named programs · 1 · from sources
What they call their work
Dream Music Puppetry Program
Commissions and develops contemporary adult puppet works, integrates live music, and supports emerging puppet artists through residencies, Puppetry Parlors, and touring opportunities. Premiered Basil Twist’s Symphonie Fantastique and partners with the Village Halloween Parade.
activities · 10 groups
What they do
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Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Distributing newsletters and updates on artistic programmingProvides a newsletter offering information about upcoming theater events, early ticket releases, and updates on HERE Art Center activities to engage and inform its audience.
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Performing Arts Ticket Access Programs 1 activity
- Enhancing audience accessibility and engagementOffers affordable access through a 10 for $10 ticketing program and free rush tickets for students and seniors; provides sensory tools, accessible seating, a designated break area, and pre-performance narratives to support inclusive audience experiences.
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Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Hosting community events and public activationsHosts free public events including Season Kickoff Parties, lobby activations, talkbacks, teach-ins, and pop-up performances to foster community engagement and preview upcoming programming.
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Cultural Facility Development and Management 1 activity
- Operating a multidisciplinary arts center with performance and gallery spacesOperates a 9,000-square-foot facility in New York City featuring two performance venues—the 150-seat flexible Mainstage Theatre and the 63-seat Dorothy B. Williams Theatre—along with a lounge, gallery, and event space, supporting performances, gatherings, and community events.
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Membership Program Administration 1 activity
- Operating membership and donor recognition programsOffers tiered membership programs including HEREsocial, Toast of Soho, Downtown Darling, and HERE Heroes League, providing benefits such as discounted or free tickets, drink discounts, branded merchandise, and recognition in playbills and annual reports.
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Puppetry and Improv Theater Programs 1 activity
- Presenting and touring innovative puppetry worksCommissions and develops new adult puppetry works annually, presents them through events like Puppetopia and Puppetry Parlor, and facilitates national and international touring opportunities for artists such as Basil Twist, Lake Simons, and Kevin Augustine.
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Experimental Circus and Immersive Theater Production 1 activity
- Producing and presenting original multidisciplinary performancesProduces and presents over 1,200 original works annually, including theater, dance, music, puppetry, media, and visual art, serving over 15,000 artists and welcoming more than 1 million audience members to date, with dozens of performances each year.
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Performing Arts Venue Rental 1 activity
- Providing equipment and space rentals for artistic productionOffers rental access to performance venues, lounge space, and technical equipment including audio, video, and full streaming kits to support remote and in-person artistic production and events.
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Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
- Supporting artists through commissions, residencies, and development programsProvides commissions, career planning, developmental support, and full production opportunities for hybrid and cross-genre artists through the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP), including commissioning new works such as Dream Feed and supporting the creation of new puppetry through Puppetry Parlors and CULTUREMART.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Operating URHERE, a digital platform for virtual and outdoor premieresCurates and operates URHERE, a virtual platform that supports digital and outdoor artistic experimentation and community engagement, including hybrid digital-in-person premieres such as Theater in Quarantine and the solo performance [Untitled Miniature].
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financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$2.21M
Contributions & grants$1.47M67%
Program service revenue$684K31%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$56K
expenses
Total expenses$3.07M
Program expenses82%
Admin / overhead13%
Fundraising5%
Salaries & benefits$1.52M
Grants paid out$188K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$2.51M
Cash$177K
Investments$0
Liabilities$1.68M
Net assets$830K
Liquid reserves0.7 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue -1.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
paid leadership · 2
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kristen Marting | Artistic Director | 40 | $98K |
| Barbara Busackino | Member | 10 | $7K |
board members · 21
- Abigail Gampel — Member
- Alan Ostroff — Member
- Amy Segal — Member
- Annalisa Dias — Co-Director
- Brenna Thomas — Member
- Brian Warren — Member
- China Young — Member
- Helen Mills — Member
- Jennifer Suh Whitfield — Board Chair
- Jesse Cameron Alick — Co-Director
- Kamala Sankaram — Secretary
- Kevin Matthews — Member
- Lanxing Fu — Co-Director
- Lauren Miller — Co-Director
- Michael Champness — Treasurer
- Paul Pinto — Member
- Robert Walport — Vice-Chair
- Setareh Mirhosseini — Member
- Teresa Woods Pena — Member
- Tim Maner — Member
- Tommy Young — Member
relationships · 33
Who they work with
- Basil Twist Partner — Cocurates and presents the musical performance "Arias with a Twist" with puppeteer Basil Twist.
- Bryan Safi Partner — Presents comedian Bryan Safi's performance work in New York following international success.
- Cheryl Henson Funder — Generous lead supporter of the Dream Music Puppetry program
- City of New York Government — Supported HERE's purchase of its permanent facility in 2005 and subsequent renovations.
- Dream Music Puppetry Partner — Program dedicated to commissioning and developing contemporary adult puppetry works through performance and collaboration.
- Every.Org Partner — Partners with Every.Org to facilitate donations, including via donor-advised funds, cryptocurrency, and stocks.
- First Nations Performing Arts Partner — Partnership to support Indigenous artists and expand cultural programming.
- HARP Partner — Residency program providing commissioning, development, and production support to hybrid artists at HERE.
- HERE Arts Center Partner — Primary name under which Home for Contemporary Theatre and Art Ltd operates.
- Hudson Square BID Partner — Ongoing collaboration to extend the impact of productions beyond the theater through community initiatives.
- IRT Theater Partner — Collaborates with HERE as a supporting organization for HARP
- Jerome Foundation Funder — Provides support for HARP and has supported individual HARP-affiliated artists
- Joey Arias Partner — Cocurates and presents the musical performance "Arias with a Twist" with artist Joey Arias.
- Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Partner — Supported HERE's purchase of its permanent facility in 2005.
- Mellon Foundation Funder — Provides support for HARP
- NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Provides public funding support for the production of "Arias with a Twist."
- National Endowment for the Arts Funder — Provides funding support for the production of "Arias with a Twist."
- National Endowment for the Arts Funder — Provides partial support for the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP)
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Supports HARP in partnership with the City Council
- New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Provides funding support for the production of "Arias with a Twist."
- New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Provides partial support for HARP and specific artist projects including nicHi douglas's ONLY I and Angélica Negrón's Chimera
- SEATS ON THE SPECTRUM Partner — Partnership to provide inclusive theater experiences for neurodivergent audiences.
- Seats on the Spectrum Partner — Collaborates on Access Programming to provide captioned performances, masked performances, and tools for neurodivergent audiences.
- St. Ann’s Warehouse Partner — Co-hosts Puppet Lab with Dream Music artist Lake Simons
- Tandem Otter Productions Partner — Co-producing partner for the presentation of "Arias with a Twist."
- The Jim Henson Foundation Funder — Lead supporter of the Dream Music Puppetry program
- The Jim Henson Foundation Funder — Provides funding support for the production of "Arias with a Twist."
- The Jim Henson Foundation Funder — Provides support for HARP
- The Shubert Foundation Funder — Provides support for HARP
- Under the Radar Festival Partner — Co-commissioned Dream Feed alongside HERE’s Artist Residency Program (HARP).
+ 3 more
strategies · 3
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.
- Art as Communal Processing and Civic Catalystmethodology: art_as_communal_metabolismBy creating live artistic gatherings and reimagining theater spaces as civic forums, we help communities process difficult realities and bridge divides because collective aesthetic experiences generate shared emotional and political awareness that drives transformation.
- Artist-Centered Incubation Modelmethodology: artist_incubatorBy providing tailored resources, flexible spaces, and long-term residencies, we support artists in developing innovative work because adaptive, process-oriented environments foster risk-taking and equitable collaboration that fixed production models cannot.
- Inclusive Co-Creation and Governancemethodology: mutual-investment_partnership_modelBy integrating artists into governance and selecting collaborators based on shared values, we ensure mission-aligned, anti-oppressive practices because equitable power-sharing in artistic and institutional decision-making produces more authentic and sustainable creative ecosystems.