What is CreateART?
CreateART is an artist led multidisciplinary performance and residency platform connecting artists and audiences in diverse venues in NYC. We exist to offer visibility, support and amplification for the voices of emerging artists.
We host a variety of events, each one unique and eclectic. Spanning from Works In Progress Showcases, Curated performance series, Site Specific Installations and Dance Film Nights, CreateART events activate spaces, offer opportunity for exciting artistic encounters and advance a new way of community engagement in the arts. Venues and collaborators include Ace Hotel New York, Ace Hotel Brooklyn, Millennium Film Workshop, Carroll Hall, Venn, NOoSPHERE Arts, GALLIM and Arts on Site.
CreateART is fiscally sponsored by Unique Projects Inc, and has received funding from the Brooklyn Arts Council as a community grant recipient in 2019 and 2022.
WHO ARE WE?
GEORGIA USBORNE (Founding Director)
Georgia has been at the helm of CreateART since its formation in 2017, producing pop up performance events across NYC, facilitating residency and mentorship programs and building community.
Georgia has danced professionally since 2010. Upon graduating from Central School of Ballet in London, she joined Bern Ballet in Switzerland under the direction of Cathy Marston. Whilst in Bern, Georgia worked with choreographers including Orjan Andersson, Alexander Ekman, Adonis Foniadakis, Johan Inger, Didy Veldman and Noa Zuk, and completed her MA in Contemporary Dance, going on to Freelance in Europe.
In 2014, Georgia joined Andrea Miller’s GALLIM in Brooklyn, New York, with whom she continues to work as a guest artist, Rehearsal Director and Teacher. From 2018 - 2019 Georgia worked as Gallim’s programming coordinator, and has been a community organizer for Arts On Site.
Georgia has Choreographed and Directed several Dance Films, which have won prizes at Film Festivals internationally, as well as collaborating on music videos as a Movement Director.
She is currently a cast member of Punch Drunk’s emmursive theater performance Sleep No More, at The McKittrick Hotel in NYC. More info at www.georgiausborne.com. Photo: Ron Chau
LIZ HEPP (Producer)
is a freelance dance artist and producer based in Brooklyn. Most recently she has danced in work by PeiJu Chien-Pott for Periapsis Dance Company, Caitlin Trainor, Dusan Tynek, Lynn Neuman, Erick Montes, and Pat Catterson. Other highlights include performing in the Nick Mauss: Transmissions Exhibition at the Whitney Museum, collaborating on dances with giant props with Molly Gorin and many summers spent studying with the Merce Cunningham Trust. She holds a BFA in Dance from Tisch, NYU.
Liz is passionate about supporting artists and building community around performance. This interest has led her into a variety of production and administrative roles for non-profit organizations including New York Public Library, MoMA, Performa, LMCC, Abraham.In.Motion, and The Playground and for individual artists including Nicole von Arx. She is excited to continue working with the Create Art team! More at: www.lizhepp.squarespace.com
Photo: Zane Gan
BEAUDAU (Bo-day) KAREL BANKS (Technical Manager)
Choreographer, Dancer and Production Technician born and raised in Belize, Central America; Beaudau is black, queer, gender non-conforming immigrant artist and Theatre Technician based in New York City that started formal dance training at the age of thirteen studying ballet and modern dance. They were accepted and graduated with a BFA in Fine Arts from the University of South Florida BFA program in Tampa, FLorida. They are now living in New York City freelancing with various dance artists while still following their love of theatre production.
JULIA DISCENZA (Co Curator/Producer)
Julia Discenza is a Brooklyn-based cinematographer. Her career began in modern dance and photography, but soon evolved to embrace moving images. As a director/cinematographer she has worked with many New York choreographers to translate the power of live dance to the screen. Her commercial projects and short film projects capitalize on her background in dance, showcasing her ability to choreograph the camera and work seamlessly with dancers on set. Additionally, she has directed and shot over 60 short documentary profiles about New York City workers and public high school teachers as part of the Sloan Foundation’s award for Public Service and STEM teaching. Since 2021, her experimental dance short with collaborator Georgia Usborne, Magnolia Moon, has garnered 10 film festival selections and won Best Experimental Film, Venice Shorts Film Festival (Venice, CA) and Best Experimental Short, Paris Independent Film Festival (Paris, France). She also teaches dance filmmaking techniques to children and adults throughout New York City and virtually across the nation.
Photo; Effy Grey
