SHIPYARD TRUST FOR THE ARTS

Shipyard Artists began populating the abandoned buildings of the former Hunters point Naval Shipyard in 1984. An artist named Jacques Terzian rehabilitated multiple buildings, sub-divided them and rented them out to artists, building the largest studio community in the United States. Over the past 40 years, Shipyard Trust for the Arts, and its predecessor organization, successfully defended the artist studios against displacement, and they are now written into the community benefit agreement with the future developer. However, in the meantime, the contaminated shipyard is still being cleaned, and no end of this process is currently in sight.

When artists began moving into abandoned buildings at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in the 1980s, they were acutely aware of the disparities in education, health care, and nutritious food faced by our neighboring, predominantly Black community.
Shipyard Artists began their engagement with the community by teaching art at local elementary schools, and through initiatives like the Children's Mural Program. This program celebrated local African American heroes, their history and legacy, and drew attention to environmental issues stemming from the Shipyard.
With Shipyard Trust for the Arts (STAR)’s official establishment in the 1990s, the community-centric approach continued. The artists who had already forged relationships with local schools, the Bayview Opera House, and still served on the Shipyard’s Citizen Advisory Board, became pillars of the new organization. STAR forged enduring partnerships, such as after-school arts classes with the Malcolm X Academy and Bayview Senior Services’ intergenerational art program.
To create an inclusive environment during our biannual Open Studios events, we engaged local African American food vendors and musicians. This not only provided them with a business opportunity and exposure, but also cultivated a sense of belonging for Bayview residents attending these events.
To welcome Black community artists into the Shipyard artist community, STAR launched an 18-month-long artist-in-residence initiative. This program provides a Bayview artist with complimentary studio space, mentorship, and a stipend. Over half of the 17 former resident artists secured their own studios following their residencies. The AIR program played a pivotal role in increasing the African American Shipyard Artist count from a mere 2 to 29.
In 2022, we introduced public Shipyard history tours, highlighting the shared histories of the Shipyard and the African American Bayview Hunters Point community.