Coffey Street Studio brings back Experimental Art

Coffey Street Studio, an art studio in an unassuming warehouse in Red Hook, is returning its artist residency program, the Coffey Street Studio Artist Initiative (CSSAI).

The studio sits right next to the water and has its doors open to all who wish to learn more about what it does to help expose local performers and acts to the community and New Yorkers at large.

It has already made waves in the performing arts landscape in New York City, after having 10 residencies through CSSAI last year.

“We were dreaming up a program where we could pay for artists to come and use the studio to develop new work and invite audiences in to be a part of the conversation and see the work-in-progress being made,” CSSAI Artistic Producer Olivia Mermagen explained.

After making the program a reality and gaining funds through donations and sponsorships, the trio of award-winning theatre and film director Will Frears (known for works such as Mercury Story, Rainbow Kiss, Still Life and more), director Emma Went, and author Rhodri Lewis, joined with Hamlet and His Discontents, a conversation and work-in-progress presentation.

This opened doors for future residencies. Mermagen said that the studio was able to financially support about half of the shows beyond just a free studio to work out of.

None of that would have been possible without the guidance and support of the two owners of the Coffey Street Studio, theatrical designer Andromache Chalfant and photographer and filmmaker Mike Sharkey.

Before the CSSAI program came along, the studio was used for many performances, such as jazz sessions and dance performances, emphasizing how the studio in the past ten years has become a space for artists to create and put on works for the community.

“Coffey Street Studio has so much personality, and the historic Red Hook architecture is really spellbinding,” Mermagen said. “It has so much personality, and I think it really speaks to the development of artistic work. It’s not just a white box; it can be a home/refuge for artists to find something to inspire them.”

Residencies and shows taking place through the CSSAI program aren’t meant to be product-based first, but instead allow the artist to shape the stage to their liking and transform the space into a unique show and experience for the audience.

The studio’s website shows off multiple examples of artists interacting and interpreting the space of Coffey Street Studio in ways that possibly couldn’t be explored anywhere else.

“I think it’s important to artists to know that their work is always of value, no matter what stage of the process they’re in. They have space to really discover something new and exciting that ultimately trickles down to a greater and more experimental final product if that’s what they ever make it to,” Mermagen said.

It’s not only about the artist and their vision, but these shows are just as much for the community.

“I think the most magical thing about this space and what I’m really focusing on as a producer is how art can be a way of cultivating community and bringing people together,” Mermagen said. “I do really think this place feels like a refuge, especially in a complicated moment both artistically and politically.”

One of Mermagen’s hopes is for more of the Red Hook community to watch these shows and that the studio can become a staple in a community filled with talent and excitement.

The studio has finally started to discover what it is after years of cracking the surface, formalizing itself as one of the many important spaces in the Brooklyn art scene.

“It’s so amazing to see countless experimental works start in this place and take off elsewhere,” Mermagen said about the experimental shows that have come out of the CSSAI.

The Rat Catchers
“We had two dancers called Lisa Fagan and Lena Engelstein, who partially developed this show called Friday Night Rat Catchers here, and they did a series of workshops over the course of the year here, and I got to see that at New York Live Arts in January. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. It was amazing how we got to be even just a small part in an amazing and moving piece of work.”

The studio is now also beginning to form partnerships in Brooklyn, as Mermagen and her team work to become part of a larger conversation within the art scene in Brooklyn. One such partnership is with the Exponential Festival, which is dedicated to showcasing artists’ experimental works.

“Experimental theatre lives in Brooklyn,” Mermagen said. “We get to see and experience these shows, and we were able to reach out to some of the people who participated in the festivals and asked for proposals. We’re trying to find artists that we love and enjoy.”

Mermagen went on to explain how giving artists a chance to create art that is meaningful and beautiful is one of the many gifts that the studio space brings to the community, explaining that the studio stays open for the public to come wander in on a weekday and see the magic unfold inside through one of the many events happening.

For now, the community will have to wait until April to come sit in on the next event, hosted by theater company Whoop Dee Doo.