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BLUE MOUNTAINS PROJECTS INC

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 472323660 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A20 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Small ($100K-$1M) · shandakenprojects.org
revenue
$211K
expenses
$211K
net assets
$177K
employees
1
program ratio
71%
mission · from form 990

SEE PAGE 2, LINE 1

profile · synthesized from sources

Shandaken Projects (formerly The Shandaken Project) is an arts nonprofit founded in 2011 that supports artists through residencies, educational initiatives, and public art programs. It operates programs including artist residencies at Storm King Art Center and in Catskill, NY, the Youth Intensive for public school teens, and 14x48, which presents artworks on billboards across New York City. The organization emphasizes process-led inquiry, community engagement, and access to printmaking and publication.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2022

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $53K
    SHANDAKEN: PRINT STUDIO - HOSTS ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE AND EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES, AND OFFERS AT-COST FABRICATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS.
  2. #2 $35K
    SHANDAKEN: 14 X 18 - AN ONGOING OPPORTUNITY FOR EMERGING AND MID-CAREER ARTISTS TO EXHIBIT AN ARTWORK ON A BILLBOARD IN NEW YORK CITY. THIS PROGRAM DEBUTS NEW WORK THROUGH A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) OPEN TO ALL ARTISTS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CURRENT STUDENTS. SELECTED ARTISTS WILL WORK WITH SHANDAKEN TO PRODUCE THE IMAGE THAT WILL BE POSTED TO A BILLBOARD WITHIN THE FIVE BOROUGHS.
named programs · 7 · from sources

What they call their work

14x48
Public art initiative presenting new artworks by contemporary artists on commercial billboards across New York City, selected via open call or commission.
Arts In Corrections
Weekly art classes for incarcerated individuals at Sullivan County and Coxsackie Correctional Facilities, supported by NYSCA through Wave Farm.
How to Riso
Day-long workshop offering professional artists public access to Shandaken’s Risograph printmaking equipment.
Paint School
Fellowship program for NYC-based painters featuring seminars led by prominent artists at institutions including Cooper Union and NYU.
Shandaken: Catskill
Artist residency in Catskill, NY offering room, board, and access to a fully equipped printmaking studio; launched in 2023 after relocation from Governors Island.
Shandaken: Storm King
Residency program at Storm King Art Center offering artists living and working space on the sculpture park grounds, including opportunities for collaborative and family-inclusive residencies.
Youth Intensive
Annual program paying NYC public school teens a living wage to participate in art classes focused on printmaking and social justice; expanded to winter cycles after 2022.
activities · 5 groups

What they do

  • Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 3 activities
    • Operating free artist residency programs
      Provides free residency opportunities for artists, including short-term (one to four weeks) and long-term (three-month) stays, with access to housing, studio space, and facilities. Programs include Shandaken: Storm King, Shandaken: Governors Island, and Shandaken: Catskill, supporting emerging and mid-career artists through creative development in response to urban gentrification and commercialization.
    • Participating in artist residency network collaboration and knowledge-sharing
      Serves as a founding member of Rethinking Residencies, a collaborative network of New York-based artist residencies dedicated to sharing practices and advancing critical discourse around residency models.
    • Providing print studio access and print production services
      Offers artists access to a fully equipped print studio for creating fine prints, books, and other printed materials, including at-cost fabrication services. The studio supports both resident artists and external clients through in-house production capabilities.
  • Curated Art Exhibitions and Public Displays 2 activities
    • Funding and producing public art installations and billboard exhibitions
      Commissions and displays artworks on commercial and public billboards across New York City and the Hudson Valley/Catskills region, including works by emerging and mid-career artists as well as incarcerated individuals. The 14x48 initiative and similar programs reach up to 900,000 viewers weekly and support artists through open calls and collaborative production.
    • Organizing public art exhibitions and installations
      Presents temporary public art installations and curated exhibitions in galleries and outdoor sites across New York, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, Hudson, and Governors Island. Projects include site-specific works, virtual programs, and multi-site exhibitions featuring both emerging and established artists.
  • Arts Education Access Programs 1 activity
    • Delivering educational and youth arts programs
      Offers paid arts education programs for NYC public school teens (Youth Intensive) focused on printmaking and social justice, and conducts weekly art classes for incarcerated individuals at Sullivan County Correctional Facility through a state contract.
  • Arts Education Professional Development 1 activity
    • Operating artist fellowship and professional development programs
      Runs Paint School, a fellowship program offering lecture-based seminars led by prominent painters for emerging artists in New York City, fostering professional growth and critical discourse.
  • Artist and Curatorial Publications 1 activity
    • Producing artist-made publications and books
      Supports the creation and publication of artist-made books produced on-site, contributing to the documentation and dissemination of artistic practice and conceptual work.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$211K
Contributions & grants$145K69%
Program service revenue$57K27%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$9K
expenses
Total expenses$211K
Program expenses71%
Admin / overhead13%
Fundraising16%
Salaries & benefits$119K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$179K
Cash$172K
Investments$0
Liabilities$1K
Net assets$177K
Liquid reserves9.8 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -15.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
NICHOLAS WEIST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 40 $89K
board members · 6
  • BRANDY CARSTENS — TREASURER
  • CYNTHIA PRINGLE — BOARD MEMBER
  • DAVE HARPER — PRESIDENT
  • FRANKLIN BOYD — BOARD MEMBER
  • PAUL RAMIREZ JONAS — BOARD MEMBER
  • VIVIAN BRODIE — BOARD MEMBER
relationships · 21

Who they work with

  • 14x48 Partner — Collaborated on two commissioned billboards and transitioned program leadership to Shandaken Projects.
  • Art Omi Partner — Co-presents billboard exhibitions featuring artists who have participated in Shandaken: Storm King residencies.
  • Art Omi Partner — Collaborated on presenting the public art installation "Sullied the Family Name" by SHABOOM!.
  • Arts In Corrections NYS Government — Receives funding and operates programming through a contract with this NYSCA regrant program.
  • Bard College Partner — Collaborated on presenting public artworks "Untitled" by Violet Tobacco and "How Long Will We Be Driving" by James Wise.
  • Bard College Partner — Partners on juried opportunities for undergraduate artists to exhibit work on billboards near the campus.
  • Center for Experimental Lectures Partner — Co-presented an annual public lecture series from 2012 to 2016.
  • Governors Island Partner — Collaborates on residency programs.
  • Hunter's MFA department Partner — Collaborated on the first cycle of the Youth Intensive, pairing NYC teens with graduate student mentors.
  • Lamar Outdoor Partner — Produced the billboard for Marisa Williamson’s 2020 commission.
  • Leroy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation Funder — Provides support for the Shandaken: Catskill residency program.
  • NYS DOCCS Government — Collaborates on arts programming within state correctional facilities through the Arts In Corrections initiative.
  • Rethinking Residencies Network — Founding member of a working group of New York-based artist residencies dedicated to sharing knowledge and advancing critical discourse around residency models.
  • Rethinking Residencies Partner — Collaborated to present the Rethinking Residencies Symposium.
  • Storm King Art Center Partner — Collaborates on artist residencies, public programs, and unique tours of the sculpture park through the "Wanderings and Wonderings" series.
  • Storm King Art Center Partner — Collaborates on residency programs and shares content, as indicated by the residency link and image credit.
  • Storm King Art Center Partner — Collaborates on residency programs.
  • Storm King Art Center Partner — Collaborates with Storm King Art Center to operate the Shandaken: Storm King artist residency program.
  • The New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Provides support for the Shandaken: Catskill residency program.
  • Trust for Governors Island Partner — Partnered to offer free studio space and full-time residency opportunities on Governors Island.
  • Wave Farm Government — Programs are facilitated through Wave Farm as administrator of the Arts In Corrections NYS regrant program.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Amplification of Marginalized Voices through Public Art Platforms
    methodology: amplification_of_marginalized_voices
    By publicly exhibiting artwork from incarcerated individuals and supporting artists who engage with queer, regional, and climate justice themes, the organization advances cultural equity, because placing underrepresented narratives in public spaces disrupts dominant discourses and fosters inclusive dialogue.
  • Artist-Led Curation and Public Engagement with Mass Media Formats
    methodology: artist_led_curation
    By enabling artists to lead curation and presentation, particularly through accessible mass media formats like billboards, the organization expands the public footprint of experimental art, because artist-driven interventions in public infrastructure democratize access and reframe mass media as a site of cultural critique.
  • Peer-Governed Decision-Making for Creative Community Alignment
    methodology: peer_governed_decision_making
    By using a peer network of creative professionals to guide organizational and curatorial decisions, the organization ensures responsiveness and alignment with the needs of the creative community, because shared expertise and lived experience lead to more relevant and trusted programming.
  • Process-Led Artistic Residencies with Developmental Feedback Loops
    methodology: process_led_inquiry
    By offering open-ended, process-focused residencies and a two-phase model that includes time for reflection and refinement, the organization supports deeper artistic experimentation, because sustained engagement and iterative development lead to more rigorous and conceptually mature work.