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AMM Current Issue
AMM Current Issue
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Arts & Music Lifestyle Innovation Philanthropy
AMM Future Issue
  • Philanthropy

AMM Spotlight: Anita Durst

by Stephen DiLauro
Chashama In One. CREDIT: Chashama

If you live on the island of Manhattan, the issue of space takes on significance that is unimaginable to someone living in, say, Montana. Personal space, living space, space to sit outdoors, space to walk – all take on an importance that others elsewhere do not and probably cannot comprehend. For the independent artist in New York City, space and its cost can seem an insurmountable issue.

Chashama In One
Chashama In One. CREDIT: Chashama

“New York City without art and artists is like a blank white wall – boring, ” says Anita Durst.

Schooled by two titans of New York real estate – her grandfather Seymour Durst, and her father Douglas – Ms. Durst has turned her knowledge, contacts, and energy toward helping artists through her not for profit Chashama. She organizes space to work and to exhibit for thousands of artists, as well as offering 180 free art classes in underserved communities. The work she and Chashama do not only makes life easier for artists, it also serves a civic function – staving off urban blight.

Chashama In One
Chashama In One. CREDIT: Chashama

“We can fix New York City’s retail blight by energizing empty space with art and small businesses.”

Founded in 1995, Chashama provides space to both visual and performing artists. The places can be as small as a storefront window or as large as thousands of square feet of ground floor retail space in the heart of the Chelsea art district. Durst and her organization partner with property owners to utilize unleased commercial spaces for performances, rehearsals, and visual art exhibits.

Chashama In One
Chashama In One. CREDIT: Chashama

With more than 150 subsidized studio spaces in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Manhattan, and New Jersey, forty exhibition spaces, and last year nine million dollars in space grants to artists, the impact Durst and Chashama have on emerging and mid-career artists is immeasurable.

“Artists come to New York looking for space to create, present, and connect. For the past 24 years, it has given me much joy to help over 20, 000 artists fulfill their dreams.”

Anita Durst
Anita Durst

AMM will publish an in-depth feature on Chashama in 2020. In the meantime, you can learn more and find application information on the website www.chashama.org

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  • Innovation

Jenny Guo 郭晶霞: The Creativity of Art That Makes Dreams Come True
郭晶霞:让梦想成真的艺术创造力

By Elia Zhang 张珑宇 & Ross Sheldon
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  • Philanthropy

The Philanthropy Of Paula Abdul

By AMM Editorial Staff
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  • Lifestyle

AMM Inspiration: Charlie Wilson

By Cari Hurley
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  • Arts & Music

AMM Artist Spotlight: Amy Rader

By Miles Neiman
READ MORE

  • Arts & Music

AMM Artist Spotlight: Mark Conrad Wessel

By AMM Editorial Staff
READ MORE
AMM

Arts Management Magazine has been dedicated to the arts, innovation, and philanthropy since 1962. Featuring insights into the broad spectrum of the arts, lifestyle, and culture.

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