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.

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.

Despite these positive changes, recent weeks have been challenging for Artshack, with rumors and misconceptions about our direction. Some of this confusion stems from a group claiming to represent “The Artshack Community,” which raised concerns along with some misrepresentations about what Artshack is and how we operate.

As Artshack’s leadership, we hope to clear up this confusion and communicate transparently about the path forward. While we appreciate enthusiasm and commitment to our values and mission from all corners of the community, any information about Artshack’s mission, operations, and evolution will only come from McKendree or from the board.

• Artshack Brooklyn is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit ceramics studio. We provide classes, workshops, after school programs, and memberships for all ages and abilities. Our mission is to make ceramic arts more accessible to people of all abilities and ages.  
• Our mission is grounded in our values: We're focused on our mission: making ceramic arts more accessible to people of all abilities and ages. We are still—and always will be—a ceramics studio that is has anti-racist & queer-affirming values, and that celebrates the creativity of youth and honors people of all abilities.
• Our values are what we believe, our mission is what we do. While Artshack’s operations will evolve with the changing needs of our organization and our community, these will continue to guide us.
• While we seek input from the community in many ways, our board and leadership are ultimately—and legally—responsible for guiding our evolution and making decisions about our operations.
• Whenever groups or individuals have raised questions or concerns, we have listened and offered to engage with them in an appropriate and constructive manner.
• We also are actively looking to grow our board, seeking diverse volunteers who represent our Bed-Stuy community and who have the specific skills and experiences to help guide us through this transition.

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.

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