Chashama, Inc.

The high cost to rent space in New York City makes endeavors vital to city’s cultural tapestry that don’t generate a profit—like creating and presenting art—increasingly unaffordable. Chashama supports the city’s creative communities by adapting vacant storefronts and properties into artist studios, classrooms, galleries, theaters, and performance venues. Its programming literally unlocks and opens doors, making tens of thousands of square feet available annually to thousands of artists of all levels, ages, and disciplines. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chashama’s Enliven NYC project aims to transform 100 more dormant spaces for artists, nonprofit organizations, galleries, and small businesses. In the process, these pop-up spaces help revitalize the surrounding areas and correct historic unequal access to the arts for low-income communities around the city.