Works & Process at the Guggenheim Initiates LaunchPAD

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, is proud to announce LaunchPAD "Process as Destination." Over a period of two years, the pandemic recovery initiative will support artists through their creative process by knitting together a region-wide network of sequenced and made-to-measure fully funded residencies and public showings.

Recognizing that performing artists continue to face vulnerabilities including unstable income, lack of access to rehearsal space, and limited opportunities for prolonged collaborations outside of requisite productions and finished premieres, Works & Process fosters a new model for collaboration with LaunchPAD. The program weaves together a constellation of at least eight residency partners throughout the Hudson Valley and Long Island that will collectively and cohesively support New York performing artists. Works & Process will provide collaborators with living wages, transportation, and healthcare insurance, while residency partners will provide studio and theater space and housing. As a result, each LaunchPAD project will receive prolonged support through a series of sequenced and fully funded residencies across different geographic regions and residency spaces that respond to artists needs in a made-to-measure way. When ready, select LaunchPAD projects will premiere at Works & Process at the Guggenheim as well as with partnering presenters.

LaunchPAD underscores the Works & Process core mission to support artists and illuminate the creative process. LaunchPAD will serve as an incubator encouraging artists and audiences to embrace artistic process as destination, with an understanding that how work is created is as important as the final product. Woven into each LaunchPAD residency will be classes, open rehearsals, and in-process show-and-tell sessions that will encourage appreciation for the complexities of the artistic process and build future audiences for its performing artists. LaunchPAD will support today's leading performing artists and nurture a vast array of performing arts disciplines and historically marginalized artists.

Continuing our pandemic response, LaunchPAD demonstrates how performing arts organizations can collectively and more cohesively support artistic process. A two-year pilot, LaunchPAD will annually support at least ten process-driven, new work development opportunities for over one hundred artists, with 40 weeks of artist residency each year. LaunchPAD is a direct extension of Works & Process's successful and pioneering bubble residency program, which produced 25 socially distanced residencies in the Hudson Valley for 247 artists at the height of the pandemic from August 2020 to June 2021.  

Confirmed LaunchPAD Residency Partners (List in formation)

Bethany Arts Community, Ossining, New York • Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill, New York • Catskill Mountain Foundation's Orpheum Film & Performing Arts Center, Tannersville, New York • The Church, Sag Harbor, New York • Guild Hall, East Hampton, New York • Modern Accord Depot, Accord, New York • The Pocantico Center, Tarrytown, New York • The Watermill Center, Water Mill, New York

Confirmed Seed Funding

New York State Council on the Arts, Stephen Kroll Reidy, The Jerome Robbins Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Evelyn Sharp Foundation, and The Geraldine Stutz Trust.

With a total program budget of $1million, Works & Process is committing $250,000 in seed funding, has raised an additional $400,000, and is committed to raising the remainder over the course of the next two years.

The Church, Sag Harbor, New York

Third Bird – Dance, Music, and Theater

Libretto by Isaac Mizrahi

Music by Nico Muhly

Choreography by John Heginbotham

November 29–December 5, 2021

• Thursday, December 2, 3:30 pm – School Show-and-Tell

• Sunday, December 5, 6:30 pm – Public Show-and-Tell

Isaac Mizrahi has, so far, narrated and directed over one hundred performances of Sergei Prokofiev's Peter & The Wolf at Works & Process, and during the pandemic was inspired to create an homage to the iconic work. This new work, Third Bird, commissioned by Works & Process, features a cast of eight, and through the story of a flying bluebird, a swimming duck, and a running ostrich aims to celebrate each individual's unique strength.

June 3–5, 2022 – World premiere at Works & Process at the Guggenheim

Les Ballet Afrik - Afrik, Ballroom, and Vogue

New York Is Burning by Omari Wiles

January 2–14, 2022

• Saturday, January 8, 11 am–5 pm – Open Rehearsal—the public is invited to observe

• Wednesday, January 12, 3:30 pm – Public Vogue Dance Class

• Thursday, January 13, 6:30 pm – Public Show-and-Tell

Prior to the pandemic, honoring the 30th anniversary of the release of the documentary Paris is Buring, Works & Process commissioned Omari Wiles, founding father of the House of Oricci and a legend within the ballroom community, to produce New York Is Burning. In an uncanny resemblance to the documentary, Wiles's new work centers on the artists for whom his dance company Les Ballet Afrik serves as a surrogate family and reflects the aspirations, desires, and yearnings of a diverse group of artists in a city yet again beset by health, race, and financial crises.

January 15–16, 2022 – World premiere at Works & Process at the Guggenheim 

Bethany Arts Community, Ossining, New York

Ladies of Hip Hop – Street Dance

January 2–11, 2022

• Thursday, January 6, 10 am – School Show-and-Tell

• Sunday, January 9, 3 pm – Public Show-and-Tell

Featuring three generations, this project captures the knowledge, beauty, and power of Black female street dancers and looks beyond the traditional lens of exposure for Black bodies in dance, which has overwhelmingly focused on Eurocentric dance aesthetics including modern, contemporary, and ballet. The culmination will be the creation of a concert dance piece that preserves and celebrates the beauty, strength, and lived experiences of Black women in street dance.

January 12–13, 2022 – World premiere at Works & Process at the Guggenheim 

Samantha Figgins – Dance for Hearing Loss/Deaf

May 9–22, 2022

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater dancer and choreographer Samantha Figgins, who lives with single-sided deafness, continues to workshop choreography for deaf and hard-of-hearing dancers and the community.

The Pocantico Center, Tarrytown, New York

Brian Henry aka "HallowDreamz" – Krump

February 2022

Amplifying nontraditional dance, Krump legend Brian Henry, in an opportunity rarely available to the community he represents, brings together a group of 13 Krump veterans at the Pocantico Center to create a collaborative work and offer the public access to in process showings, all prior to premiere at Works & Process at the Guggenheim.

Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill, New York

Jazz as Movement

January 23–February 1, 2022

• Sunday, January 30 – Public Show-and-Tell and Lindy Hop Dance Class

Jazz as Movement Directors Gaby Cook and Nathan Bugh will explore and develop new lindy hop and vernacular jazz choreographic works. Blending approaches from jazz structure, classical music and modern dance, this artist residency aims to push the bounds of lindy hop creativity and explore the style as a broad, versatile language of dance expression.

Catskill Mountain Foundation's Orpheum Film & Performing Arts Center, Tannersville, New York

Music from the Sole – Tap, Jazz, and African Diaspora

I Didn't Come to Stay

February 28–March 12, 2022

• Sunday, March 12 – Public Show-and-Tell

Tap, percussive dance, samba, house, and live music come together in I Didn't Come to Stay, commissioned by Works & Process. In the work, Brazilian tap dancer and choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and bassist and composer Gregory Richardson lead eight dancers and a five-piece band in a performance that explores tap's lineage and connections to other Afrodiasporic forms. Together the pair embrace shared roots across the diaspora and reflect on racial and cultural identity, while also celebrating the joy, strength, depth, and virtuosity of Black dance and music. 

UnderScored by Ephrat Asherie Dance and Club Legends

May 6–15, 2022

Beginning with the seminal parties at The Loft and the Paradise Garage, UnderScored, commissioned by Works & Process is inspired by the intergenerational club-life memories of a cast ranging in age from 25 to 77. This dance work explores the ever-changing physical and musical landscape of New York City's underground house dance and music scene. Legendary elders from NYC's underground dance community including Archie Burnett, Brahms "Bravo" LaFortune, and Michele Saunders collaborate and perform with company members Ephrat "Bounce" Asherie, Manon Bal, Ron "Stealth-1" Chunn Jr., Teena Marie Custer, Val "Ms. Vee" Ho, and Matthew "Megawatt" West.

Modern Accord Depot, Accord, New York

Hope Boykin

May 22–June 11, 2022

Educator, creator, mover and motivator Hope Boykin, working through HopeBoykinDance, will continue to break through to her movement-language using her poetry, written words, and film to build a cadence of truth. 

The Watermill Center, Water Mill, New York 

Ryan McNamara – Dance and Performance

June 16–29, 2022

Additional residencies to be announced.

Concurrently, Works & Process will continue to produce our long-standing series at the Guggenheim, illuminating the creative process behind new works. Works & Process has continued to shape representation as we emerge from the pandemic: audience surveys from our in-person spring 2021 Guggenheim rotunda performances indicated that 45% of the audience were first-time attendees, 33% identified as non-Caucasian, and 44% were ages 44 and under, marking a significant shift towards new, younger, and more ethnically diverse audiences. This expanded reach reflects our commitment to championing marginalized artists and disciplines (e.g. 73% of artists who participated in Works & Process bubble residencies and performances identified as BIPOC). Works & Process will continue to ensure audience access through affordable and pay-what-you-wish tickets, and to collaborate with artists, welcoming and including the communities they represent.

Bethany Arts Community, Ossining, New York

Founded in May of 2015 by David Lyons, Bethany Arts Community (BAC) aspires to be a leading center for arts creation, instruction, and appreciation. BAC offers a wide range of programs and services designed to help the many forms of art be taught, be produced, and flourish. BAC's 44,000-square-foot building set on 25 serene acres of mostly wooded land is beneficial in fulfilling their mission. Their plan for the space will enhance the scope of cultural opportunities for the community, in a way that will not disrupt the natural tranquility of the site or the character of the surrounding neighborhood. The need has never been greater for a place artists and arts groups can call home.

Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill, New York

Bridget Street Theatre was founded as a not-for-profit organization in 2013 in a derelict 12,000-square-foot factory building at 44 West Bridge Street in Catskill, New York. In thanks in large part to grant monies from the New York State Department of Homes and Community Renewal, the building has since been completely converted and now houses an intimate 84-seat auditorium; a smaller cabaret–flex performance space, which also serves as the main theater's lobby; a large warehouse space utilized mainly for storage but which has also hosted large-scale sculpture and art exhibitions; administrative office space; dressing rooms and a lounge area for performers; public restrooms; and a four-bedroom living area on the building's second floor used to house visiting artists. The building serves mainly as a home for Bridge Street Theatre productions and is also available to outside theater and performing groups and residencies. Because of its location adjacent to Catskill High School, it is also able to provide theatrical opportunities for local students.

Catskill Mountain Foundation, Hunter, New York

The Catskill Mountain Foundation's (CMF) aim is to provide educational opportunities in the arts for youth and lifelong learners, to bring the experience of the arts to the Catskill community, and to support artists and art organizations in the development of their work through residencies. Since its founding in 1998, CMF has presented hundreds of music, dance, and theater performances; screened over one thousand films to tens of thousands of audience members; provided studio art classes to thousands of students of all ages; and served thousands of art-loving patrons in its Catskill Mountain Foundation Gift Shop, a multicultural gift store emphasizing sustainable products from around the world.

The Church, Sag Harbor, New York

The mission of the Church is to foster creativity among the diverse communities on the East End and honor the living history of Sag Harbor as a maker village. It functions as an artist residency, exhibition space, and creative center. Housed in a deconsecrated 19th century Methodist church, the Church aspires to be a place where local and national artists and creatives can work, meet, and inspire each other. Founded by artists Eric Fischl and April Gornik in 2021, the Church champions new and traditional technologies through collaboration, education, and outreach, striving to be an asset for the community in all its richness and heterogeneity.

Guild Hall, East Hampton, New York

Guild Hall is an arts, entertainment, and education center for the community. Its primary focus is to inform, inspire, and enrich diverse audiences by presenting programs of the highest quality in the visual and performing arts; to collaborate with artists of Eastern Long Island; to foster the artistic spirit; and to provide a meeting place for all. Founded by two Guild Hall Academy of the Arts Members, artist Eric Fischl and playwright Jon Robbie Baitz, Guild Hall's Artist-in-Residence program offers artists and collectives the time and space to research, experiment, and develop new ideas and projects. Artists are provided with creative feedback and administrative support, a commissioning fee, living space, and a purpose-built studio on an exclusive property. 

Modern Accord Depot, Accord, New York

Modern Accord Depot (MAD), a project of choreographer Chase Brock and conductor Rob Berman, is the 2019 reimagining of the 1902 train depot in Accord, New York. In addition to preserving the New York, Ontario and Western Railway architecture, artifacts, and history, Modern Accord Depot is a dynamic arts residency space and one-of-a-kind Hudson Valley getaway serving dual populations: artists or nonprofit arts organizations in need of space for creative meetings, research, workshops, and rehearsals; and travelers from near and far in search of unforgettable vacation experiences. MAD's arts initiatives include the MADarts residency, the MADstudy program, the MADhouse concert series, and, conceived with New Dance Alliance, the Black Artists Space to Create residency. MAD has hosted artists including Michael Arden, Hope Boykin, Leslie Cuyjet, Eric Dietz, Ama Ma'at Gora, Angela Sigley Grossman, Kayla Hamilton, Nile Harris, Joe Iconis, Dane Laffrey, Lauren Marcus, Johnnie Cruise Mercer, Marisa Michelson, Olivia Palacios, Angie Pittman, Jen Silverman, Jackson Teeley, Doug Varone, and Rowan Willigan, along with their companies and collaborators.

The Pocantico Center, Tarrytown, New York

Once home to the Rockefeller family, the Pocantico Center's verdant campus in the scenic hills of the Hudson Valley has been host to some of the most influential leaders, thinkers, and creative minds of the last century. A thoughtfully designed and curated retreat just 20 miles north of Manhattan, Pocantico offers guests an immersive experience of unrivaled beauty, with breathtaking gardens and grounds, historic architecture, and a renowned art collection in which guests may find inspiration and respite. Today, the Pocantico Center serves as the community-facing extension of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund's philanthropic mission to advance social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. Through a robust slate of programming—including conferences for nonprofit and policy leaders, artist residencies, and tours, performances, and educational programs for the community—Pocantico continues to bring together people from near and far to learn, share, and imagine a better future.

The Watermill Center, Water Mill, New York

Founded in 1992 by avant-garde visionary Robert Wilson, the Watermill Center is an interdisciplinary laboratory for the arts and humanities situated on ten acres of Shinnecock ancestral territory on Long Island's East End and offering year-round artist residencies and education programs. With an emphasis on creativity and collaboration, Watermill integrates contemporary artistic practice with resources from the humanities and research from the sciences to provide a global community with the time, space, and freedom to create and inspire.

Works & Process at the Guggenheim 

Described by The New York Times as "forward thinking" and "an exceptional opportunity to understand something of the creative process," since 1984 Works & Process has welcomed New Yorkers to see, hear, and meet the most acclaimed performers and creators of the performing arts. Led by Producer Caroline Cronson and Executive Director Duke Dang, Works & Process nurtures and champions new works, shapes representation, amplifies underrepresented voices and performing arts cultures, and offers audiences unprecedented access to generations of leading creators and performers. Artist-driven programs blending performance highlights with insightful discussions are, when permitted, followed by receptions in the rotunda, producing an opportunity for collective learning and community building, while also helping to cultivate a more inclusive, fair, and representative world. Approximately fifty performances take place annually in the Guggenheim's Frank Lloyd Wright–designed, 273-seat Peter B. Lewis Theater. Additionally, Works & Process produces an annual performance program at the Guggenheim Bilbao. In 2017, Works & Process established a residency program inviting artists to create newly commissioned performances made in and for the iconic Guggenheim rotunda. In 2020, Works & Process Artists (WPA) Virtual Commissions was created financially supporting 84 new works and over 280 artists, nurturing their creative process during the pandemic. To forge a path for artists to safely gather, create, and perform during the pandemic, from summer 2020 through spring 2021 Works & Process pioneered and produced 25 bubble residencies supporting 247 artists, made possible through the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. On March 20, 2021, after over a year of shuttered indoor performances, with special guidance granted by New York State's Department of Health, Works & Process, in the rotunda of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, was the first cultural organization to reopen live indoor ticketed performances. worksandprocess.org 

Lead funding for Works & Process is provided by the Booth Ferris Foundation, Stuart H. Coleman, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, First Republic, Ford Foundation, Bart Friedman, Christian Humann Foundation, Leon Levy Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, NYC COVID-19 Response and Impact Fund, Robert B. Pollock, Stephen Kroll Reidy, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Denise Sobel, Evelyn Sharp Foundation, and The Geraldine Stutz Trust, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts. Works & Process has received support from the U.S. Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG), and the NYC Employee Retention Grant Program.