Yonkers Arts in Yonkers launched its Artists in Residence Program, which provides local artists with access to their own studio in the Carpet Mills Arts District; YOHO Studios. The program was created through the Yonkers Arts and the Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers (MHACY) partnership. It offers a unique opportunity for local artists in MHACY properties to practice their craft in their very own studio.
The Yonkers Arts and MHACY initiative allows artists to become part of the YOHO community of artists, artisans, craftspeople, small businesses and creative professionals located in the historic Alexander Smith Carpet Mills.
Ray Wilcox, executive director of Yonkers Arts, said “For Yonkers Arts to provide our local community of artists with the opportunity to be in YOHO studios is monumental. It”™s no secret that many of our local creatives never have the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of immersing themselves in their own studio environment. Whatever their situation may be, Yonkers Arts will continue to work with community partners to engage and develop our community of artists.”
The first artist in residence is Yonkers resident Shanequa Benitez.
“MHACY”™s residents are extremely diverse and appreciate creative messages of diversity and inclusion,” Wilson Kimball, president and CEO of MHACY said. “Supporting artists who make our affordable housing more beautiful and more like a home is part of our holistic approach to serving our tenant-clients. ”¦”
Yonkers Arts was founded in 2007 by a collection of community leaders who perceived the need for an all-encompassing arts organization for a city the size of Yonkers.
