Mission
Albany Barn Inc. is dedicated to developing the infrastructure and culture necessary to sustain a vibrant and equitable creative economy in the communities we serve.
History
Albany Barn evolved from Rock2Rebuild™, a grassroots production group established to create events benefiting important causes while creating opportunities for local creative talent. Rock2Rebuild staged several major multimedia events and founded an ongoing acoustic concert series in the Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center featuring capital region artists. Rock2Rebuild’s first undertaking to raise funds for children and families devastated by the 2004 South Asian tsunami disaster attracted 2,000 people, raised over $26,000, and was voted one of the year’s three “Best Concerts” in the Albany Times Union “2005 Readers Poll,” along with shows by top international touring acts Green Day and the Dave Matthews Band.
After Rock2Rebuild™, Albany Barn, the Albany Housing Authority and the City of Albany partnered to redevelop the former St. Joseph’s Academy, an abandoned school in the heart of Albany’s Arbor Hill neighborhood into 22 low-cost live/work residences and a 13,000+ square ft creative arts incubator and program space called The Barn.
Since opening our Stage 1 Gallery in 2009 and The Barn in 2014, we have worked to create and strengthen opportunities for local artists to execute passion projects and achieve their professional goals. With the addition of Electric City Barn in 2018, our performance and maker space located at 400 Craig Street in Schenectady, we have only strengthened our mission to create diverse artistic opportunities and professional development services for artists.
With a special focus on developing the infrastructure and culture to support a thriving, inclusive, and socially responsible creative economy in the Capital Region of New York, we believe that through our network and collective passion, we can work together to uplift our neighborhood and beyond.
