Since its founding in a Brooklyn backyard in 2008, Artshack has evolved several times to meet the changing needs of our growing community of artists. This has included our registration as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and move to Bedford Avenue in 2016, efforts to foster diversity and inclusion begun in 2019, adapting to the challenges of the pandemic, and the opening of our café and gallery in 2022. Artshack is undergoing an exciting transformation once again, one that will ensure financial sustainability, fair pay for artists, student and teacher safety, and expanded opportunities to learn and create.

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In many ways this evolution is overdue: since 2022, Artshack has doubled our budget, doubled our physical footprint, and doubled the number of people we serve. As an organization, we have to catch up both to our community’s needs and to our own ambitions to meet them.

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Despite these positive changes, recent weeks have been challenging for Artshack, with rumors and misconceptions about our direction. Some of this confusion stems from an anonymous group claiming to represent “The Artshack Community,” which recently distributed an invite to a town hall at Artshack.

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To be clear, there will not be a town hall event at Artshack.

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As Artshack’s leadership, we hope to clear up this confusion and communicate transparently about the path forward. Any information about Artshack’s mission and evolution will only come from McKendree or from the board. While we appreciate enthusiasm and commitment to our mission from all corners of the community, anyone else purporting to speak for Artshack or the Artshack community is misrepresenting themselves. Further, the Artshack space is reserved for making and learning. Artshack is not large enough to accommodate community meetings and any requests for other third-party events should come through McKendree.  

We know that any change can be a challenge and that members of our community will have questions. This process will take time, careful consideration, and ongoing engagement with the community. As we embrace this moment and look to our future, we will remain committed to maintaining a dialogue throughout this process and answering questions where possible. With this in mind, Artshack is evaluating the appropriate time, place, and platform for productive dialogue about these changes and we will share more information about that opportunity in the near future.