Founded by artists for artists, The Field is dedicated to providing strategic services to thousands of performing artists and companies in New York City and beyond. We foster creative exploration, steward innovative management strategies, and are delighted to help artists reach their fullest potential.
2011 Annual Report
Addendum to 2011 Annual Report
Audited Financials
990 Tax Return
OUR GRASS ROOTS
In 1985, when New York was less slick and a loft was affordable, Wendy Lasica founded The Field as a performance space in SoHo. The Field was incorporated as a non-profit in 1986 as Performance Zone, Inc., with a dedicated mission to serve performing artists.
After Wendy's departure, and at a pivotal transition point, The Field was put in the savvy hands of Steve Gross and other emerging performing artists. This ambitious group of D.I.Y. artists got together to show their work, give each other supportive and concrete aesthetic feedback (Fieldwork), and discuss strategies to get their work seen and financed. From this informal and rigorous peer-to-peer paradigm, Steve built programs for the larger community so that they too could successfully navigate the performing arts landscape - and thus, an arts service organization was born. (From this modest and intimate origin, The Field organically grew into the nationally recognized arts service organization that we are today.)
Now in our 26th year, more than 1,900 performing artists come to The Field each year to build their businesses. Each year 2,000+ new art works are developed under our stewardship, and our services are replicated in 11 cities across the U.S. and Europe (Field Network). In tandem with this significant growth, we remain true to our grassroots origin and artist-centered mission to: strategically serve the myriad artistic and administrative needs of independent performing artists and companies who work in the fields of dance, theater, music, text, and performance art. Our core values of affordability, accessibility, and rigorous delivery infuse all of our interactions.
The core value of accessibility is particularly essential to us - so much so that we do not aesthetically curate admission to any of our programs or services. What does that mean? We do not judge any artists' work by the ever-changing and highly subjective aesthetic standards that may predominate. We do not look at artistic work samples or resumes to determine whether you are 'good enough.' Rather, we hold lotteries, or we select by first-come-first-serve, or by a simple production history that demonstrates a commitment to work. We look at what each individual artist wants to do, and how we can help him or her effectively achieve their goals. For us this is social justice: the justice of the arts as a right, an obligation, and a wonderful privilege.
PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Field programs, poised at the intersection between knowledge and practice, can be divided into Artistic and Management Services. In addition to this evolving core curriculum, The Field responds proactively to sector-wide challenges to the community through various special programs, which currently includes our Economic Revitalization for Performing Artists (ERPA) program.
WHO ARE OUR ARTISTS?
The performing artists we serve are individuals (and their groups) who are in the early to mid-career stage of their artistic and professional development. They live in all five New York boroughs and beyond, and are culturally and racially diverse. They range from their early twenties to senior citizens, and the vast majority are low-income. Field artists receive grassroots funding as well as competitive and prestigious funding such as grants from Multi-Arts Production (MAP) Fund, Greenwall Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, and American Express, to name just a few. Works presented by Field artists receive positive press in national and local papers, and their performances earn Bessies and Obies. Throughout the year Field artists are cultural ambassadors as they tour nationally and internationally.
