Fwd: looking for two creative roommates for art collective / arts center in flatbush
646 DJ KUNAL
From: Andrew Hoepfner <andrew....@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Apr 28, 2014 at 12:14 PM
Subject: looking for two creative roommates for art collective / arts center in flatbush
To:
Dear friends,
This is a special email. Please read!
I have been living in a spectacular house in Flatbush, Brooklyn for the last 7 months. Two of my roommates are moving out on May 3. I am looking for two new roommates. That's the basic premise. Here's the interesting part.
I've been in conversation with the property owners about developing the house into an art collective, as well as a center for arts education in the community.
The vision is something like this. A group of 7 artists of all disciplines would share the house while seriously pursuing their work. These artists would also run a community arts center in the auditorium on our property. With the help of grants, we will administer and teach affordable or free art classes to the kids and adults in our neighborhood. Writing classes, drawing classes, acting, painting, weaving, fashion, dancing, everything. We will also schedule programming at the auditorium. This would include performances of the students, performances from other locals in the neighborhood, from NYC, plus national and international performers. Dance performances, plays, readings, musicians, speakers, gallery exhibitions, everything.
The intention is that with the help of grants, resident artists will be able to divide their time between their own work and running the arts center. Instead of working day jobs at cafes or offices, the artists will be immersed in their creative environment. One goal is that eventually the rent and income of the resident artists will be covered by living and working on the site.
I have four types of people in mind:
1. Someone knowledgeable about grant writing. Someone good at researching such things as grants and NYC community arts education.
2. Someone interested in community arts education, in teaching kids and adults, organizing teachers and volunteers and classes.
3. Artists who are looking to utilize large amounts of space. This house has vast amounts of free space in our unfinished basement and attic. I'm imagining that visual artists could turn these spaces into their studios, or dancers could turn them into dance studios.
4. Someone skilled at booking / programming. I'm looking for someone to eventually curate a diverse schedule of performances that would appeal to the populations of Flatbush and Ditmas Park.
This project is at square one. We would bring it to life ourselves. I'm looking for ambitious, hardworking collaborators.
My house has lots of other really cool things to it. Beautiful 1860s architecture. Immense amounts of space and privacy. Friendly and respectful roommates. Great rent. $600 for the big room and $300 for the small room. A 5 minute walk from the Church Avenue B / Q station.
Do you want to live here? Do you have any creative friends who might be interested? Please brainstorm.
If you know people that aren't looking for a new place to live, but could be great collaborators for a community art center, send them my way, too.
Also, if aspects of this email intrigue you, but you're intimidated by the large scope of this plan, don't let that bother you. You still might be the new roommate that I am looking for.
Forward around this email. Write me with questions. Many thanks to you.
Love,
Andrew Hoepfner