ALL ARTS Collaborates With The Shed To Introduce 4 Emerging NYC Black Artists In Residence

ALL ARTS, the multimedia platform covering visual art, music, theater, dance, film, literature, and more, has announced a collaboration with renowned cultural institution The Shed.

The collaboration is to expand its Artist in Residence program with the introduction of four groundbreaking young New York City artists working across multiple disciplines.

The content produced by the artists will make its world premiere in a festival in early 2022 and air on the ALL ARTS broadcast station, streaming app and other digital platforms.

In December of 2019, ALL ARTS announced Taylor Mac, MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Drama, as its first-ever Artist in Residence. The artist’s “Whitman in the Woods.”, a drag performance film exploring Walt Whitman poetry, premiered on ALL ARTS platforms last month.

The new ALL ARTS Artists in Residence include Jonathan McCrory, an Obie Award-winning Harlem-based artist and Executive Artistic Director at National Black Theatre…

Instead of one artist, this year, the program is expanding to include four. The new ALL ARTS Artists in Residence include Jonathan McCrory, an Obie Award-winning Harlem-based artist and Executive Artistic Director at National Black Theatre, who will create a visual, sonic opera; and Matthew Whitaker, an extraordinary young musician enrolled in the jazz studies program at Juilliard in New York City, who is currently working on a biographical documentary exploring his musical evolution.

The two additional Artists in Residence were selected via Open Call, The Shed’s large-scale commissioning program for early-career New York City-based artists. DonChristian Jones is an artist, singer-songwriter, and producer who has shown and performed at the Whitney Museum, MoMA PS1, New Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and Carnegie Center.

His outdoor performance was inspired by car trips taken with his mother and her four sisters in 1990s Philadelphia. Le’Andra LeSeur works primarily with video, installation, photography, painting, and performance, and her multichannel video and performance piece will dissect the effects rhythm has on the body in its quest for liberation.

“We are very excited to expand our Artist in Residence program and collaborate closely with The Shed to introduce these four incredible Black artists, all working in very different disciplines. We can’t wait to spotlight the innovative work they create,” said James King, Artistic Director of ALL ARTS. “Our mission is to showcase and highlight each of these extraordinary artists among a broad audience as well as strengthen our outreach and visibility in the New York City community.”

“Supporting local early career artists is a foundational aspect of The Shed’s civic work,” said Tamara McCaw, Chief Civic Program Officer of The Shed. “Through our partnership with ALL ARTS, we’re able to deepen the reach and impact of The Shed’s Open Call commissioning program–connecting a dynamic and innovative group of artists to a wider audience.”

Created by The WNET Group, ALL ARTS launched in 2019 to offer access to all forms of creative expression from New York and around the world. As a free, on-demand service ALL ARTS reduces barriers to experiencing the arts and builds new audiences for cultural organizations.

The New York Emmy-winning arts and culture platform’s programming illuminates the emerging to the established, the hybrid to the pure, in dance, film, stories, music, theater, visual art, design and all other forms of creative expression.

Leadership support for ALL ARTS is generously provided by Jody and John Arnhold and the Arnhold Foundation, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Jerome L. Greene Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Anderson Family Fund and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society.

In our highly adaptable building on Manhattan’s west side, The Shed brings together established and emerging artists to create new work in fields ranging from pop to classical music, painting to digital media, theater to literature, and sculpture to dance.

We seek opportunities to collaborate with cultural peers and community organizations, work with like-minded partners, and provide unique spaces for private events. As an independent nonprofit that values invention, equity, and generosity, we are committed to advancing art forms, addressing the urgent issues of our time, and making our work impactful, sustainable, and relevant to the local community, the cultural sector, New York City, and beyond. 

ALL ARTS is breaking new ground as the premier destination for inspiration, creativity and art of all forms. This New York Emmy-winning arts and culture hub is created by The WNET Group, the parent company of New York’s PBS stations.

With the aim of being accessible to viewers everywhere, ALL ARTS’ Webby-nominated programming – from digital shorts to feature films – is available online nationwide through allarts.org, the free ALL ARTS app on all major streaming platforms and @AllArtsTV on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. New York area TV viewers can also watch the 24/7 broadcast channel. For all the ways to watch, visit allarts.org/everywhere.

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