From left: Jourdan Ash (courtesy); Curtis “Tony” Turney (Johnny Lewis); Najee Omar (Christiana Hicks); Cheri L. Stokes (Dwain J. Photography)

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Hi-ARTS is excited to introduce their  2024 Spring Artist Residency Cohort. Providing artists with time and space, CRITICAL BREAKS supports works at a pivotal point in the development of their work. Joining Hi-ARTS as CRITICAL BREAKS residents are Curtis “Tony” Turney and Cheri L. Stokes. SKY LAB supports artists who center community at the root of their creative development. This spring, Hi-ARTS welcomes SKY LAB Artists Jourdan Ash and Najee Omar.

Jourdan Ash is a New York creative who works via her online platform True To Us, to center Black and Brown womxn as the foundation of the streetwear and sneaker industry. Jourdan plans to explore and document her creative narrative through photography, exploration of new artistic mediums, and the assembly of a zine. Born in Panamá City, Panamá, Curtis “Tony” Turney is a trombonist, percussionist, bandleader, producer, interpreter, and educator. Tony will concentrate his time on the continued development of Homenaje a los Rumberos, an original music composition that pays homage to the rich legacy of traditional Afro-Cuban Rumberos and serves as a heartfelt tribute to Rumbero's living and past. Najee Omar is an award-winning writer, performance artist, and organizer whose multi-disciplinary practice is rooted in cultivating spaces of healing and community building. During his time in residency, Najee will focus on the development of Little Black Book, a tapestry of stories reflecting the nuances, challenges, and triumphs of Black Queer Men and their love journeys. Brooklyn-based dancer and choreographer Cheri L. Stokes has a performance background spanning West African, Afro-Contemporary, Contemporary, and Hip-Hop dance forms and genres. Her research-based project, Around the Way Girl, is an investigation into and celebration of the cultural contributions made by women in Bed-Stuy on Brooklyn and Hip-Hop culture during the 1980s and 90s.   

Both CRITICAL BREAKS and SKY LAB support artists in the development of new work, and provide artists with time, mentorship, physical space, and financial support while placing a consistent emphasis on process rather than a finished product. Upon completion of their residency, artists share their work with audiences and communities through a public Work in Process such as a staged reading, an open rehearsal, and/or a visual exhibition. Founded as the Hip Hop Theater Festival, and rebranded in 2011 as Hi-ARTS, the Harlem-based organization has a rich history of supporting the work of hip-hop Black theater artists such as Chadwick Boseman, Craig ‘MuMs’ Grant, and  Eisa Davis. Today Hi-ARTS centers its support on Black, Indigenous, and Artists of Color through developmental residencies, educational programming, and civic engagement.

Hi-ARTS is a leading cultural hub within the urban arts movement. Through artistic development residencies, vibrant multidisciplinary creative programming, and civic engagement opportunities, Hi-ARTS empowers artists to develop bold new work while creating a positive, lasting impact on the community. For over twenty years, Hi-ARTS has provided unique development opportunities for artists from historically marginalized groups, primarily people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ artists, always placing issues of equity and social justice at the forefront. To date, Hi-ARTS has supported works by over 1000 emerging and acclaimed artists, including boundary-pushing early-career artists like Zoey Martinson and The Illustrious Blacks, award-winning theatrical mainstays like Dominique Morisseau and Kristoffer Diaz, and visionaries such as Radha Blank, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Ebony Golden, and Nona Hendryx.

Hi-ARTS is supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts; New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with Council Member Diana Ayala and the City Council. Organizational support is provided by the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, Ford Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Scherman Foundation, and David Rockefeller Fund. Additional support comes from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Dance/NYC, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and Lucille Lortel Foundation.