Brooklyn Academy of Music has announced four artists and one artist collective selected for the second year of its yearlong residency program.
The selected artists include interdisciplinary artists/performer, Rena Anakwe; The Brooklyn Nomads, a collective of musicians from different cultural and stylistic backgrounds with roots in Middle Eastern and Arabic music traditions; artist/performer/director, Fana Fraser; Smriti Keshari, multimedia artist/filmmaker; and Christopher "Unpezverde" Núñez, visually impaired choreographer, Joi performance artist, educator, curator, and accessibility consultant.
The artists, who represent a range of disciplines and backgrounds, will receive space in BAM's rehearsal rooms and theaters and unrestricted honorariums to use in the development of their work — with no obligation to present their work at the residency's culmination.
The program, which began in 2020-21, represents BAM's largest artist residency initiative to date and underscores its interest in forging relationships and supporting artists as they create new work and develop their artistic practices, the academy said in a press release.
BAM Artistic Director David Binder said BAM remained committed to nurturing a wide range of artists during all stages of their development. "With this program, these artists will be given space and resources to cultivate their work, no matter what phase they are in."
This year's residencies are supported by Cowen Inc. in memory of Jack Nusbaum, a devoted BAM patron who believed deeply in the principles of mentorship and nurturing the artistic process.
"The pandemic brought hardship to many industries, but few were impacted as intensely as the arts. We are proud to honor Jack's legacy and his tremendous impact on our organization by helping to rebuild New York City's cultural community by supporting BAM and the artists who will benefit from this important program," said Jeffrey M. Solomon, Chair and CEO of Cowen Inc.
