Westbeth Artists Community

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Westbeth Artists Community, located at 463 West Street in the West Village neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan, is the largest such community in the world. This low to middle income rental housing was developed with the assistance of the Kaplan Fund and federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1968 to house artists, their families, and their studios. The buildings were once the site of the former Bell Labs (Bell Telephone Laboratories) which opened in 1897 and produced many early technological inventions including the first experimental talking movies (1923), black and white and color TV, radar, the vacuum tube, medical equipment, the development of the phonograph record and the first commercial broadcasts including the first broadcast of a baseball game and the NY Philharmonic Orchestra with Toscanini conducting. Westbeth was an important part of the war effort and research for the Manhattan Project was conducted there during WWII. In 1970, Westbeth opened for artists, dancers, musicians, actors, writers and film makers after renovation was completed by the architect Richard Meier. Artists of all disciplines are admitted for residency in Westbeth after review by a committee in their discipline. They also must meet certain financial requirements.

Today, in addition to housing, Westbeth is also home to a number of cultural organizations, including the New School Drama School, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, the Bank Street Theatre, the Brecht Forum, and Beth Simchat Synagogue - the first gay and lesbian synagogue in the village.

The tenant-elected Westbeth Artists' Residents Council provides free cultural events to the public such as readings, performances, and films, and runs the Westbeth Art Gallery which exhibits the work of both resident and outside artists. Last year it received grants from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs for its programs. The Council also publishes the Westbeth Newsletter and maintains a website which contains the Westbeth calendar of events, resident artists biographies as well as samples of their work at http://www.westbeth.org. Other tenant groups include the Westbeth Artists Committee who have been active in community issues that affect Westbeth's quality of life, and the Westbeth Artists in Residence, who sponsor arts events, publish the Westbeth Artists News and blog at http://westbethartists.blogspot.com, and maintain a website about Westbeth at http://www.westbetharts.com and e-mail at westbetharts@gmail.com

Comprised of 383 residential units in thirteen inter-connected buildings on the block between West and Bethune Streets, ("West-Beth"), Westbeth Artists Housing has been home to a number of influential artists including Merce Cunningham, Diane Arbus, Gil Evans, Moses Gunn, Vin Diesel, Billy Harper, Joseph Chaiken, Hans Haacke, Robert DeNiro Sr., Ed Sanders, Ralph Lee, Christina Maile, Edith Stephen, Toni Dalton and Robert Beauchamp.

Nicholas Martino and Lauren Martino Brandy Penn