Strategic Plan (2023 – 2026)

Performance Space aims to foster care, accessibility, active listening, transparent communication, and integrity in all our relationships with artists and their work. We involve artists in leadership, programming decisions, and strategic organizational planning to create deeper, long-lasting relationships with more trust and experimentation.
 
—Performance Space will commission artists from all backgrounds and contexts and in diverse media with a focus on underrepresented practitioners. We are developing an equitable fee structure for artists.
 
—We provide more time in our spaces to develop work and, if desired, specialized producers to address artists’ specific needs.
 
—Artists’ visions are honored above all else in regards to when, where, and in what medium their artwork is made and how it interfaces with the public.
 
—Artists participate in shaping our program through the Open Movement, Open Room, John Giorno Octopus Series, Keith Haring Lecture Series, First Mondays, Indigenous-led Programs and Disability Justice focused programs and activities.
 
—Artists will have direct participation in the board of directors and strategic planning by holding 50% of the board seats.

We commit to taking organizational, programming, and financial risks in order to experiment and institute new structures that better represent artists, arts workers, and the ever-expanding communities we serve. In order to support this kind of work, we aim to build equitable support structures for artists, art workers, and intersecting communities.
 
—Give unequivocal support for artists even when work is politically challenging or threatens funding.
 
—Nurture a culture of open communication and mutual respect that anticipates and prepares for the conflicts that can arise from risk-taking.
 
—Practice accountability by sharing our vision, goals, and strategies at the annual Town Hall and assess what works and what doesn’t so we can readjust accordingly.
 
—Foster a culture of experimentation through testing out new strategies and ideas focusing on those that advance our goals and discarding those that no longer align with our shared goals.

We understand our Community as an ever-evolving group of constituents who are galvanized and connected by the means of culture at Performance Space New York. As such we continuously create new points of access for community members so they have agency within the organization.
 
—We employ a Head of Community Access and Inclusion to create more access points within Performance Space for formal and informal uses, and opportunities for more community-centered programming.
 
—We offer two open, publicly accessible spaces and programs for communal use. Open Movement serves as a free space for lo-fi rehearsals and the cross-pollination of ideas. Open Room is intended as an accessible space for people to build community and define the space and its use.
 
—Community members are invited to participate in Performance Space’s ongoing strategic work through our annual Town Hall and other direct lines of communication with our Staff.
 
—In addition to more artist seats on our board, we will create a seat for an active community member who is familiar with the needs of our communities.
 
—We will join a consortium of small art non-profits to work on a climate justice proposal and start reducing Performance Space’s carbon footprint.

We are working toward creating more ACCESS to programs, spaces, employment, and leadership positions by committing to the following:
 
—Focus on ensuring an accessible, inclusive, and sustainable environment for all artists, arts workers, and community members and especially those who have been historically excluded, such as BIPOC, poor and working-class, queer and trans, and disabled people.
 
—Work with our disabled community on a continued basis to advance our accessibility measures beyond ADA compliance.
 
—Ensure that Performance Space’s DEIA strategies are devised, tested, and implemented across all positions and departments of the organization.
 
—We commit to working intergenerationally; engaging groups of all ages across our artists, staff, and community.
 
—Create a virtual platform that increases accessibility of our program for people who are physically or geographically unable to attend in person and support artists whose work is native to digital environments.
 
—Offer affordable ticketing with a sliding scale.
 
—Create new curatorial and technical fellowships that offer educational and research opportunities to aspiring curators and production workers from underrepresented communities.
 
—Performance Space commits to transparent salary ranges and clear criteria for promotions and raises.
 
—Staff is welcome to all board meetings. Non-leadership staff will have a representative on the board who reports on staff-related matters at every board meeting.
 
—Performance Space will find new ways to connect to peer organizations, students and other researchers globally through the development of an online, publicly accessible archive of its key learnings from the 02020 project.

Our community members have a direct influence on the future of Performance Space and we actively invite them to share ideas and hold us accountable to change. The fifth affirmation is left blank to signal an open-ended conversation with our communities.
 
What else should Performance Space say YES to? Share your ideas with us here.