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Chashama, inc.
201 E. 42nd Street PH
New York, NY 10017
Contact Stacey McMath
212.391.8151   FAX: 212.391.8153
stacey@chashama.org
http://www.chashama.org
 Chashama supports artists by granting space to create. In a city of exorbitant rents and voracious gentrification, chashama is committed to literally opening doors for artists by providing them with the rarest commodity in New York City: affordable space. Chashama adopts temporarily vacant commercial properties that are donated by their owners and converts them into spaces for artists. Chashama then regrants these spaces to performing and visual artists for free or at heavily subsidized rates. Artists’ presence revitalizes vacant buildings, generates foot traffic, and spurs economic activity.

Chashama provides free or low-cost art to neighborhoods in NYC that do not have ample access to the arts. Annually, Chashama presents over 130 public events, including theater, music and dance; visual art exhibitions; open studio tours; the OASIS Festival of dance; and site specific shows in parks around the five boroughs.

Chashama was founded by Anita Durst in 1995 in memory of visionary Iranian playwright and director Reza Abdoh as an organization dedicated to serving artists in New York City. Durst realized that lack of affordable space was the greatest threat to a diverse, dynamic, and provocative cultural environment in NYC.

Durst’s vision was to connect artists with untapped reserves of vacant real estate: empty storefronts and offices languishing between tenants. Chashama began with a multi-space complex in Times Square; when that space was demolished, chashama repeated their successful model in Harlem, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

Vhashama has formed relationships with some of NYC’s largest developers and property owners and shown them that allowing artists to use temporarily vacant spaces adds value to properties by preventing neglect and decay, while invigorating surrounding communities with creative activity. Landlords’ donations enable Chashama to offer space to artists for free or at rates at a fraction of market values.

Currently, Chashama operates fifteen venues that include a fully equipped theater, two galleries, four rehearsal studios, seventy-three artist studios, and three storefront window stages. For the past twelve years, Chashama has achieved its mission of providing opportunities to artists: space to paint, sculpt, rehearse, and perform; cash grants for fees and materials; and marketing and audience development for their performances and exhibitions. Chashama gives artists the ability to transfer their workspaces from their living rooms into legitimate, community-oriented studios, rehearsal rooms, and performance sites where they can share their work with the public and other artists. Access to space can be the commodity that makes or breaks an artist’s chances for survival. Chashama keeps working artists in NYC.

We have had previous internship experience referred from various NYC universities.

Description:Chashama, a 12-year-old not-for-profit arts organization, is looking for interns to assist in our East Midtown offices. Chashama adopts temporarily vacant properties and converts them into theaters, galleries, visual artists’ studios, and storefront window performance stages. Chashama has transformed more than twenty vacant properties into space for artists and has given more than 4,500 artists access to free and subsidized space. Interns are fully integrated into the operations of the organization, often supervising projects of their own and working directly with our resident artists.

The following internships are available:

1. VISUAL ARTS
The intern in Visual Arts will assist the Program Director with the management of the 77 visual artists-in-residence at chashama; will help to coordinate special events, open studio events, and special exhibitions; will assist with the programming in our three exhibition spaces; will assist in the promotion of the visual arts program in the arts community; and will help with general office duties.

2. PERFORMING ARTS
The intern in Performing Arts will assist the Program Director with the administration of The Residency at chashama, our six-week theatre residency program, and the chashama Performance Development Award, a space grant and culminating festival in spring 2008. The intern will work with the current artists-in-residence in our theater at 217 E. 42nd Street; will assist with the windows program, chashama’s hallmark storefront window performance art program; and will have general office duties.

3. FILM
The intern in Film will assist the Program Director with the administration of FilmSpace, chashama’s program to provide space and services to independent filmmakers. The intern will work with the Program director and artists to coordinate screenings, screenplay readings, shoots and other film-related events, and will have general office duties.

4. DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIAL EVENTS
The intern in Development and Special Events will work with our Development Director and Filmspace Program Director to coordinate the chashama fall gala, planned for November 2007; the Filmspace launch event, planned for Spring 2008; and will assist with research for government, foundation, corporate and individual funders. The intern will help our Director of Development manage our grants calendar, may be asked to assist with the preparation of grants, and will have general office duties.

Positions are unpaid, but a transportation stipend is available. A car is not required, mileage is not reimbursed, and housing is not available.

Eligibility:Interns should be available to work at least ten hours per week for the duration of the fall semester.

We are looking for graduate students and undergraduate students.

Application:Our internships beging in September, January, and May. They end in December, May, and August.

Please email cover letter (indicating which internship you are applying for) and resume to Stacey Cooper McMath, General Manager at Stacey@chashama.org. No phone calls please.