Mission

Albany Barn is a private non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to developing a permanent, sustainable 21st Century creative arts incubator and community art center in Albany, NY - a place for artists, neighborhood residents and the public alike to create, collaborate, present and explore, particularly those who cannot afford or otherwise access such space and services.

Project Overview

Albany Barn, the Albany Housing Authority and the City of Albany have partnered to redevelop the former St. Joseph's Academy, an abandoned school in the heart of Albany's Arbor Hill neighborhood into 22 low-cost live/work residences, and 12,000+ square feet of multi-tenant creative arts incubator, enterprise and program space. The project is called The Barn/Academy Lofts. Learn More.

History

Albany Barn evolved from Rock2Rebuild™, a grassroots production group established to create events benefiting important causes while creating opportunities for local creative talent.  Rock2Rebuild staged several major multimedia events and founded an ongoing acoustic concert series in the Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center featuring capital region artists. Rock2Rebuild's first undertaking to raise funds for children and families devastated by the 2004 South Asian tsunami disaster attracted 2,000 people, raised over $26,000, and was voted one of the year's three "Best Concerts" in the Albany Times Union "2005 Readers Poll," along with shows by top international touring acts Green Day and the Dave Matthews Band.

Albany Barn has continued Rock2Rebuild's work as part of its broader mission, pioneering local music showcases at "Art on Lark" and "Lark Fest," two of the region's largest cultural events, and resurrecting the "Summer In The City Youth Talent Exhibition" to present works by young people from Arbor Hill and other downtown neighborhoods.

Visit our Events page for more information about upcoming programming.