In an effort to support and welcome new artists, Brooklyn Academy of Music has launched seven new residency spots for artists working across a number of disciplines.
The residencies include a $5,000 honorarium and the use of BAM's rehearsal rooms and theaters.
New York-based artists Sophia Brous, Timothy DuWhite, Marjani Forté-Saunders and Everett Saunders, Jonathan González, Jerome and James, Annie-B Parson and Ashley Tata were selected by a committee of BAM's programming team as the first cohort for the new program. During their time at BAM, the artists will be given the freedom to create new work, which does not have to be presented at the academy.
BAM Artistic Director David Binder said the new residency program was to support artists in all phases of their development, not just when they were ready to premiere their work in New York.
"With this support, these seven artists will have the opportunity to explore, invent, create and advance their work on their own terms."
He said the residency program was BAM's broadest initiative yet and it underscored the academy's interest in forging new relationships and supporting the creation of new work and creative exploration.
The program was initially scheduled to launch in summer, but was delayed due to the pandemic. It will now run from October through May 2021. Until the artists can safely gather in BAM's rehearsal rooms and theaters, they will receive honorariums and work in their personal spaces.
