Anita Durst has been a star, a muse, and a patron of the avant-garde performing arts and emerging arts scene in New York City, since she was 18. She founded chashama in 1995 following the death of her mentor and artistic professor Reza Abdoh. While performing and working in his company, Dar A Luz, she learned the value of unbridled expression and how to value art objectively. In the wake of Reza’s absence she was driven to create a place for artists free of financial and subjective constraints. Anita has worked tirelessly for over 20 years to secure over one million square feet of space in New York City for artists.

She believes programs like Chashama are the vital building blocks to ensuring cultural capital in New York City. Anita was born in New York City and was the flower child to hippy parents living in New Foundland Canada, Ibiza Spain, and the suburbs of New York City. As a precocious teenager she resisted conventional schooling. Shortly after graduating high school she moved back to New York City to help care for her grandfather. Today, Anita sits on the boards of the Tai Chi Chuan Center and Bindlestiff Family Cirkus.

She is a recipient of The Black Alumni of Pratt’s “Creative Spirit” Award and a proud mother and loving wife, who ensures her entire family eats healthy, practices mindful movement, and lives in the moment. True to her ability to be in the moment and greatest strength of objective thinking she believes all art to be valuable.

Goro is the General Manager at Chashama. He has extensive experience with the storing, management and organization of diverse data and information. Before joining Chashama, Goro held many positions reflecting his “information obsession,” including database administrator at WGXC / Free103point9 in Upstate New York, Indexing/Archive Intern at BOMB Magazine in Brooklyn, and Technical Recruiter at a bilingual staffing agency.

Charles is an artist and arts administrator from New Jersey now based in Brooklyn. Interested in the intersection of art, material resources and community, Charles joined the chashama team in March 2018. He has worked with/for a number of artists, designers and institutions, including Metropolis Magazine, the RISD Museum, Stewart Uoo, and Wolf-Gordon. He completed his BFA in Furniture Design at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2016. In his own practice, he explores the complex relationship younger generations have with an increasingly fraught political system.

Charles is a New Jersey-born, New York-based artist, performer and arts administrator. He joined Chashama in the spring of 2018 as an Administrative Assistant. He completed his BFA in Furniture Design at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2016, and has since taken greater interest in lipsyncing as a medium.

Marc has decades of experience in the performing arts, working both front of house and backstage, including at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and is a co-founder of Chashama. He works as an archivist at Chashama, having compiled an extensive body of photography from documenting two decades of Chashama events. From Anacostia, a historic neighborhood in Washington D.C., Marc plays the six-string bass and composes poetry.

Dylan joined Chashama in the fall of 2016 and now co-directs the Programs Department. A native New Yorker who is fluent in avoiding crowds, she can be found painting in her studio when she is not at the office.

Hazel recently joined the Chashama team as the Program Assistant. Outside of Chashama,  she is a painter, sculptor, production designer for independent films, and an occasional independent curator.

Cayla has worked at Chashama for three years, coordinating community programming and outreach. She has worked extensively in alternative education and community engagement, teaching in alternative schools, after-school programs, and small-business incubators. Cayla is a certified SA/DV counselor and an artist, working with wood, plants, and other natural media.

As the Matawan Studio and Gallery Manager, Donna is an arts educator and curator who is currently focused on connecting with the artist community that thrives along the New York/New Jersey corridor. She received her Masters in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky, and has produced several independent curatorial projects in New York and New Jersey since 1999. Donna has also produced emerging artist residency programs and related exhibitions at the Bronx Museum of the Arts and Aljira, A Space for Contemporary Art, in Newark, NJ. She is a shy painter who loves wax medium and has recorded many hours of short, oral herstories on ancient video tape from the 90’s, including Nancy Spero, Carolee Schneeman and Kate Millett. Donna believes having space to create is crucial to making art and that’s what it’s all about!

Brigitta and Peter volunteer their time as the Directors of the chaNorth Residency in Pine Plains, NY, where they are able to combine working with people, the environment and art all in one place. As multidisciplinary artists themselves, they are the recipients of numerous awards from the Arts Council of Ireland, Leitrim County Council, and Culture Ireland, and have been awarded art residencies and fellowships internationally and nationally. The pair own and operate an organic farm in Hungary, and Eden Hill, a youth hostel in Ireland that Lonely Planet dubbed “the must visit hostel in Ireland”.

Maurya oversees Chashama’s special events and donor engagement initiatives. Having studied international relations, she sees art as the ultimate tool for intercultural communication and understanding. Previously Maurya held positions in development and special events at Helen Keller International, Camy Calve Events, and the International Society for the Performing Arts. Outside of Chashama, she sits on the Advisory Board of Kizuna Dance, a modern dance company that presents works inspired by Japanese culture.

Before arriving at Chashama, Bianca worked in museum education at institutions including the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Born and raised straddling the line between two cultures, she is a firm believer in the potential of art (and poetry, and food) to foster empathy and build connection among a community.

Colby is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in New York, and has worked at Chashama for two and a half years, managing facilities logistics and property acquisition. He is the founder of Medium Gallery in Melbourne and the director of the Interactive Multimedia Culture (IMC) Lab + Gallery in New York. Colby holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), and has exhibited and curated extensively across Australia and the United States, and in Hong Kong, Germany and Poland.
www.colbycannon.com

Adrian is a graphic designer, self-styled “multimedia guy”, and Operations Assistant at Chashama, where he helps maintain spaces, communicate with involved persons, and get spaces ready to be used. A graduate of Parsons School of Design at the New School, Adrian has worked with several DIY venues in the New York area, and as a graphic designer with Uhuru Design and Anti/Anti Studios, among others. He is excited about working with new and changing spaces and people, and is especially interested in the installation of sculpture and audio in physical spaces.
www.AdrianLee.Online

Nate Sloan joined Chashama in January, 2018 as Anita’s Executive Assistant. Previously, he had worked in Education. At Kenyon College, Nate studied Classics and Art History, in order to become as unemployable as possible. Despite this, he is thriving in his new position and is excited to be a part of the Chashama team.

Jessica is the Graphic Designer at Chashama, coordinating and executing design for events, publications and the organization’s brand. Despite her upbringing in humid South Florida, Jessica is thriving in New York City and does not have a southern accent. She graduated Parsons New School for Design with a major in illustration and minors in both creative entrepreneurship and communication design. When she is not working Jessica enjoys knitting, taking care of her hedgehog, and jamming out to obscure hipster bands you have probably never heard of. She prefers all her belongings to be purple and covered in glitter.

www.jessicapearlroses.com

Alison has worked in the field of accounting for over 20 years, including retail apparel and nonprofit accounting. As Chashama’s accountant, Alison is responsible for providing accurate analysis and results presented through clear means and in concise language.

A proud mother (and co-Treasurer of her son’s middle school), Alison harnesses her foresight and organization skills to help artists fulfill their craft and help their visions become a reality.

Deborah is Chashama’s Bookkeeper and in-house photographer. While handling accounts receivable and donation processing, Debbie also keeps Chashama’s photo collection fresh and new. Previously an auditor, photo researcher and editor, and freelance photographer, she holds a BS in Accounting and an Associates Degree in Photography. Her love for documentary photography informs most of her professional and personal work. Having worked for Chashama for many years, she has witnessed the many ways in which Chashama makes a difference in people’s lives through art. Deborah is pleased to be able to contribute to Chashama’s mission through her own skills and talents. Instagram: @debphotonyc

Zack is an adult human male. He has been Chashama’s IT Manager since December 2015. He holds a Bachelor of Rocket Science in Information and Communication Technology from Florida State University, where he subsequently worked as a Network Security Analyst. He is by far the most intelligent and most best looking IT manager there has ever been.