RESIDENCIES COMBINE THE RESOURCES OF GIBNEY DANCE’S CHOREOGRAPHIC CENTER AT 890 BROADWAY AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AT 280 BROADWAY IN THE SERVICE OF DEVELOPING NEW WORK BY MID-CAREER ARTISTS
New York, NY, September 22, 2014--Gibney Dance today announces a $750,000 gift from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in support of its Dance in Process (DiP) creative residency program for mid-career artists. As the inaugural funder of the program, Mellon’s support enables significant expansion of the DiP model—which was developed over a two-year pilot period—to fund 30 three-week residencies for 30 artists over three years at the Gibney Dance Choreographic Center at 890 Broadway.
Gibney Dance’s DiP program is a comprehensive New York City-based creative residency for mid-career artists who are in the “mid-stage” of developing new work. The program focuses on work that has progressed beyond initial research; developing work that requires technical support in a theater or production laboratory setting; and work that requires uninterrupted space and support in which to test new ideas and directions. DiP provides a concentrated period of residency time with continuous access to studio and rehearsal space, a significant stipend, and technical and administrative resources available at both 890 Broadway and the Gibney Dance Performing Arts Center at 280 Broadway.
The DiP program is based in the historic 890 Broadway building where Gibney Dance has, over the last three years, established subsidized rehearsal space and an array of artist services for the dance community. This generous investment by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation enables Gibney Dance to deepen its support to artists and establish 890 as a Choreographic Center—the only one of its kind in New York City.
The expansion of DiP is a component of Gibney Dance's $10M Campaign for 280 Broadway: Making Space for Culture, which will fund renovations within 280 Broadway as well as new and expanded artistic and community programs. The newly transformed 280 Broadway will be a multi-purpose center—a preeminent training ground, a tripartite performance complex, an affordable workspace hub, and a springboard for social action. These new resources will allow Gibney Dance to both expand and deepen its existing programs. Artists will benefit from interactions between Gibney Dance’s initiatives for performance, dance training, professional development, rehearsal space, creative residencies, and artistic process—holistically supporting their entire journey from studio to stage. The expanded opportunities and resources at 280 Broadway—including the soon-to-be-opened Learning & Leadership Studio and Community Action Hub—will enable Gibney Dance to further develop synergies between all its endeavors, contributing to the dynamism of the entire organization.
Gibney Dance created DiP to strategically deploy the organization’s resources so that they may have the greatest possible impact on the dance field. DiP specifically addresses some of the field’s most pressing needs and connects them with Gibney Dance’s strengths: centrally located facilities, thoughtfully designed programs, a deep understanding of dance-maker’s needs and a built-in community of artists and dance professionals.
ABOUT THE ANDREW W. MELLON FOUNDATION
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation currently makes grants in four core program areas: Higher Education and Scholarship; Scholarly Communications and Information Technology; Art History, Conservation, and Museums; and Performing Arts.
Within each of its core programs, the Foundation concentrates most of its grantmaking in a few areas. Institutions and programs receiving support are often leaders in fields of Foundation activity, but they may also be promising newcomers, or in a position to demonstrate new ways of overcoming obstacles to achieve program goals.
The Foundation’s grant-making philosophy is to build, strengthen and sustain institutions and their core capacities, rather than be a source for narrowly defined projects. As such, the Foundation develops thoughtful, long-term collaborations with grant recipients and invests sufficient funds for an extended period to accomplish the purpose at hand and achieve meaningful results.