EAST NEW YORK — After nearly five years of serving the East New York community from its Hegeman Avenue base, a local arts organization is growing into a new headquarters.
Arts East New York, a group committed to promoting social and economic change in the neighborhood through the arts, will move to a larger space on Livonia Avenue in April, according to AENY founder and executive director, Catherine Green.
The new 2,500-square-foot space on the ground floor of 534 Livonia Ave. near Williams Street will have its own dance studio, a separate gallery, back yard, play area and offices, Green said.
Compared to AENY’s current 700-square-foot room at 851 Hegeman Ave. and Cleveland Street, the new home will allow the organization to better serve local residents with greater opportunities to interact with the community, she added.
The arts center will be part of new affordable housing complex Livonia Commons, built by Dunn Development Corp.
At a time when East New York is expected to undergo great change with the mayor’s proposed rezoning, AENY’s move and expansion signifies the organization’s stronghold in preserving the neighborhood’s character, Green said.
“Our theme for this year is metamorphosis. We’re changing as a community,” she said.
“As one of the organizations that have been around for this long, it gives us more of a stable footing to continue to provide programming for a neighborhood that we love so much.”
Green calls it “gentrification from within,” explaining that communities can empower their own residents and grassroots organizations to do the work, instead of “having outside groups come in and write the story."
Since its inception in 2009, AENY grew from Green’s home to Hegeman Avenue, focusing on three main areas — community life and safety, health and sustainability and economic development.
The group’s programs include beautifying the area with projects like Mural Mile, where young men and woman paint empowering murals throughout the neighborhood, and the transformation of large, vacant lots into accessible community spaces.
Other initiatives spotlight local visual and performance artists and provide programming for kids in area schools.
The larger space on Livonia Avenue will help AENY roll out new programs and classes, allowing ample room for town hall series and performances, readings and plays.
The organization can continue partnering with existing businesses and groups to promote local voices, Green said, as well as working with developers to ensure the history of the neighborhood is not forgotten.
“From a cultural lens, we expect to see the art, life force and tone of the community highlighted,” she added.
“We want to see the cultures that are here, that have held this community down for so many years, we want to see it flourish, to make sure the issues of yesterday and the issues we still see in the neighborhood addressed and not just under the rug and avoided.”
AENY will hold its grand opening with elected officials and residents on April 21 at 534 Livonia Ave., from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Attendees can register for the event here.
