation space.
ABOUT Since being founded in 1995, chashama has transformed 70 locations throughout the city and launched the careers of over 12,000 artists. chashama has formed relationships with some of NYC’s largest developers and property owners. chashama provides free and subsidized space for artists to work and present. To do this, we partner with developers and property owners, offering an easy way to transform their vacant buildings into centers of creativity. chashama allows space donors to active their space, increase local foot traffic, and bringing support to area businesses.
By partnering with chashama, we offer: • • • •
Letter of Agreement with flexible license terms Comprehensive Insurance ($5 million liability) Professional management and general upkeep of building facilities We bring life to your space on a temporary basis
Transforming vacant real estate into popular art space:
BEFORE
AFTER
Image: 461 W. 126th Street, Harlem, NYC. Gallery and Studio Spaces donated by Janus Management
LANDOWNER TESTIMONIALS “Working with chashama had a lot of positive aspects other than just helping people, which is an important goal in itself, but it also had a lot of benefits for us as the landowner, as the developer. We got to activate space that otherwise would have been fallow, and it brought the type of people that we wanted to bring into the neighborhood.” - Justin Elghanayan, Rockrose Development Corporation
“chashama was a pleasure to work with. They made the move in /out process very easy, and while they occupied the space they were very careful to maintain (and actually improved) the property. Their artists and exhibits increased pedestrian traffic to our store, and the area, and was a welcome addition to the neighborhood. I would strongly recommend them as an enhancement to any vacant store.” -William Abramson, Buchbinder & Warren Realty Group LLC
“chashama is one of the most effective organizations with which I have worked. As an organization, they under promise and over deliver. They have made a major contribution to the revitalization of Downtown Jamaica. I simply cannot say enough good things about their mission, business model and leadership.... We could not have attracted such a wonderful buyer without chashama having improved the block! -Andrew M. Manshel, EVP, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation
“I had nothing but praise for chashama and the artists that were in our spaces. It was a pleasure to be able to develop a relationship with chashama.” - Adrienne Collier, HEC Real Estate Group
OUR PARTNERS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Atlantic Development Corporation Brause Realty Inc. Buchbinder & Warren Group Cammeby’s LLC The Durst Organization Ekstein Development Forest City Ratner Grand Real Estate Greater Jamaica Development Corporation Janus Management, Inc. LLC JRT Realty L + M Development Partners New York City Economic Developement Corporation New York Public Library Newmark Knight Frank Rockrose Development SALT Equities LLC Scope Capital LLC Stonehenge Management LLC
HISTORY chashama was founded by Anita Durst in 1995 as an organization dedicated to serving performing artists in New York City. Durst realized the lack of affordable space was the greatest threat to a diverse, dynamic, and provocative cultural environment in NYC. Durst’s vision was to find a way to connect artists and performers with untapped reserves of temporarily vacant commercial real estate: empty storefronts and office spaces languishing between tenants. chashama has supported some of New York City’s most renowned contemporary visual and performing artists, giving them a home for courageous experimentation, and nurturing their careers and creative focus. chashama has assisted over 12,000 artists and presented over 3,000 events. Since its first performance, staged in 27 windows on the second floor of a Tribeca office building loaned by Jeffrey Gural of Newmark and Co., chashama has managed spaces contributed by some of New York City’s largest real estate corporations, including Rockrose Development, Forest City Ratner and Newmark and Co. Bringing edgy, contemporary theater and visual art to the forefront, chashama has created and exhibited art in some of the most prominent and dynamic spaces in the city.
WE CAN FILL YOUR SPACE WITH: GALLERIES
PUBLIC INSTALLATIONS
CURATED LOBBIES
VISUAL ARTS STUDIOS
REHEARSAL SPACES
PERFORMANCE SPACES
Activate Your Space Today! Contact: Jeanine Wilson, [email protected], (267) 879-4056 Offices: 675 3rd Avenue, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10017 | T 212.391.8151 | F 212.391.8153 | chashama.org
VISION FOR THE FUTURE The identity and character of New York City depends on strong organizations to support artists living, working and contributing to our city’s creative environment. It is vital to expand into new locations to reach and to better serve the artistic community.
chashama has identified six growth tracks to maximize our impact in the arts
1
2
3
4
5
6
Rebranding and Marketing chashama recognizes that conveying a strong and concise brand is necessary for us to grow the reach and efficacy of our programs. By improving marketing efforts, consistency, and outreach, we hope to help artists, audiences, partners and funders better understand what chashama does, the need for our programs, and how our services meet this need. With a renewed brand and marketing plan, chashama will be able to develop and share our successful 20-year history with a broader range of constituents. Increasing Awareness to Property Owners By increasing awareness of our services to the real estate community through outreach materials, improved marketing efforts, partnerships with REBNY, and proactive networking, chashama can transform how property owners envision unused space, and be able to triple the amount of donated property converted for artist use, from 250,000 sq. ft to 750,000 sq. ft. Improving Services to Artists chashama adds value to our existing programs by providing artists-in-residence with opportunities to present their work in chashama’s spaces, annual Open Studio events, professional development workshops, a visiting curators program, an online registry, and access to partner organizations like Materials for the Arts, which provides free supplies to our artists. We seek to expand and improve these services to create a well-rounded support network for artists. Strategic Planning We are continuing to develop a strategic plan to help guide chashama’s visions for growth in the next 5-10 years. This strategic plan will inform the steps, benchmarks and timeline needed to achieve our goals, and help us identify areas of focus, such as improving administrative practices, staff recruitment, and marketing and fundraising directions. Bronx Artist Housing Initiative Launched in mid-2013, chashama partnered with the Mid Bronx Senior Citizens Council (MBSCC) to offer artists subsidized apartments in exchange for taking part in community projects aimed at revitalizing the neighborhood. chashama has operated this program on a pilot basis, and anticipates the need for a part time staff member who can oversee the program, monitor participant feedback and develop a program model for community-oriented, artist-driven housing that can be re-envisioned citywide. chaNorth Founded in 2005, chaNorth is chashama’s live/work artist residency on a 4 acre estate in Pine Plains, New York. In 2015, we plan to incubate a cultural organization who is able to program the space for the community, while chashama provides property, maintenance and utilities support.
Help us change the way we use empty space in New York City. Get Involved by contacting Jeanine Wilson, Property Manager, [email protected], (267) 879-4056
