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Overview

MADE HERE is a documentary series and website focusing on performing artists based in New York City. A collage of intimate interviews, performances and behind-the-scenes footage, MADE HERE mirrors the rich diversity of the artists and communities they serve. 

The first season was launched in May 2010, and by the end of September, had released 15 short episodes featuring 40 artists and covering five major issues: Creative Real Estate, Day & Night Jobs, Family Balance, Activism and Technology. Already, the website has exceeded initial projections, with over 12,000 unique visitors from 94 countries. Season Two rolls out from March through July 2011 with three episodes each month on: Identity, Creative Practice, Money, Lifework, and Home. This website provides a platform for audiences to offer feedback on the episodes, artists to share and discover resources, and communities to engage on the issues. In addition, each topic is accompanied by a monthly live screening and panel event. MADE HERE is supported by a 2009 Rockefeller Cultural Innovation Fund award. Additional support has been provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the New Generations Program administered by Theatre Communications Group.

The Team

HERE has been a premier arts organization in NYC and a leader in the field of new, hybrid performance work since 1993. Under the leadership of Founding Artistic Director Kristin Marting and Producing Director Kim Whitener, HERE has served over 12,000 emerging to mid-career artists developing work that does not fit a conventional programming agenda. Work presented at HERE has garnered 14 OBIE awards, including the 2009 Ross Wetzsteon Award, an OBIE grant for artistic achievement, five Drama Desk nominations, four NY Innovative Theatre Awards, an Edwin Booth Award and a Pulitzer Prize nomination. HERE proudly supports artists at all stages in their careers through full productions, artist residency programs, festivals and subsidized performance and rehearsal space. Work at HERE is curated based on the strength and uniqueness of the artist’s vision.  HERE’s Artist Residency Program (HARP) provides development, commissions and full production for 15-18 artists over one-to-three years. HERE is located at 145 Sixth Avenue, one block below Spring Street. For more info, http://visit www.here.org.

Born in Sri Lanka and raised in Long Beach, CA, Tanya Selvaratnam is a producer, writer, actor, and activist. Since 2008, she has also been the Communications and Special Projects Officer for the Rubell Family Collection. Tanya’s productions include BEGINNINGS, an original short film series for the Sundance Channel; Catherine Gund’s WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? (Berlin International Film Festival premiere; Discovery’s Planet Green broadcast), Chiara Clemente’s OUR CITY DREAMS (Locarno Film Festival premiere; Film Forum run; Sundance Channel broadcast), Jed Weintrob’s ON_LINE (Sundance Film Festival premiere; STARZ broadcast) and THE F WORD (Tribeca Film Festival premiere; IFC broadcast), and Gabri Christa’s DOMINO (Black Filmmakers Foundation Lab). As a theater artist, Tanya has performed around the world in shows by The Wooster Group, The Builders Association, Jay Scheib and many others; appeared in films and video installations by Carrie Mae Weems, John Malpede, Sharon Hayes, Andrea Geyer, David Michalek, and Jennifer Reeves; and been a fellow at Yaddo and Blue Mountain Center. As an activist, she has worked with the Ms. Foundation, World Health Organization, Third Wave Foundation, and Groundswell Community Mural Project. Tanya received her graduate and undergraduate degrees in Chinese language and history from Harvard University.

contact: tanya@here.org

Chiara Clemente is a film director who explores identity, cultural contrast, and the creative process. Her love of art can be traced back to a childhood spent tiptoeing around paintings in her father's studio. After attending film school at Art Center in Pasadena, she directed her first art documentary in 2000 for RAI in Italy. In the following years, Chiara continued to film and collaborate with artists such as Jim Dine, Brice Marden, and Frank Gehry. In 2005, she began filming her first critically-acclaimed tdocumentary, Our City Dreams, which followed the lives and work of five contemporary women artists (Nancy Spero, Marina Abramovic, Kiki Smith, Ghada Amer and Swoon) in New York City. Our City Dreams premiered at the prestigious Film Forum in February 2009, screened in more than 30 cities worldwide, and was broadcast on the Sundance Channel. During this period, Chiara also directed several short films: Curiosity for Saatchi and Saatchi, Remembering Sprouse for T Magazine of The New York Times, and a series of short portrait pieces for Anthropology. Her recent works include Beginnings, an original short film series for the Sundance Channel, the online series Made Here: Performing Artists on Work and Life in New York City and a film with Levi's for their new initiative Shape What's to Come. Chiara is also in the process of developing her first narrative feature.

Karina is a New York-based producer and filmmaker, whose projects include an original web series, an interactive online documentary series, promos, how-to videos, and event videography. She has produced, shot, and edited videos for Howcast.com, Downtown Community Television, 13 Playwrights Inc., EmcArts, art.party.theater.company, and is the Associate Producer of "Flag Football," a feature documentary about the journey of four teams in the National Gay Flag Football League to Gay Bowl X. Currently, Karina is the Online Cultural Producer at EmcArts, Inc.  Prior to joining EmcArts, she was a producer for Season One of the documentary series "MADE HERE: Performing Artists on Work and Life" for HERE, where she also served as General Manager/Associate Producer from 2008 to 2011. Prior to HERE, Karina served as General Manager for 13 Playwrights, Inc., Management Associate for Liz McCann/Tony Awards Productions, and Producing Assistant for Carole Shorenstein Hays Productions. Karina has an MFA in Theater Management and Producing from Columbia University, where she wrote her thesis on the strategic use of online tools and technologies for arts organizations. She holds a BA from Harvard College.

Editor: Russ Greene
Theme Song: Reggie Watts
Additional Music: Moby

SEASON TWO ONLY
Assistant Producer: Erin Taylor Kennedy
Camera: Frank Stanley
Sound Mixer: David Pruger, Jarett Livingston
Assistant Editor: Erin Taylor Kennedy
Website Manager: Matthew de Leon
Research & Outreach Associate: Cassie Wagler

SEASON ONE ONLY
Camera: Miklos Buk, Theo Stanley
Sound Mixer: David Pruger, Michael Reilly, Christopher Reifeiss
Assistant Editor: Cat Tyc, Kelly Bray
Production Interns: Debby Brand, Brian Bauman

Art Direction & Design
Open
New York, NY

Design & Production
Rich Watts
Brooklyn, NY

Featuring

SEASON TWO: Jen Abrams, Kahlil Almustafa, Thomas Bradshaw, John Collins, Brendan Coyle, Amanda Curtis, Dana Edell, Oskar Eustis, Miguel Gutierrez, Joan Jonas, Aaron Landsman, Elizabeth LeCompte, Young Jean Lee, Kate D. Levin, Sheila Lewandowski, Abby Marcus, Qui Nguyen, Brian Rogers, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, Steven Sapp, Betty Shamieh, Black-Eyed Susan, Chandra Thomas, Basil Twist, Kate Valk, Reggie Watts, Natasha Williams, Caroline Woolard


SEASON ONE: Moe Angelos, Arthur Aviles, Jess Barbagallo, Anne Bogart, Wally Cardona, Hai-Ting Chinn, Ping Chong Gabri Christa, Chinese Theatre Works, Toni Dove, Yehuda Duenyas, James Tigger! Ferguson, Kuang-Yu Fong Ximena Garnica, Roselee Goldberg, Ain Gordon, David Gordon, Miranda Hardy, Mikéah Ernest Jennings, Melanie Joseph, Ben Kerrick, Mari Kimura, Peter Ksander, Taylor Mac, Kristin Marting, Jennifer Miller, Paul D. Miller, Shige Moriya, Julie Atlas Muz, Erin Orr, Vernon Reid, Laine Rettmer, Charles Rice-Gonzalez, Rokafella Elizabeth Streb, Valda Setterfield, Xiaojun Song, Charlie Todd, Kate Valk, Marianne Weems, Jennifer Wright Cook, Ying Zhang

 

Partner Organizations

A.R.T./New York
Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance

Brooklyn Arts Council
Brooklyn Arts Exchange

The Chocolate Factory

Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island

The Field

Harlem Arts Alliance

LaGuardia Performing Arts Center

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council

New York Theater Workshop

Queens Council on the Arts

Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden

Academic Advisory Council

Anne Bogart
Thomas Bradshaw
Una Chaudhuri
Elinor Fuchs
Roselee Goldberg

Frank Hentschker
Jay Scheib
Mac Wellman

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Contact

 

info@madehereproject.org

 

HERE
145 Sixth Ave
New York, NY 10013

212-647-0202

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Support

MADE HERE needs your support so we can continue capturing the lives of performing artists. Every donation helps us expand the project to more issues, episodes, artists, contributors, and audiences.

DONATE

For questions or information on corporate sponsorship, contact info@madehereproject.org.

MADE HERE is supported by a 2009 Rockefeller Cultural Innovation Fund award.

Issue:

Home

episode 1: Arriving

The majority of New Yorkers (75%) emigrate here. The decision to come may be spurred by a quest for freedom, the desire to live in an artistic community, or from an indefinable magnetic pull. The artists in this episode share their reasons.

View all Episodes

Resources:

News

Calling Yourself A New Yorker

What distinguishes New Yorkers from those merely passing through.

Mapping Gentrification

Multimedia artist Sarah Nelson Wright’s project "LOCATIONS DISLOCATIONS" maps New Yorkers as they move to different addresses around the city.

One in 8 Million

New York Times audio slideshow explores the lives of people who make New York City home.

Basil Twist: Puppet Renaissance Man

From Time Out New York Basil Twist on arts and energy in New York City.

Perfecting the Art of Frugal Living in NYC

Artists living the cheap life in NYC. It can be done!

WNYC: Know Your Neighbor

The WNYC’s series “Know Your Neighbor” takes a peak into the lives of your fellow New Yorkers.

New York Magazine: Arrivals

Even in the recession, people want to move to New York. And they are doing it in large numbers.

HOW TO: Move To New York City Sane And Not Broke

Humorous and practical advice on moving to New York City.

Fleeing Artists

An article from Crains New York Business on how many artists are fleeing New York City in such of a realistic and affordable lifestyle.

Living the Starving Artist Life

An article in Gothamist with advice on living the life on an artist in New York.

Elizabeth LeCompte: Wooster Group founder; director; toilet cleaner

Time Out New York asks Elizabeth LeCompte about life in NYC.

thirteen: arts and culture

From thirteen.org, New York's public media site, news, events, programming and reviews on arts and culture in the New York City.

Organizations

NYC Department of Consumer Affairs

The Office of Financial Empowerment offers workshops and financial counseling for New York City artists, so they can afford to stay in the city and stay in the arts.

brooklyn spaces: a compendium of brooklyn culture & creativity

Blog chronicling Brooklyn’s best creative and cultural spaces.

NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

The Department of Cultural Affairs offers grants to non-profit cultural institutions, and free art supplies to public school arts education programs through its Materials for the Arts program.

New York Foundation for the Arts – NYFA Learning

Workshops and professional development from the New York Foundation for the Arts.

NYSCA - The Theatre Program

The Theatre Program offers support to professional theatre companies with ongoing production and development programs.

Freelancers Union

Health insurance and other benefits for freelancers and artists in NYC.

LEAP Dance Project

A 9-month professional development program designed to support and build the dance community in Queens.

City Data

Active forum with good advice on relocating to New York City.

Manhattan Users Guide

Daily email with tips, services, reviews, and events. A guide to living and hanging out in Manhattan.

Nonsense New York

They say it best: "Nonsense NYC is a discriminating resource for independent art, weird events, strange happenings, unique parties, and senseless culture in New York City."

Gemini and Scorpio

The on-line home of event producers Gemini and Scorpio, who organize arty, off-beat, sometimes raucous events in NYC.

The Skint

Blog of free and cheap things to do, eat and buy in NYC.

Research

Creative New York

The Center for an Urban Future's 2005 report "Creative New York" explores the economic contribution of New York's vast creative sector.

Mayor’s Office of Operations: My Neighborhood Statistics

This website provides searchable statistics for all New York City neighborhoods. It lets residence know how City agencies are performing in their neighborhood.

Culture Builds New York: The Economic Impact of Capital Construction at New York City's Cultural Institutions, 2003-2010

When the cultural institutions of a great city are themselves actively building new and expanded facilitates, it marks a high point of civilization. As this 2009 report shows such is the case in New York City now and for the past two decades.

discussions:

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Transitions

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Have you ever moved to a different city to make your work? What influenced your decision?

Jump to most recent entry
  • David Cote said:

    I moved to NYC in 1992 after college to make theater. I’ve been tempted over the years to find a smaller city with a higher standard of living, but can’t bear the thought of leaving New York. Plus, I don’t think I could maintain this dual status of critic/artist in a different city.

    07/07 - 06:20 AM

  • Melissa said:

    I moved from Staten Island to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2009 (the height of the recession). I moved to be closer my “community” but felt more removed than ever. I spent a year working numerous jobs, dancing hard, and feeling so completely disenchanted with “city life”! After time on Martha’s Vineyard, one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to, I returned to my “city-pastoral” (Staten Island) with no looks back.

    07/20 - 04:45 PM

  • Arlette said:

    Yes, I grew up in Dominican Republic and came here after high school. I come to NY because I wanted to be an artist and here I had all the possibilities to be anything I wanted to be. New York was and still is the center of the art world.

    07/20 - 04:53 PM

  • Line said:

    Yes.  I wanted to immerse myself fully into “the work.” I needed to reinvent myself and the work. I also needed a frame of work, which is often location-based for me.

    07/20 - 04:56 PM

  • Mary said:

    I moved back to St. George in 2011 to paint full time. Within 3 years I was supporting myself on sale of my art. I would never have dared to dream that - so I just did it.

    07/20 - 05:19 PM

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your stories:

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  • What is your earliest memory of New York or another city where you live and work?
  • Is there anything you would change about New York or another city where you live and work?
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Welcome to the fifth and final issue of Season 2! This month, MADE HERE explores the concept of home. In the first episode, we hear about how artists chose to come to New York and what they discovered upon arrival. The second episode looks at how artists create connections with each other and with their communities to define a sense of belonging. Finally, artists talk about why they think New York is the creative cauldron of the world.

The three episodes for this issue are: Arriving (July 5), Belonging (July 11), and NYC (July 18). Please join us on Tuesday, July 19 at SHOW Gallery in St. George, Staten Island, for a screening and lively discussion moderated by Choreographer/Filmmaker and MADE HERE artist Gabri Christa.

Discussion Topics

      
  • Transitions
  •   
  • Defining Home
  •   
  • NYC – Take/Leave
  •   

Resources

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Your stories

  • What is your earliest memory of New York or another city where you live and work?
  • Is there anything you would change about New York or another city where you live and work?