June Member Spotlight on Mertz Gilmore Foundation
In June, GIA's photo banner features projects supported by Mertz GIlmore Foundation in New York. Founded as the Mertz Foundation in 1959 by Joyce Mertz Gilmore and her parents, Harold and LuEsther Mertz, the foundation was renamed in 2002 to honor the memory of Joyce’s husband, Robert Wallace Gilmore, an active steward of the foundation. The foundation’s program areas, climate change solutions and support for New York City arts and communities, reflect the interest of the founders. Focusing arts funding on dance, the foundation makes grants to dance presenters and for limited advocacy and support services.
Mertz Gilmore Foundation | Comments on a Recent Success: Gibney Dance Center
In New York City, large accessible dance spaces have been nearly impossible to come by. Responding to this, downtown choreographer Gina Gibney diligently pursued a remedy. She would “make space for the future of dance” by expanding what started two decades ago as a single-studio facility into a comprehensive support organization that would gather resources for the city’s dance community under one roof. With good timing, quality planning, and lead supporters who provided 100% of the needed funds (Mertz Gilmore Foundation, LuEsther T. Mertz Advised Fund at the New York Community Trust, and The Jerome Robbins Foundation), Gibney succeeded.
Gibney Dance Center (GDC) opened in the fall of 2011. Located centrally near Manhattan’s Union Square, GDC boasts seven pillar-free, naturally-lighted studios with thirteen-foot ceilings, as well as production offices, dressing areas, storage facilities, a green room, and a media room. GDC offers rehearsal space rentals, public classes, and a new residency initiative, fostering both artistic development and a sense of community among the “melting pot” of artists that convene there.
Gibney and her board of directors did their homework every step of the way. Planning for a self-sustaining venture, three of the studios were designated for commercial rentals one-third of each year. (This year’s Broadway tenants include Frankel Green Theatrical Management’s Flashdance and 101 Productions’ Nice Work If You Can Get It.) Ongoing support comes from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which has joined the New York State Council on the Arts in providing subsidized rehearsal hours at the studios. Additionally, video and web-based programs regularly bring the dance community together to view and discuss new work.
Photo credit: Gina Gibney Dance; Lily Ockwell in Thrown. Photo: Samantha Siegel