Chelsea Factory Gives Legacy Gift To The Joyce Theater

Chelsea Factory Founder Jim Herbert announced that the organization, conceived as a five-year arts initiative in response to the city's post-pandemic recovery needs, is directing a significant legacy gift to The Joyce Theater Foundation following its planned closure earlier this year. The Chelsea Factory Legacy Fund will enable The Joyce to continue supporting new creation, artist opportunity, and meaningful public engagement. This gift reflects Chelsea Factory's intention that its remaining resources continue to serve New York's artistic ecosystem long after its doors have closed.

Chelsea Factory was established in 2021 by Jim Herbert, with Lauren Kiel serving as Executive Director and Donald Borror as Managing Director, and a board including Linda Shelton, Andrea Miller, and Ariel Patrick. The community arts hub was conceived as a limited-term initiative designed to respond quickly and creatively to post-pandemic recovery needs. It blossomed into a vital cultural home for artists across disciplines, offering modular, flexible spaces for residencies, rehearsals, performances, thought gatherings, exhibitions, and community-centered programming. The organization supported a wide array of choreographers, theater-makers, musicians, filmmakers, and multidisciplinary creators, and forged meaningful partnerships with groups such as Gallim Dance, Juilliard Jazz, Ghetto Film School, and Tectonic Theater Project, among many others. Over its tenure, Chelsea Factory hosted more than 3,000 artists, including 15 resident artists; partnered with more than 100 New York City arts organizations; presented more than 300 free public programs and events, welcomed over 40,000 attendees, and invested significantly in artists through direct financial support.

In preparing for its completion, Chelsea Factory undertook a comprehensive effort to ensure that its remaining assets would continue to benefit the broader arts community—donating or selling equipment at substantially reduced costs to organizations throughout the city and distributing two rounds of grants to a selection of its resident artists. Even after this redistribution, funds remained. These resources—an initial amount of approximately $170,000—are now being placed in the care of The Joyce to be awarded over the next three to five years in support of the development and presentation of new dance works. All distribution decisions will be made solely by The Joyce, in keeping with its longstanding commitment to investing in artists at every stage of their creative process.

“Chelsea Factory emerged during the COVID-19 shutdown, when the cultural community reached a sudden standstill and artists urgently needed space, support, and the freedom to create again,” said Jim Herbert, Founder of Chelsea Factory. “As we transition our remaining assets to The Joyce, we do so with fullconfidence that they will carry forward the values that shaped our work—advancing new creations, elevating diverse voices, and enriching the cultural fabric of New York.”

“We are deeply grateful for this gift and for the trust it represents,” said Linda Shelton, Executive Director of The Joyce Theater Foundation. “Chelsea Factory's commitment to artists, experimentation, and access aligns profoundly with our own mission. This gift enables us to support even more artists as they create bold new work and share it with the public, ensuring that Chelsea Factory's remarkable impact continues to be felt.”

Further details about the fund and its distribution will be announced by The Joyce at a later date.