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Showing posts with the label Community Space

Bechdel Project Launches FIFE CoHo Pilot Program for Artists in 2026

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  A new pilot cohort offers free studio space to artists through a mutual aid–driven model, running April–June 2026. Read the full article in Broadway World! Bechdel Project is proud to announce the launch of its FIFE CoHo (Feminism is for Everybody Cooperative Cohort) Pilot Program, a new initiative designed to expand access to creative space while actively reimagining how artists are resourced and supported. Running from April 1 through June 30, 2026, this pilot marks a bold step away from traditional nonprofit frameworks and toward a solidarity economy model rooted in mutual aid, shared investment, and collective sustainability. Developed under the umbrella of Bechdel Project’s Community Space Program and made possible with support in part from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the FIFE CoHo offers a cohort-based structure that prioritizes both artistic freedom and community contribution. The FIFE CoHo Pilot Cohort includes 15 artists who each receive 72 hours of...

Bechdel Project and LaGuardia Performing Arts Center Launch Partnership with Premiere Reading of Nikki Brake-Sillá’s INVISI(BILITY)

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Premiere reading set for August 15 on LPAC’s mainstage. Bechdel Project will launch a new partnership with LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC) on August 15 with an in-house reading of INVISI(BILITY) by Nikki Brake-Sillá, directed by Lori Parquet (Suffs). The collaboration will provide crucial support for Bechdel Project artists and programs, including ADA-accessible rehearsal space through its Free Community Space Program. The new partnership will also extend to future events and initiatives, ensuring artists and activists doing mission-aligned work have free, accessible space for creation. Brake-Sillá’s INVISI(BILITY), developed through her ROO Residency, explores whether Blackness could legally qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The play follows Gabriela Johnson, a Black attorney with rheumatoid arthritis, as she argues for Blackness to be recognized as a protected disability—sparking a challenge from Marcus, a fellow Black Harvard Law gradu...

Advocacy & Action Both Big and Small

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How did we get so lucky (sarcasm) to be making art during the rise of fascism and the collapse of safety nets globally?! It's overwhelming. It's scary. It's very real. I won't spend much time on this newsletter telling you things that you're already doom scrolling, because that's not helpful. Our hope is to provide some relief, by simply sharing the tangible actions we at Bechdel Project (and within our own families) are doing to create/find support, build resilience, and fight for a better future. Join us in any or all of these, or heck, use it as inspiration to find your own ways through. Just be sure to share your action ideas with us too! In love and solidarity, Maria, Jens, & Lucy

Our Community Space Program is Expanding!

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  BECHDEL PROJECT RECEIVES $10,000 CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT FUND GRANT FROM NYC DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS Public support will fund a minimum of 1500 hours of free studio space for the community, for rehearsals, film shoots, workshops, performances, presentations, and community gatherings. The “Coffee’s On Us,” third space pop up series offers amenities like WiFi, refreshments, and family-friendly facilities while also providing essential support with menstrual products, a food pantry, and library. All access is free. Bechdel Project has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the City of New York as part of a historic $59.3 million investment in the Cultural Development Fund (CDF) through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. The grant will support Bechdel Project’s Free Community Space Program , including the launch of “Coffee’s On Us”, a new monthly pop-up designed to build community and reduce barriers to connection for artists and neighbors in North Brooklyn. “Coffee’s On Us” invi...