Albany Barn

Albany Barn In 2003, stakeholders in the imperiled City of Albany neighborhood of Arbor Hill developed a revitalization strategy called the "Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan."

Albany Barn is dedicated to providing a sustainable creative arts incubator and community arts center in Arbor Hill – a place for artists to live, work and inspire. It was heralded as a breakthrough in collaborative community planning and continues to enjoy broad support during its implementation. As part of that Plan, it was recommended that one of the top priorities be the adaptive reuse of the

abandoned St. Joseph's Academy building, located in the heart of the neighborhood at the corner of North Swan and Second Streets. Albany Barn has partnered with the City of Albany and Albany Housing Authority to redevelop the 40,000 square foot St. Joseph’s Academy building into low-cost live-work apartments, work and rehearsal suites, a dance studio, a digital media lab and ample exhibition, performance and programming space. The project is formally called "Academy Lofts," although it is better known locally as "The Barn." This name originates from the age-old practice of barn raising, when a community collaborated to build a barn - a structure vital to a family's livelihood - for one of its households. The Barn/Academy Lofts will provide essential, affordable facilities to regional artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers, dancers and performers seeking an engaging, supportive environment in which to create and share their work, and broad arts-based programming to benefit residents of all ages. To that end, a key requirement of residency in The Barn/Academy Lofts will be community service including, but not limited to, mentoring, creative art instruction/activities, and neighborhood art installations/public space stewardship. Informed by the success of transformative art incubators in other American cities like Providence, RI and New York, NY, The Barn/Academy Lofts is the kind of dynamic reuse that will at once address all the Arbor Hill Neighborhood Plan's components: Housing, Arts and Culture, Economic Development and Quality of Life. It will anchor the North Swan Street corridor with a built-in creative economy; expand the footprint of arts in Albany, NY; nurture meaningful, productive relationships between artists, arts groups, local businesses and neighborhood residents, particularly at-risk City youth; catalyze responsible revitalization and preserve neighborhood identity; and foster community involvement, unity and pride. Opening in 2013, Academy Lofts @ The Barn currently houses 22 artists in affordable, high-quality, live/work apartments, and more than 20 additional artists work in studios and offices at The Barn. Albany Barn also operates a 1,700 square foot art space one block from the The Barn/Academy Lofts called Stage 1. Stage 1 is available for gallery exhibitions, educational workshops, group meetings and events, community outreach initiatives, and private parties.

Join us on Friday, March 7th from 6-8:30 pm for the opening reception of Our Story: Unsealed Voices and Spirits. Gallery...
03/03/2025

Join us on Friday, March 7th from 6-8:30 pm for the opening reception of Our Story: Unsealed Voices and Spirits.

Gallery Hours:

Thursday, March 20th, 3-7pm

Thursday, March 27th, 3-7pm

All other viewing times by appointment only, please email [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

Presented by Black Dimensions in Art, Inc. in partnership with Albany Barn, Inc.

The exhibit will feature artists’ expression and contemplation during this time of difficulty in the world.

Tomorrow at 5:15pm we will be live with Artistry Studio Tenant, Moriah! Moriah Hampton teaches in the Writing and Critic...
02/27/2025

Tomorrow at 5:15pm we will be live with Artistry Studio Tenant, Moriah! Moriah Hampton teaches in the Writing and Critical Inquiry Program at SUNY-Albany. Her fiction, poetry, and photography have appeared in Ponder Review, The Coachella Review, Arkana, Gargoyle Magazine, Poetry South, and elsewhere. Originally from the southeast, she is of Scottish and English descent and a Cherokee Nation citizen. She is also on the autism spectrum.

Tune in at 5:15pm! Also feel free to drop any questions you have below 👇

We are so excited for this!
02/26/2025

We are so excited for this!

THIS Saturday, Utica City School District students and families can join us at The Parish in downtown Utica for THREE activities in the arts from our friends at Albany Barn – dance, weaving and songwriting! It's FREE to attend.

Please reserve your spots ahead of time for planning purposes!
It's a quick online form and you can register multiple children on one form: https://forms.gle/P5CK71jjYHLtz4Do8

02/24/2025

Get ready for Historic Cherry Hill's 2025 season! The centerpiece of the season will be "The World of James Knapp," a collaboration with Albany Barn and Underground Railroad Education Center exploring one of Cherry Hill's Black residents through a multi-site exhibition of artifacts and original art by local Black artists. We can't wait to explore James's story with you and showcase the work of the incredibly talented participating artists! Tours will be offered from noon to 3PM on Fridays and Saturdays during the months of May, June; Tuesday-Sunday in July-August; and Friday-Saturday from September-November. Stay tuned for more details!

Tomorrow at 5pm we will be live at Albany Barn with Resident Artist ✨ Comment any questions you might have for Scrap! 👇...
02/24/2025

Tomorrow at 5pm we will be live at Albany Barn with Resident Artist ✨

Comment any questions you might have for Scrap! 👇

Scrap currently has work on display at until April 27th!

As we prepare for the Spring of 2025, and once again raising funds for our beloved Barns, we thought we’d take a little ...
02/20/2025

As we prepare for the Spring of 2025, and once again raising funds for our beloved Barns, we thought we’d take a little inspiration from FUSION, our biggest event of the year, and pull together the spirit of these past celebrations with a new official name:
MEDLEY: Raising the Barn with a Dash of Intrigue, will feature an original script, “The 3 Widows of Colin O’Shea” performed by Creative License Theater Collective.  Creative License is currently the non-musical resident theater group at the Cohoes Music Hall, but they actually got their start at The Barn with their very first performance, A Steady Rain, in 2014.  But before the mystery begins, there’s plenty of fun to be had!
Our night will begin at 5pm for a time of art and artists, completely free to attend.  We’ll have open studios, giving you the opportunity to meet some of our resident artists and see them in action.  Upstairs, we’ll be featuring the opening of the visual art exhibition featuring work from the artists of the Artistry Studios.  When the clock strikes 7pm, those who have purchased dinner theater tickets will take their seats for drinks, a delicious dinner, and a night of mystery as the Creative License Theater Collective will take the stage. 
We hope you’ll join us for this year’s MEDLEY, and help us Raise the Barn so we can continue our important work of providing space and services to the talented artists that call the Capital Region home.  

Timeline of the Evening: Friday May 2, 2025 at Albany Barn (56 2nd Street, Albany NY 12210)
5PM-7PM: Open Studios & Exhibition Reception, Free & Open to the Public
7PM-9PM: Murder Mystery Dinner Theater with Creative License Theater Collective, Limited Paid Tickets Available
Dinner Menu Coming Shortly
Click the link in our bio to read more and purchase your tickets! There are limited tickets available.
MEDLEY is graciously sponsored by The William C***s Team of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services

Sign up your young actor for this amazing summer program!
02/17/2025

Sign up your young actor for this amazing summer program!

🌟 Exciting News! 🌟

The show we will be planning to perform as the summer camp production is "Through the Looking Glass" (Book & Lyrics by Chris Blackwood, Music by Piers Chater Robinson, Based on the novel by Lewis Carroll)!

Join us on a whimsical journey as Alice steps through the mirror into a nonsensical world filled with characters and adventures. This will be a Capital Region premiere!

🎭 Ages 8-18!
🗓️ Camp Dates: July 8 - 24
🎤 Performances: July 25 at 7 PM & July 26 at 2 PM & 7 PM
📍 Location: Albany Barn (56 2nd Street, Albany, NY)
💰 Cost: $275 for new students (Early Bird Price) & $225 for returning students
✨ Discount: 10% OFF for siblings (Code: THEATREFAMILY)
💡 Financial Aid: Pay-what-you-can aid available upon request

All students will be cast in the production and roles will be cast inclusively! Don’t miss this chance to explore your creativity, make new friends, and be part of a magical experience!

👉 Register by April 6th and escape into Wonderland with us! For more details and to register, visit footloosetheatre.org.

Resident artist Amber will have work included in this exhibition!
02/10/2025

Resident artist Amber will have work included in this exhibition!

Another show that I am in.

TOMORROW we will be live with Albany Barn work-only resident artist .art ! Lexi is an amazing artist and human 🥹 We are ...
02/10/2025

TOMORROW we will be live with Albany Barn work-only resident artist .art ! Lexi is an amazing artist and human 🥹 We are so excited to hang with her in her stood and hear more about her life as a full time artist! Join us at 4:15 pm tomorrow (2/11) to ask her questions! If you can’t join live, just comment your questions 👇

TOMORROW we will be live in Schenectady with ! 🎒Pat has a studio at Artistry, but he is also a key holder at ! His sto...
02/05/2025

TOMORROW we will be live in Schenectady with ! 🎒Pat has a studio at Artistry, but he is also a key holder at ! His story is amazing, tune in at 5:15pm tomorrow to hear about his journey and ask him questions! If you can’t join live, don’t worry! You can drop your questions in the comments 👇 and watch later!

Home sweet Barn… did you know that Albany Barn is home to 18 artists, and another 18 artists have private work-only stud...
01/24/2025

Home sweet Barn… did you know that Albany Barn is home to 18 artists, and another 18 artists have private work-only studios? That is a lot of creativity under one roof ✨You can read about each of them (as well as our 20 work-only residents at Artistry Studios in Schenectady) by clicking the About Us tab on our website! Go check out albanybarn.org 🪩

Did your know Albany Barn used to be Saint Joesph’s Academy? ➡️ swipe to see the ✨glow up ✨The last photo is from an ama...
01/09/2025

Did your know Albany Barn used to be Saint Joesph’s Academy? ➡️ swipe to see the ✨glow up ✨
The last photo is from an amazing poetry event that we had last year. Although we love helping artist with their events, we will be stepping back from events in 2025 due to staffing restrictions (did you know we only have 4 staff members, including our Executive Director across our three sites, in two cities 😱). Thank you for understanding! If you have any questions please email us at [email protected]

🚨 Rescheduled! Don’t miss your chance to weave with resident artist at Make sure you sign up, you can text the library...
12/18/2024

🚨 Rescheduled! Don’t miss your chance to weave with resident artist at
Make sure you sign up, you can text the library!

Thank you so much for always believing in the work we do at The Barn!
12/14/2024

Thank you so much for always believing in the work we do at The Barn!

Closed week! Staff will have limited access to their emails as they tidy up the Barns before the new year! Thank you for...
12/10/2024

Closed week! Staff will have limited access to their emails as they tidy up the Barns before the new year! Thank you for your patience! ❄️

Address

56 2nd Street
Albany, NY
12210

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+15189354858

Website

Alerts

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Videos

Live with Artistry Studio Tenant, Moriah Hampton! It was so nice to chat about her writing process, problem solving, and inspiration! You can find a list of all our residents on our website under the about us tab!

Live in the studio with @scrapworm ! Make sure you follow them and check out their work!

So amazing chatting with @lexihannah.art about her art journey ! 🖤 Follow her and comment if you have any questions!

Live with @adirondackpacks ! Pat has overcome so many struggles in the past few years to keep his business going, he is so hardworking and you can see the love he puts into each pack. Thanks for chatting Pat! 🎒 buy some bags from him so he can fix his car!

At Artistry Studio with @art_witchx 💀 Talking about her process, @nightmaremarketny and community!

What is Giving Tuesday?! Casey is here to tell you! Your donations go so far in helping us to support and uplift local artists!

Live with Director of Membership and Operations McCauley, at @electriccitybarn today! We talked about her day to day, how she found the Barn and why she has a jar of doll heads on her desk! If you have any questions for her drop them in the comments!

Live in the metal shop with Key Holder @fork_artist ! Tune in and hear about he used to sell his work on the streets of NYC, how he created fork figures during a figure drawing class and what he loves most about hosting ask hours! He will be at @electriccitybarn until 6pm tonight!

Live with Eric at @electriccitybarn Eric gave us a tour of ECB and talks some shop in our specialty studios! If you have questions for him comment below and we will make another video at some point!

Live with @electriccitybarn Key Holder @evadneyline ! She has so many projects going on but make sure you come to Gifted to see the unveiling of her community moveable mural! And she will have a table so you can get a head-start on your holiday shopping!

Hello all! Christie here! I wanted to say hi and talk a little about why i love the Barn so much 🖤✨ We need community now more than ever and i am so thankful to be included in this one. If you have any questions please let me know!!

Amazing afternoon spent with resident artist @lori_kochanski in her studio. Thank you for spreading your light and joy with us on this gloomy day. ✨

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