PROGRAMS

From interactive window exhibitions across the street from the MoMA to subsidized artist studio spaces in Sunset Park, Brooklyn as well as from gallery spaces in Harlem, to youth outreach in Jamaica, Queens, chashama has developed a wide range of programming and numerous artist opportunities - each offering a unique platform for creative exploration, presentation and exposure.

In our effort to provide artists with the space to create, we navigate the vast New York City real estate world, partnering with business leaders and cultural visionaries, to present five signature programs that are the heart of our mission.

Windows: By transforming storefront windows of unoccupied buildings into side-walk galleries, chashama presents performances, interactive installations and traditional visual art displays to the pedestrians of NYC. Through a competitive granting process, artists can apply for window space and be given a free or subsidized occupancy, and in some occasions an additional monetary award.

Gallery: Exhibition venues run the gamut from old industrial spaces to the more typical “white box,” and are programmed based upon the constraints of the venues, the character of the neighborhoods, and the strength and clarity of the artist’s proposal. Many of the selected artists and curators receive a space at no cost, and, in addition, some also receive cash grants to help fund the project.

Studio: The only way to develop an art is to practice it. To this end, chashama provides studio space to qualified candidates at discounted rates. These studios are housed in large, renovated spaces that allow artist's the freedom to develop their skills, while participating in a community-type atmosphere of support, critique and inspiration.

Residency: chashama provides over 30 artists each summer with a unique 4-week long residency at our farmhouse in Pine Plains, NY. A creative oasis, chaNorth residents are encouraged to explore and expand upon their oeuvre by nurturing their creative approach while working on an organic farm and cooking and sharing meals with one another.

Youth: chashama supports active youth-outreach activities by providing programs with safe, free space to teach, mentor and transform young lives.