Albany Barn

Albany Barn, Inc, is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization developing a permanent, sustainable 21st Century creative arts incubator and community art center in Albany, NY called THE BARN. www.albanybarn.org

Five years ago, stakeholders in the imperiled City of Albany neighborhood of Arbor Hill developed a revitalization strategy called the "Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan." It was heralded as a breakthrough in collaborative community planning and continues to enjoy broad support during its implementation. As part of that Plan, it was recommended that one of the top priorities be the adaptive reuse of the abandoned St. Joseph's Academy building, located in the heart of the neighborhood at the corner of North Swan and Second Streets.

Albany Barn has partnered with the City of Albany and Albany Housing Authority to redevelop the 40,000 square foot St. Joseph’s Academy building into low-cost live-work apartments, work and rehearsal suites, a dance studio, a digital media lab and ample exhibition, performance and programming space. The project is formally called "Academy Lofts," although it is better known locally as "The Barn." This name originates from the age-old practice of barn raising, when a community collaborated to build a barn - a structure vital to a family's livelihood - for one of its households.

The Barn/Academy Lofts will provide essential, affordable facilities to regional artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, dancers and performers seeking an engaging, supportive environment in which to create and share their work, and broad arts-based programming to benefit residents of all ages. To that end, a key requirement of residency in The Barn/Academy Lofts will be community service including, but not limited to, mentoring, creative art instruction/activities, and neighborhood art installations/public space stewardship.

Informed by the success of transformative art incubators in other American cities like Providence, RI and New York, NY, The Barn/Academy Lofts is the kind of dynamic reuse that will at once address all the Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan's components: Housing, Arts and Culture, Economic Development and Quality of Life. It will anchor the North Swan Street corridor with a built-in creative economy; expand the footprint of arts in Albany, NY; nurture meaningful, productive relationships between artists, arts groups, local businesses and neighborhood residents, particularly at-risk City youth; catalyze responsible revitalization and preserve neighborhood identity; and foster community involvement, unity and pride.

We currently anticipate breaking ground on the renovation of St, Joseph's Academy in late 2011, with construction taking 18 - 24 months.

Albany Barn currently operates a 1,700 square foot art space one block from the St. Joseph's building called Stage 1.