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| Chashama | |
|---|---|
| Name | Chashama |
| Formation | 1995 |
| Purpose | arts nonprofit, artist support, real estate activation |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | Founder & Executive Director |
Chashama is a New York City–based nonprofit arts organization that converts vacant real estate into performance, rehearsal, and studio space for artists. Founded in 1995, it operates at the intersection of contemporary art, urban real estate, nonprofit management, and cultural programming, facilitating site-specific exhibitions, theatrical productions, and visual arts installations. Chashama works with property owners, municipal agencies, and cultural institutions to activate underused buildings across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and beyond.
Chashama was established during a period of urban revitalization alongside initiatives such as SoHo (Manhattan), Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, Dumbo Arts Festival, and the broader transformation of Chelsea, Manhattan into an art district. Early activity intersected with policies from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, urban development trends epitomized by Robert Moses-era projects and responses to landlord practices associated with neighborhoods like Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan and Garment District, Manhattan. The organization developed relationships with preservation efforts connected to Landmarks Preservation Commission matters and commercial conversion patterns seen in the histories of Meatpacking District, Manhattan and Gansevoort Market. Over time Chashama expanded programming amid shifts in municipal zoning influenced by Zoning Resolution of 1961 reinterpretations and collaborations with institutions such as New York University, Columbia University, Museum of Modern Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art.
Chashama’s mission aligns with strategies utilized by organizations like Juilliard School outreach, Theatre Communications Group constituency support, and artist-space models used by Fluxus-influenced collectives. Its programs echo initiatives run by Creative Time, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Pier 34 activations by leveraging partnerships similar to those of SculptureCenter and The Kitchen. Chashama offers studio rentals, performance space relationships, and residency opportunities reminiscent of Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and Millay Colony for the Arts, while providing support services comparable to New York Foundation for the Arts and grant facilitation akin to National Endowment for the Arts procedures.
Chashama has placed artists into venues across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and sometimes national satellite sites, engaging properties adjacent to Times Square corridors, venues near Hudson Yards, Manhattan, and industrial spaces in Red Hook, Brooklyn and Long Island City. The model echoes adaptive reuse projects such as Tate Modern's repurposing of Bankside Power Station, Dia Beacon's conversion of industrial sites, and PS1 Contemporary Art Center's engagement with former public school space. Chashama’s holdings have included storefronts on blocks frequented by visitors to Broadway (Manhattan), lofts in the tradition of Factory (Andy Warhol), and satellite partnerships reflecting the networked approach of National Performance Network.
Chashama has supported visual artists, theater makers, choreographers, and interdisciplinary practitioners similar to alumni networks of Yale School of Art, New York Studio School, and Juilliard. The roster and residency alumni connect with festivals and institutions like Frieze New York, Art Basel, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Brooklyn Museum. Its artists have included emerging figures who later engaged with galleries such as Gagosian Gallery, David Zwirner, Pace Gallery, curators from MoMA PS1, and collaborators from New Museum programming.
Chashama produces public-facing exhibitions, pop-up performances, and open studio events that interface with neighborhood stakeholders, similar in scope to Open House New York, Performa Biennial interventions, and street-level activations like Dumbo Arts Festival. The organization’s community engagement strategies mirror outreach by Public Art Fund and educational partnerships akin to City University of New York initiatives, working with local business improvement districts and municipal cultural offices to program accessible events.
Chashama’s funding model combines private philanthropy, in-kind real estate contributions, earned revenue, and institutional grants paralleling practices at Lincoln Center Education, Brookfield Properties partnerships, and corporate philanthropy from entities reminiscent of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Ford Foundation. It collaborates with landlords, developers, and agencies such as New York City Economic Development Corporation and foundations similar to The Rockefeller Foundation and Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to underwrite artist programs and operational needs.
Critiques of Chashama’s model engage debates found in discussions around gentrification in New York City, property-use debates similar to controversies affecting Chelsea Market conversions, and the role of arts organizations in urban redevelopment akin to critiques of Hudson Yards. Observers compare its practices to contested adaptive reuse cases like Westbeth Artists Housing and debates tied to tax incentives resembling 421-a (New York City) controversies. Critics raise questions about sustainability, equity in artist selection compared with practices at Soros Arts, and transparency in partnership agreements similar to concerns voiced regarding public-private cultural collaborations.
Category:Arts organizations based in New York City Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States Category:Artist residencies