Founded in 2000 as the Hip-Hop Theater Festival and re-emerging as Hi-ARTS in 2011, we have been supporting artists for over twenty five years. Placing an emphasis on process in all that we do, Hi-ARTS nurtures the space for Artists, Audiences and Arts Administrators of the Global Majority to engage in creative process, through developmental residencies, civic engagement, education, and artistic programming.
Upcoming Events
Current Artists
Hi-ARTS SKY LAB Company in Residence, MODArts Dance Collective (MADC) is a Harlem-based, nonprofit multicultural professional dance company founded in 2011 by Founding Artistic Director Leah Tubbs and Executive Director Shaun Tubbs. The company centers Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists, while creating space for them to show up as their authentic selves both in and beyond the studio.
While in residence, MADC will continue the growth and development of the Collective Thread Residency, an extension of its annual Collective Thread Dance Festival.
Maleek Rae is a multi-disciplinary artist from Detroit’s Eastside.
As a Hi-ARTS CRITICAL BREAKS Artist, Maleek will develop GUTTAH PART II: ecdysis, the second installment of the trilogy series set in Detroit that reframes life in the hood as one of royalty, spirit, and ceremony. The work employs music and movement to explore Black bloodlines, family, transness, and transformation. During their Hi-ARTS residency, Maleek will focus on developing Part II, deepening music as a foundational ceremonial practice.
Hi-ARTS CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Luz Lorenzana Twigg is a playwright, dramaturg, doula, and folk herbalist. Her practice explores diasporic identity, ritual, theatre as a living archive, as well as ancestral healing as the gateway for reimagined theatrical pedagogy and praxis.
Hi-ARTS CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Nikhil Mahapatra is a multi-disciplinary writer based in Brooklyn. They write about queerness/race/power/family/non-family/existence/politics, but most of all, where grief and joy meet together, which, as one audience member once said, had “mixed results, but I guess I liked it”.
As a Hi-ARTS Space Grant Recipient, Nathan Yungerberg will have access to Hi-ARTS rehearsal spaces, and conference rooms for the ongoing development of the Untitled Afro-Surreal Project. Situated outside of Hi-ARTS traditional residency format, grantees receive the use of space for creative and administrative development of a body of work at no cost.
The Untitled Afro-Surreal Project is grounded in Afro-surrealism, and draws on narrative, sound, movement, and visual symbolism to explore memory, interiority, and the porous boundary between the real and the imagined.
Current Youth Artists
2026 Hi-ARTS Journal 2 Journey Youth Artists
Meet the Youth Artists of 2026 Journal 2 Journey. Developed in partnership and collaboration with Urban Word, Journal 2 Journey, is a pre-professional, creative youth development initiative.
2026 Hi-ARTS Journal 2 Journey Youth Artists
Meet the Youth Artists of 2026 Journal 2 Journey. Developed in partnership and collaboration with Urban Word, Journal 2 Journey, is a pre-professional, creative youth development initiative.
2026 Hi-ARTS Journal 2 Journey Youth Artists
Meet the Youth Artists of 2026 Journal 2 Journey. Developed in partnership and collaboration with Urban Word, Journal 2 Journey, is a pre-professional, creative youth development initiative.
2026 Hi-ARTS Journal 2 Journey Youth Artists
Meet the Youth Artists of 2026 Journal 2 Journey. Developed in partnership and collaboration with Urban Word, Journal 2 Journey, is a pre-professional, creative youth development initiative.
2026 Hi-ARTS Journal 2 Journey Youth Artists
Meet the Youth Artists of 2026 Journal 2 Journey. Developed in partnership and collaboration with Urban Word, Journal 2 Journey, is a pre-professional, creative youth development initiative.
2026 Hi-ARTS Journal 2 Journey Youth Artists
Meet the Youth Artists of 2026 Journal 2 Journey. Developed in partnership and collaboration with Urban Word, Journal 2 Journey, is a pre-professional, creative youth development initiative.
Backstage Buzz
LocationL10 Arts and Cultural Center10 Lafayette Avenue, 4th FloorBrooklyn, NY 11217
Hi-ARTS is building a short list of lighting designers to support their programming at L10 Arts & Cultural Center.
These temporary positions will support Hi-ARTS Programming: Artist Residencies, Journal 2 Journey, and others. Hi-ARTS programs are designed to center process and creative development. We aim to empower artists to develop bold new work while creating a positive and lasting impact on our community.
Artists on the short list will receive priority for upcoming contracts. Artists of the Global Majority are highly encouraged to apply.
Ideal candidates will have experience in theater, lighting design and storytelling, and lighting operation.
Further requirements and full equipment list listed below.
To apply: Email search@hi-artsnyc.org with an updated resume and the subject line “Lighting Designer - YOUR NAME”. Selected applicants will be invited to a short Zoom call with Hi-ARTS staff.
Submission Deadline: April 13, 2026
JOB DESCRIPTION: VIDEOGRAPHER
Start Date: April 19, 2026
End Date: April 30, 2026
Description: This temporary position will support Lead Artist Luz Lorenzana Twigg through the development of her creative project America is in the Heart during her April 2026 CRITICAL BREAKS Residency at Hi-ARTS.
Hi-ARTS residency programs are designed to center process and creative development. We aim to empower artists to develop bold new work while creating a positive and lasting impact on our community. Learn more about our Artist Residency Programs here.
Ideal candidates will have experience filming live theater.
To apply: Email search@hi-artsnyc.org with an updated resume, work sample, and the subject line “Videographer - LUZ” and a Hi-ARTS team member will be in contact.
Submission Deadline: April 13, 2026
Job Description: Stage Manager
Start Date: April 1, 2026End Date: April 30, 2026
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Stage Manager. This temporary position will support Hi-ARTS' CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Luz Lorenzana Twigg during their April 2026 Residency. This is an onsite in-person position taking place primarily at L10 Arts and Cultural Center in Downtown Brooklyn, home of Hi-ARTS.
Hi-ARTS residency programs are designed to center process and creative development. We aim to empower artists to develop bold new work while creating a positive and lasting impact on our community. Learn more about our Artist Residency Programs here.
Submission Deadline: March 30, 2026
Start Date: April 15, 2026
End Date: April 30, 2026
Hi-ARTS is currently seeking actors to participate in rehearsals and a staged reading. This temporary position will support Hi-ARTS' CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Luz Lorenzana Twigg during her April 2026 Residency. This is an onsite in-person position taking place primarily at L10 Arts and Cultural Center in Downtown Brooklyn, home of Hi-ARTS. Learn more about our Artist Residency Programs here.
To submit for this project, please read Role Descriptions and follow submission instructions below.
Submission Deadline: March 30, 2026
Please note: only those selected for a callback will be contacted.
Date: March 26, 2026
Hi-ARTS is currently seeking a bucket drummer to participate in rehearsals and a staged reading of Maleek Rae’s GUTTAH: PART II.
GUTTAH: PART II is the second installment of the trilogy play series that catalogs the assignment of many Black bloodlines to tread upon serpents. GUTTAH: PART II examines life in the hood and the black american experience not merely as struggle but as a story of royalty and spirit.
To apply: Email search@hi-artsnyc.org with an updated resume and the subject line “Photographer - MALEEK RAE” and a Hi-ARTS team member will be in contact.
Submission Deadline: March 26, 2026
Date: March 26, 2026
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary photographer. This temporary creative position will support Hi-ARTS' CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Maleek Rae during the staged reading of GUTTAH: PART II.
Ideal candidates will have experience in photographing live theater.
To apply: Email search@hi-artsnyc.org with an updated resume and the subject line “Photographer - MALEEK RAE” and a Hi-ARTS team member will be in contact.
Submission Deadline: March 11, 2026
Start Date: March 7, 2026
End Date: March 26, 2026
Hi-ARTS is currently seeking actors to participate in rehearsals and a staged reading of GUTTAH: PART II for Maleek’s March CRITICAL BREAKS Residency.
Role DescriptionComfortable with poetic language and rap. Black, size inclusive, gender inclusive. Preference for gender expansive folks. Character is part of a rap trio. Open and comfortable referring to the work, the process, and their contribution as ‘ceremony’.
To submit To submit for this project, please email search@hi-artsnyc.org with the subject line “MALEEK RAE - Actor Submission” and attach the following materials:
Headshot
18 Bars
30-second video answering the prompt: “What does ceremony mean to you?”
Submission Deadline: February 27, 2026. Please note: only those selected for a callback will be contacted.
SEEKING: Stage Manager for JOURNAL 2 JOURNEY
Start Date: March 29, 2026
End Date: May 15, 2026
Hi-ARTS and Urban Word are currently accepting applications for a Stage Manager. This temporary part-time position will support Journal 2 Journey students in the performance of their theatrical projects. This is an on-site position taking place primarily at 651 ARTS in Downtown Brooklyn, home of Hi-ARTS.
Journal 2 Journey (J2J) is a pre-professional creative youth development program that presents poetry in a three-dimensional way by allowing students to re-imagine their poetry as theatrical one-act plays. Learn more about Journal 2 Journey here.
Ideal candidates will have experience in theater and stage management.
To apply: Email search@hi-artsnyc.org with an updated resume and the subject line “Journal 2 Journey - STAGE MANAGER,” and a Hi-ARTS team member will be in contact.
Start Date: October 1, 2025
End Date: October 9, 2025
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a Production Assistant This temporary position will support the production of Hi-ARTS’ 25th Anniversary Celebration, Echoes of the Future. This is an on-site position in Brooklyn, NY.
Ideal candidates will have experience in event production and/or stage management.
To apply: Read the full Job Description and email search@hi-artsnyc.org with an updated resume and the subject line “Production Assistant Application” and a Hi-ARTS team member will be in contact.
Application Deadline: September 1, 2025
Echoes of the Future Line Producer
Start Date: September 22, 2025
End Date: October 9, 2025
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a Line Producer. This temporary position will support the production of Hi-ARTS’ 25th Anniversary Celebration, Echoes of the Future, taking place in Brooklyn, NY.
Ideal candidates will have experience in event production and/or stage management.
To apply:
Read the full Job Description and email search@hi-artsnyc.org with an updated resume and the subject line “Line Producer Application” and a Hi-ARTS team member will be in contact.
Application Deadline: September 1, 2025
SEEKING: Actor
Start Date: June 10, 2025
End Date: June 26, 2025
Hi-ARTS is currently seeing an actor to participate in rehearsals and a staged reading of ALLE MIMS A SOVIET FILM ON NEGRO LIFE IN AMERICA for CRITICAL BREAKS at Hi-ARTS.
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Stage Manager. This temporary position will support Hi-ARTS' Artist Jeffrey Rashad during their April 2025 Artist Intensive. This is an onsite in-person position taking place primarily at El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 in East Harlem, home of Hi-ARTS.
Jay Saint Flono is seeking sopranos and mezzo-sopranos of African descent for supporting roles in a CRITICAL BREAKS Residency and a WORK IN PROCESS reading of a new mythological opera, Spirit in the Vine at Hi-ARTS. Multi-genre singers and singers with theatrical backgrounds are highly encouraged to audition.
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Composer/Musician. This temporary position will support Hi-ARTS' CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Evelyn Tejeda during their March 2025 Residency. This position will involve both remote and in-person collaboration, culminating in the development of original music for Temporary Flesh, Evelyn’s latest work in progress. In-person days will take place primarily at El Barrio's Artspace PS109 in East Harlem, home of Hi-ARTS.
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Costume Designer. This temporary position will support Hi-ARTS' CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Evelyn Tejeda during their March 2025 Residency. This is an onsite in-person position taking place primarily at El Barrio's Artspace PS109 in East Harlem, home of Hi-ARTS.
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Residency Assistant. This temporary position will support Hi-ARTS' CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Evelyn Tejeda during her March 2025 Residency. This is an onsite in-person position taking place primarily at El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 in East Harlem, home of Hi-ARTS.
Hi-ARTS residency programs are designed to center process and creative development. We aim to empower artists to develop bold new work while creating a positive and lasting impact on our community. Learn more about our Artist Residency Programs here.
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Stage Hand to Reynaldo Piniella. This temporary position will support Artist Reynaldo Piniella during his CRITICAL BREAKS Residency. This is an onsite in-person position taking place primarily at the home of Hi-ARTS in El Barrio's Artspace PS109 in East Harlem.
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Stage Manager. This temporary part-time position will support Artist Reynaldo Piniella during their CRITICAL BREAKS Residency. This is an onsite in-person position taking place primarily at the home of Hi-ARTS in El Barrio's Artspace PS109 in East Harlem.
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a Residency Videographer for Reynaldo Piniella. This temporary position will support Hi-ARTS' CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Reynaldo Piniella during his 2024 Fall Residency. This is an onsite in-person position taking place at El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 in East Harlem (home of Hi-ARTS).
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Residency Assistant. This temporary part-time position will support Artist Yang Sun during their October SKY LAB at Hi-ARTS. This is an onsite in-person position taking place primarily at El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 in East Harlem, home of Hi-ARTS.
The Stranger Project Participant
Hi-ARTS SKY LAB Artist Yang Sun is inviting those who identity as a first or second generation immigrant and/or resident alien to join her in the development and public Work in Process sharing of The Stranger.
Stage Manager to Sun Songs
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Stage Manager. This temporary part-time position supporting Hi-ARTS' CRITICAL BREAKS Alum Katie Madison during her 2024 residency at Leslie Lohman.
POSITION FILLED: CRITICAL BREAKS Residency Videographer for Cheri L. Stokes
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Residency Videographer. This temporary part-time position will support Hi-ARTS' CRITICAL BREAKS Artist Cheri Stokes during her 2024 Spring Residency. This is an onsite, in-person position taking place partially at El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 in East Harlem (home of Hi-ARTS), and partially at Brooklyn Arts Exchange.
Residency Assistant to Najee Omar
Hi-ARTS is currently accepting applications for a temporary Residency Assistant for Najee Omar. This temporary part-time position will support Hi-ARTS' SKY LAB Artist Najee Omar during his 2024 Spring Residency. This is an onsite in-person position taking place primarily at El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 in East Harlem, home of Hi-ARTS.
Najee Omar is seeking 5 actors to participate in 3-5 rehearsals and a staged reading of Little Black Book as part of his SKY LAB Residency at Hi-ARTS.
Casting Call | Juniper Performance Studio & National Black Theatre, IN THE NAME OF THE MOTHER TREE
Jupiter Performance Studio and National Black Theatre, and still seeking local artists for, Ebony Noelle Golden's (SKY LAB Alum) IN THE NAME OF THE MOTHER TREE, a movement and music-based theatrical ceremony. This project is an ongoing touring commitment, with the World Premiere taking place in September 2024 at Apollo Theatre. the world premiere of it will be in the new space at the Apollo Theatre in September.
Ideal candidates are local, collaborative, agile dancers, singers, and actors comfortable with rituals and spiritual practices and are comfortable working outdoors/in nature, and with exploring spiritual themes outside of Christianity.
Virtual interviews will begin on March 5, 2024.
In the News
Hi-ARTS is thrilled to announce its Spring 2026 Artists in Residence. Following Echoes of the Future, Hi-ARTS’ 25th Anniversary Celebration, and the organization’s timely return to Brooklyn, this artist cohort represents a milestone in Hi-ARTS' continued commitment to supporting artists of the Global Majority in the growth and development of new work.
Joining Hi-ARTS as CRITICAL BREAKS Artists are Nikhil Mahapatra, Maleek Rae, and Luz Lorenzana Twigg. CRITICAL BREAKS supports artists at a pivotal point in the development of their work. This season's SKY LAB Resident is MODArts Dance Collective, and their residency projects Collective Thread Residency and Move to Change. SKY LAB supports artists who center community at the root of their creative development. Nathan Yungerberg also joins the cohort as a Space Grant Recipient. Nathan will have access to Hi-ARTS’ rehearsal spaces and conference rooms for the ongoing development of his work.
Hi-ARTS is excited to introduce their 2024-25 Spring Artist Residency Cohort: This year the Harlem-based non-profit welcomes a cohort of seven artists into their CRITICAL BREAKS, SKY LAB and Artist Intensive Residency Programs. Joining Hi-ARTS as CRITICAL BREAKS residents are Andrea Ambam, Jay Saint Flono, Alle Mims, Reynaldo Piniella, and Evelyn Tejeda. CRITICAL BREAKS supports works at a pivotal point in the development of their work. SKY LAB supports artists who center community at the root of their creative development. This fall, Hi-ARTS welcomes SKY LAB Artist Yang Sun & Poets. Through their Artist Intensive, Hi-ARTS will support Jeffrey Rashad.
Hi-ARTS is excited to introduce their 2024 Spring Artist Residency Cohort. Providing artists with time and space, CRITICAL BREAKS supports works at a pivotal point in the development of their work. Joining Hi-ARTS as CRITICAL BREAKS residents are Curtis “Tony” Turney and Cheri L. Stokes. SKY LAB supports artists who center community at the root of their creative development. This spring, Hi-ARTS welcomes SKY LAB Artists Jourdan Ash and Najee Omar.
New York, NY — Hi-ARTS announced today a grant award totaling $148,500 from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the recovery of the nonprofit arts and culture sector. Following New York State’s historic investment for the arts, NYSCA has awarded $90 million since Spring 2022 to a record number of artists and organizations across the state.

LocationL10 Arts and Cultural Center10 Lafayette Avenue, 4th FloorBrooklyn, NY 11217
Hi-ARTS is building a short list of sound operators to support their programming at L10 Arts & Cultural Center.
These temporary positions will support Hi-ARTS Programming: Artist Residencies, Journal 2 Journey, and others. Hi-ARTS programs are designed to center process and creative development. We aim to empower artists to develop bold new work while creating a positive and lasting impact on our community.
Artists on the short list will receive priority for upcoming contracts. Artists of the Global Majority are highly encouraged to apply.
Ideal candidates will have experience in audio recording, sound engineering, and mastering for live performance. Further requirements and full equipment list listed below.
To apply: Email search@hi-artsnyc.org with an updated resume and the subject line “Sound Operator - YOUR NAME”. Selected applicants will be invited to a short Zoom call with Hi-ARTS staff.
Apply by: Monday, April 16, 2026