PDF Version - Giving to HSA

2010
annual
report
the harlem school of the arts

2010
annual
report
the harlem school of the arts

3
HSA at a Glance
act one
vision
Nearly 50 years ago, acclaimed opera soprano
Dorothy Maynor founded the Harlem School of the
Arts to give young people and adults “the freedom
to develop the artist, student and citizen within
themselves in an environment that emphasizes
rigorous arts training, stimulates creativity, builds
self-confidence and adds a dimension of beauty
to their lives.” Since that time, HSA has evolved
into a renowned training ground–a place of vision,
excellence, and community in which students have
the support to pursue their artistic passions.
In FY10, some 1,000 students, ages 4-18,
registered in our Open Enrollment courses,
Summer Camp, and High School/College Prep
program; we reached an additional 750 children
through our Arts Extension Program in New York
City’s public and charter schools. Regardless of
age, initial skill level, or interests, all these students
gained artistic literacy and skills, confidence in
their own creative powers, and appreciation for
the world’s great cultural traditions. They grew as
artists and individuals, guided and supported by:
Our outstanding faculty. The more than 60
teaching artists on our roster are drawn from the
nation’s top institutions–including The Juilliard
School and the Yale School of Drama; the Ailey
School/Fordham B.F.A. Program, New York
University, and Cooper Union. They maintain their
own impressive artistic schedules–touring with
the Duke Ellington Orchestra; performing at the
Roundabout Theater and the Metropolitan Opera
Ballet; exhibiting at Sotheby’s–but their devotion
to teaching HSA’s young people always comes
first. Once at HSA, they tend to stay for many
years, demanding the best from their students and
providing them with nurture and support. They are
the force behind generations of nascent artistes.
Our award-winning 37,000 square-foot facility
designed specifically for art instruction,
performance and exhibition. We have three
beautiful, Balanchine-designed dance studios;
piano and percussion studios; computer labs;
a well-equipped visual arts studio; a central
performance space; instrumental practice rooms;
and a contemporary sculpture garden and
waterfall-backed courtyard. Our adjacent Black
Box Theater is sought out by professional repertory
companies from across the city and beyond.
Our open doors. HSA students include the
pre-schooler handling his first paint brush and the
mezzo-soprano en route to Conservatory; the
born-and-bred Harlem child and the teenager
traveling many miles to attend our classes. By
keeping tuition low–and by offering scholarships
wherever feasible–we serve those who may have
few, if any, other chances to study art.
Our programmatic scope. HSA’s curriculum
allows students to explore and find their own
particular artistic voice and strengths. It covers all
four disciplines of music, dance, theater and visual
arts, and–within each discipline–offers beginner
and advanced level training; and classes within a
range of styles. Our students study hip-hop and
ballet; Kandinsky, Michelangelo, and Jacob
Lawrence; classical and avant-garde theater;
Mozart and Coltrane.
Our rich relationships. HSA is a gathering
place for families, who connect with one another,
entrust us with their children, and give us new
perspectives and hands-on help. HSA is the
grateful partner of many donors. Some have been
with us for decades; others came to us for the first
time this past spring. HSA is a home base and
launching pad for its students. They return to us
each year with their shining gifts–as performers,
teachers, and role models. We are both anchor and
resource for Harlem’s great cultural institutions.
Established and emerging companies perform and
exhibit in our space; they offer us master classes
and internships; they keep us on the cutting edge
of the art world.

5
Letter from the Board Chair
Dear Friends,
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Harlem
School of the Arts (HSA), I am pleased to offer you
a report chronicling the challenging, demanding,
yet–ultimately–uplifting past year of HSA’s
history. On April 1, 2010, having run out of funds,
we closed our doors and faced the unthinkable
prospect of shutting down forever. We were closed
for three long weeks, until an extraordinary group of
angels came through to help us finish out the year.
Mayor Bloomberg, Commissioner of Cultural
Affairs Kate Levin, and other City officials were
articulate and powerful ambassadors on our
behalf. Luminaries of the philanthropic and artistic
worlds–including The Herb Alpert Foundation, The
Starr Foundation, and two anonymous donors–
collectively contributed more than $1 million to
re-open our doors. A sterling team of business,
artistic and community leaders formed a Board
equipped to safeguard both our world-class status
and our particular role within the Harlem
community. A top-level Planning Committee
comprised of renowned leaders in the arts began
drafting a strategic plan for our long-term fiscal and
programmatic stability.
Throughout the crisis, HSA families, faculty, and
staff members resolutely put students’ well-being
ahead of all other considerations. Parents met
and communicated with us on a daily basis.
Faculty agreed to stay on for three weeks beyond
our usual school closing date to help make up for
the missed sessions.
Staff members remained ready and informed;
they swiftly returned us to full functioning. Most
importantly, our students never gave up on
us–or on themselves. They maintained practice
schedules; rushed back to classes; and were able
to mount some of HSA’s best-ever end-of-year
exhibitions and performances.
This report illuminates the full dimensions of HSA’s
place within the art capital that we call home–as
cultural icon, community oasis, and springboard for
young people’s artistic development. It displays the
greatness that we achieve by harnessing creativity,
vision and persistence. It expresses our gratitude
for the loyalty and determination of our supporters.
FY 2010 taught us, as nothing else could, that our
administrative, fundraising and fiscal standards
must be as high as our artistic ones. We are aware
of the difficult decisions that lie ahead–and of the
hard work required to re-build confidence and
create a solid and sustainable financial base. We
know that the eyes of all who rallied to our cause
are fixed on our performance. We pledge ourselves
to be worthy of your faith and your generosity–to
be astute, diligent stewards of the incomparable
resource with which we have been entrusted.
Charles J. Hamilton, Jr.

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7
Overview of the Board
Charles J. Hamilton, Jr., Chairman
Mr. Hamilton graduated from Harvard College, Harvard Law School (J.D.,
1975) and received a Masters Degree in City Planning from M.I.T.
Mr. Hamilton is a Partner of La Cité Development, LLC, and has been a
Partner in the law firms of Battle Fowler LLP and Paul, Hastings, Janofsky
& Walker LLP. Mr. Hamilton is also on the Board of Directors of the
Environmental Defense Fund, and the Phoenix House Foundation, Inc, and
serves as a Trustee of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Ephraim Emmanuel
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Emmanuel studied law at the University
of the West Indies, Barbados. For twenty years, Mr. Emmanuel practiced
law and was an Associate Tutor at the Sir Hugh Wooding Law School in
Statutory Interpretation & Legal Drafting. In 1998, Mr. Emmanuel migrated
to the United States, is a small business proprietor, and presently teaches
English to immigrants. Currently, Mr. Emmanuel serves as the President of
the Harlem School of the Arts Parents Association.
Janice Savin Williams, Vice Chair & Secretary
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ms. Savin Williams is a graduate of Tufts
University and is Co-Founder and Senior Principal of The Williams
Capital Group, L.P. She has served on the Board of Lenox Hill Neighborhood
House, North General Hospital and ISI, Inc., as well as not-for-profit
organizations such as The Fresh Air Fund. Currently, Ms. Savin Williams
serves on the Board of Directors of Women In Need and the NAACP-
ACTSO, among others.
Milton Irvin, Treasurer
Milton Irvin is a Managing Director and Americas Head of Diversity and
Inclusion for UBS. Mr. Irvin graduated from the United States Merchant
Marine Academy and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business,
University of Pennsylvania. In 1994 President Clinton appointed him to the
Advisory Committee of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation for which
he served as Chairman. He currently serves on numerous Boards including
the Wharton Graduate Executive Board, the Summit New Jersey YMCA.
Nina Cooke John
Ms. Cooke John is the founding principal of the architecture firm Studio
Level LLC. She earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Cornell
University and a Masters of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from
Columbia University. She has worked on such cultural institutions as the
New York Botanical Gardens and the Clinton Library. Ms. Cooke John also
teaches architecture and design strategy at Syracuse University and most
recently at Parsons the New School for Design.
Edith W. Cooper
Ms. Cooper is global head of Human Capital Management at Goldman
Sachs, and first joined the firm in 1996 to build and lead the firm’s Energy
Sales Group in New York. She was named partner in 2000. She earned an
MM from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University
and an AB from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges. Ms. Cooper is also on the
Board of Trustees for Teach for America’s Fairfield Chapter.
Steven P. Henry
Since 1997, Mr. Henry has been the Director of the Paula Cooper Gallery
in New York. Prior to 1997, Mr. Henry was the Associate Director at the
Margo Leavin Gallery in L. A., and previous to that he worked at the New
Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and the Dallas Museum of Art.
He is a Trustee of the Board of Advisors at the Little Opera Theatre of New
York and the Inner City Foundation of New York. He holds Bachelor of Arts
degrees in Art History and Political Science from Northwestern University
and both an MBA and a Masters in Arts Administration from Southern
Methodist University in Dallas.
Jeffrey Laikind
A Certified Financial Analyst since 1967, Mr. Laikind was Co-Founder and
Managing Director of Prudential Securities Asset Management, raising over
$2 billion in assets and generating over $50 million in revenues. He is a
graduate of Cornell University and the NYU Graduate School of Business.
In 1999, Mr. Laikind co-founded StreetSquash, an urban enrichment
program serving over 750 high school students in Harlem. Mr. Laikind has
also chaired the Executive Committee of the New York City Opera.
Mary Schmidt Campbell
Dr. Campbell has been Dean of New York University’s Tisch School of the
Arts since 1991. Dean Campbell began her career as the Executive
Director of the Studio Museum in Harlem. In 1987, Mayor Edward I. Koch
invited Dr. Campbell to serve as Commissioner of Cultural Affairs of the
City of New York. Dean Campbell holds a B.A. degree in English Literature
from Swarthmore College, an M.A. in Art History from Syracuse University,
and a Ph.D. in Humanities, also from Syracuse. In September of 2009 Dean
Campbell was appointed by President Barack Obama as the Vice Chair of
the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

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9
Letter from the Planning Committee Co-Chair
Dear Friends,
Executive Summary
This past spring, I was deeply honored to be
invited to co-chair the Planning Committee
charged with creating a blueprint for the Harlem
School of the Arts. HSA’s Strategic Planning
Committee, a stellar group, generously brought
expertise and wisdom to the process of planning
the future of a stellar institution.
My colleagues on the Committee included:
Michael Kaiser–Planning Committee Co-Chair;
President of the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts
Robert Campanna–Director at Prudent
Management Associates; recently retired Executive
Director of the Music School Settlement of
Philadelphia
Aaron Flagg–Professor and Dean of the Hartt
School of the Arts, University of Hartford; former
Executive Director of the Music Conservatory of
Westchester and Director of Educational Outreach
at The Juilliard School
Charles J. Hamilton– HSA Board Chair; Attorney
and Partner of La Cité Development, LLC
Reynold Levy–President, Lincoln Center; former
President 92nd Street Y and President of the
AT&T Foundation
David Rivel–Director of City Parks Foundation;
former President of the Brooklyn Conservatory
of Music
Janice Savin Williams–HSA Board Vice-Chair;
Co-Founder and Senior Principal of the Williams
Capital Group
Over the course of the summer, our group
reviewed HSA’s assets, conducted an
environmental scan of comparable arts institutions,
and investigated overall best practices in the
field. By the early fall of 2010, we had developed
a strategic platform from which HSA can move
forward over the next five years. Our findings and
recommendations cover four main areas:
• Strengthening HSA’s core organizational
capacities–continuing to build a committed,
visionary, generous board; hiring a longterm
executive director with top leadership
skills; creating robust, state-of-the-art financial,
human resource, development, marketing and
communications departments.
• Putting in place practices ensuring longterm
financial sustainability–correcting past
organizational and financial management
deficiencies; establishing efficient and
accountable financial management systems;
establishing a viable working budget; calibrating
balanced and appropriate tuition, salary, and
scholarship rates; identifying new earned income
revenue streams; expanding the number of first
time donors—individual, corporate and
foundation.
• Examining all curricular offerings–identifying
areas of high demand; including curricular
offerings unique to HSA within a competitive
New York City market; reviewing and eliminating
programming non-essential to HSA’s core
mission; conducting aggressive recruitment
efforts for leading practitioners in all four of
HSA’s program areas—visual arts, theater,
dance and music; strengthening programmatic
and professional partnerships.
• Strengthening, expanding, and appropriately
publicizing HSA’s unique assets–its
magnificent facilities; superb faculty; diverse
and comprehensive course offerings in its four
arts divisions; and connections and
collaborations with pre-eminent arts and
educational organizations and leadership.
As you will see in the pages that follow, HSA
has taken these goals and guidelines strongly
to heart.
For several months, the new Board and HSA staff
have been taking definitive steps to correct serious
deficiencies in financial management, and install
clear lines of accountability.
The new Board demands 100% participation
in giving from its members and is pursuing the
engagement of a number of additional members
with the willingness to commit time and money
to the institution. Staff and Board have launched
a range of dynamic new fundraising efforts;
and the search for a new permanent Executive
Director is well underway. The Board is putting in
place policies to keep the School both financially
sustainable and accessible to those for whom
talent exceeds family income. To create new
income, the School is expanding rentals of its
facility and forming vibrant alumni and parent
associations. To attract new students, the School
will review and sharpen its curriculum. The
School has invested in a range of imaginative
new marketing approaches and plans to bolster its
pre-professional programs, and is exploring
potential new partnerships with the city’s finest
educational and arts institutions, so as to increase
its reach and broaden its students’ professional
and educational opportunities.
We on the Planning Committee are proud to
have been part of a process that will help HSA
continue pursuing a mission vital to the Upper
Manhattan community in which it resides, build
on its achievements, and assume its rightful and
recognized place as one of the crown jewels of
arts education in this city.
Mary Schmidt Campbell
HSA Music Student Sunny Roberts
HSA Planning Committee Co-Chair and HSA Board
member; Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts; former
Chair of the New York State Council on the Arts

11
Dance
HSA’s Dance Department supports every aspect
of young dancers’ development–it strengthens
their technique, encourages their passion, and
builds their Dance “vocabulary.” Students are
initially evaluated, so they can enter the class(es)
best suited to their skills and interests. They then
can progress through a rich menu of courses,
developing their proficiency and comfort level
with a wide range of styles. As they move forward,
their options deepen and broaden–they can join a
classical ballet corps or a modern dance troupe; a
Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap, or African Dance ensemble or
a Broadway-style chorus line. They gain
the great and invaluable freedom that
comes from versatility, confidence
and poise–in their careers
and in their lives.
In FY10, HSA Dance students performed
at City College’s Aaron Davis Hall in a dynamic
repertoire of works. They choreographed and
danced West African dances to African folk music;
and ballet productions to Western music ranging
from Tchaikovsky to Scott Joplin to Philip Glass.
HSA students were featured in a video of the pop
singer Shakira’s World Cup theme song, Waka
Waka. Their end-of-year production included a
Chinese-American modern dance piece–Fear
Not–choreographed to the music of Ludwig Van
Beethoven, in which they performed side-by-side
with professional dancers from HSA’s Artist-in-
Residence Nai Ni Chen Dance Company.
act two
excellence
HSA Faculty Member Joseph Webb

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13
Cynthia Shipley
I knew this was
where I belonged;
that it was the best
place I could be.
“The incredible strength of the school–the
incredible strength of the students–really came
out this spring, when we shut down for three
weeks…and then had to rush back and put
together a show.”
Cynthia Shipley–Ballet, Dance, and Pilates
teacher–had just begun preparing students for
HSA’s major end-of-semester dance performance
at City College’s Aaron Davis Hall when the school
was forced into a three-week furlough.
“While we were closed, I kept in touch with my
students–told them to keep practicing; told them
not to lose hope. When the doors re-opened, they
had to begin all over again, catch up, work doubletime.
I won’t say there wasn’t a lot of yelling–it was
all pretty nerve-wracking. But they pulled it off.
They more than pulled it off. Their performances
were brilliant.”
Ms. Shipley–who studied at the Peabody
Conservatory and the Dance Theatre of Harlem,
and has toured the country with numerous
dance companies–reflects on the reasons for
her students’ fierce devotion. “We teach them to
do their best, of course. They know it is what is
expected of them. Most of all, however, I think they
do it because they love this school. This is the
place that has believed in them, that has nurtured
them, that has opened up new vistas for them.
This is their community. None of them wants to let
that community down.”
Princess Romero
“You might say that HSA and its teachers have
been family to me,” states Princess Mecca Romero,
recent graduate of the College Prep Dance
Program. “My mother went here. Mr. Lewis–one
of my HSA teachers–was actually one of her
classmates. I basically grew up here. Every day I
commuted from Queens, where we lived, to my
high school downtown, to HSA uptown, then
back to Queens. But it didn’t matter. I knew this
was where I belonged; that it was the best place
I could be.”
Which is not to say that it was easy. “Each of our
teachers pushed us beyond what we thought
we could do in a different way. Ms. Shipley was
never mean, but she expected us to give our all.
We loved her so much that we just had to be as
amazing as we could, so she would be proud of
us. And Mr. Pavlovsky–he was Russian, classically
trained–he demanded CLASSICAL form. So we
gave him CLASSICAL form. Mr. Lewis taught a
mixture of Modern (mostly Horton), Hip-Hop–and
Jazz. It was so tough, emotionally and physically,
that when I finished his class, I felt I could do
anything. And Ms. Glass–Ms. Glass never let
me coast on my technical skills (I was always
technically good); she helped me dance from my
heart, from my passion.”
Princess has known that she wanted to dance
“from the moment I could walk.” And she has
been training for it ever since. “I’ve had a lot of
teachers. I went to a special ballet-focused grade
school and attended high school at Professional
Performing Arts School (PPAS). Now that I’m
in college, at California Institute of the Arts, I’m
majoring in Dance. But there is no doubt that
it was the teachers at HSA–more than anyone
else–who made me the dancer I am today.”
This is the place that
has believed in them,
that has nurtured them,
that has opened up
new vistas for them.

14
Clifford Jones
15
Music
When Clifford Jones plays the piano, his fingers
speed across the notes with such power and grace
that it is, in the words of a fellow student, “as if
there were six sets of hands at the keyboard.”
HSA’s Music Department produces well-rounded,
accomplished solo and ensemble musicians
through a curriculum that includes rigorous
individual instrumental and voice lessons;
jazz and chamber groups; and intensive study of
theory, composition, rhythmic literacy, and
music technology. The program develops students’
familiarity with–and ease in performing–Western,
African, and Latin music. They leave with
the training, the fluency, and the flexibility to
understand, take part in, and enjoy a wide range of
musical forms and venues.
FY10 was a jam-packed year of musical
performances and opportunities. The HSA Jazz
Band performed at the US Open, the New York
City Marathon, and the Transit Workers’ Union’s
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Women’s History
Month celebrations. The Dorothy Maynor Singers
performed traditional holiday carols at the TD
Bank’s 125th Street branch. There were ongoing
school recitals by members of the Clarinet, Guitar,
Percussion, Piano, Trumpet, Violin, and Vocal
Studies classes; and of the Children’s Chorus
and the Recorder Ensemble. End-of-year recitals
featured vocal performances from Franz Shubert’s
Ave Maria, George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess,
and Disney’s Aladdin.
“I started on the piano very late–at age 14. I took
this one music class, in high school–a required
course–and suddenly I knew this would be my life. I
found a piano and began teaching myself. I worked
on my own for three years. Then a member of my
church told me about HSA.”
Clifford’s life changed yet again when he came
to the School. “My teachers taught me that the
sky’s the limit. Ms. Delilah introduced me to new
composers and new music–I moved from Mozart
to Chopin to Rachmaninoff to Liszt. I really ‘found’
myself with Liszt–what works best for me just
seems right for Romantic music.” Clifford now
practices five hours a day on weekdays and eight
hours on weekends–while maintaining a full course
load in college. He plays at recitals and composes
his own music. In the summer, he is a counselor at
the HSA camp.
“I work with the four and five year olds and I find
I really like it,” he recounts. “It makes me think I
might want to teach–to do for other kids what HSA
has done for me.”
My teachers taught me
that the sky’s the limit.
Tsyala Khudad-Zade
Tsyala Khudad-Zade, or–as she is universally and
affectionately known–“Ms. Delilah,” is a piano
soloist and accompanist. She was born and raised
and was trained at conservatory in Tbilisi, Georgia.
But she has found her real home in Harlem.
“All my life, I looked to the West, I dreamed of
the West. I didn’t know it at the time, but I
was dreaming of HSA. I am sitting here because
I love it.”
Ms. Delilah explains that she honed both her
command of English and her incomparable
teaching skills by working with her students. Over
the past 31 years, she has worked with hundreds
of young people–those who have gone on to
become professional musicians, those who simply
love to play, and those whose whole lives have
been transformed by music. Her office is vividly
decorated with mementos of her students–layers
of pictures and notes of appreciation.
“I teach everybody, everybody,” she declares.
“There is no child who can’t benefit from learning
to play. One of the students who came to me
had some big intellectual challenges. He wasn’t
succeeding in school; he was so discouraged.
But once he sat down at the piano, he came alive.
As he mastered the music, it helped him with
everything else.”
Ms. Delilah tells her students: “Don’t take art
for granted. Art is precious and priceless.”
They hear her.
HSA Student Aden Parrish

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17
Theater
Zora Howard
“The theater just grabbed me,” states Zora
Howard, former HSA student, now studying at
Yale University. “I tried it all here–ballet, art, violin,
chorus–it’s one of the great things about HSA
that it is all here, that you can try it all. But what
grabbed me most was the stage.”
All the opportunities I could
ever want were here...the
school gave us the chance to
really stretch ourselves.
Students in the HSA Theater Department
benefit from a traditional conservatory approach
covering all aspects of dramatic performance and
production. They enroll in classes on monologue
development; audition techniques; scene
development; movement (including Clowning, and
Stage Combat); voice and speech. They study
theater history and theatrical technology. They
strengthen their performance range and repertoire
through commercial and theatrical auditions and
acting showcases that
display the full scope of
their dramatic, comic,
and musical talents.
In FY10, HSA students acted in productions that
included excerpts from Shakespeare’s
Julius Caesar; a staged reading of Douglass
Turner Ward’s satire, Day of Absence; and George
C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum. Two Theater
students made their silver screen debut in Cold
April–a film based on the true story of the girls of
the St. Maria Goretti School in Rwanda who were
slaughtered after refusing to hand over their Tutsi
classmates to Hutu militias. The film was nominated
as a REEL FRONTIER
finalist for excellence
and innovation in
independent media
arts expression.
Zora entered HSA when she was four years old.
“All the opportunities I could ever want were here.
We studied with the finest teachers. We took
special workshops at the Classical Theatre of
Harlem. We ushered at plays around town and saw
members of our own community–actors of color–
living our dream. We each acted in dozens and
dozens of plays, pushing our boundaries. I once
was the youngest person in the cast, playing the
oldest person in the play. The school gave us the
chance to really stretch ourselves.” And yet, Zora
muses, “even more than the opportunities, what
moved me was the sense of respect and
reciprocity. We all appreciated and supported
one another–teachers and students, students
and students. We all learned from one another,
in a great circle. The actors from the Classical
Theatre of Harlem came to teach us because they
themselves had studied here. When the school
was forced to close, alumni came forward to
help open it up again. This school invests in
the current network of young artists; even more
importantly, it creates a community that paves the
way for those to come.”
Willie E. Teacher
“Creating great theater is a matter of speaking the
truth,” says Willie E. Teacher–member of the HSA
Theater faculty; Brandeis graduate; accomplished
actor with numerous television and film credits and
with a great love of the stage. He has performed
with a range of national theater companies,
including the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and
the Classical Theatre of Harlem.
Alumna Zora Howard
“It isn’t easy to pull truth out of ‘nothing’ – out of a
bare stage. Your job as an actor, as a story-teller, is
to get your listeners to ‘suspend their disbelief’–to
enter another world. And to do that, you yourself
have to believe in your story, passionately and
completely. One untrue moment can undo the
whole process.”
Of course, telling the truth also requires great
technique, and Mr. Teacher makes sure that every
student is equipped for the task. “They rehearse,
explore and gain valuable tools–learn to identify
and pursue goals, to be free with movement on
stage, to use their voice, to play. Only then can
they begin tapping into the passion that lifts us all
up into greatness.”
Mr. Teacher knows that not every student will
become a star. “But,” he explains, “the skills they
gain at HSA will support them in whatever they
do. They will draw on the poise, the presence, the
voice of the theater to communicate and command
attention–all their lives. If they find themselves
in a position of power, what they learn here will
enhance it. And if they ever find themselves without
power, it will enable them to look straight at their
audience, find their truth, and speak it.”

18
Ana Ruiz-Castillo
19
Visual Arts
HSA’s Visual Arts Department sparks creative
expression, develops core techniques, and
supports artistic literacy within a range of styles
and periods. It develops young people’s mastery
of different media–sculpture, paint, drawing,
photography, ceramics, film-making, illustration,
and computer-based art. It draws on the rich
laboratory of New York City’s museums and
galleries to open students’ eyes to all that is
possible–to broaden their tastes and
perspectives and hone their critical skills.
During FY10, Visual Arts students mounted
Breakthrough–a comprehensive exhibition
incorporating works from their Art Basics,
Camera Antics, Children’s
Drawing, Clay Sculpture,
Computer Kids, Graphic
Design, Illustration
Concepts, Japanese
Cartooning, and
Printmaking classes. Visual Arts High School Prep
and College Prep students showed individual
works in a range of media. In addition, the
Department hosted:
• An exhibition by Visual Artist-in-Residence
Patrick Singh called: Colos’soul: Diaspora
Diaries of Patrick Singh, representing the
largest collection of his works ever displayed in
this country.
• A retrospective collection of photographer
Hank Paper–Ascension: The Journey of John
Coltrane–that documented that Jazz pioneer’s
life, and was musically accompanied by HSA
faculty member and saxophonist JD Parran.
• An exhibition by Visual Artist Elaine Defibaugh in
which paint, thread, print, and textiles combined
in richly-textured abstractions.
“I tell my students that we are here on this planet
to create,” explains Ana Ruiz-Castillo, Sculpture,
Ceramics, and Drawing teacher in the HSA Visual
Arts department. “I tell them to dig into the clay and
let their imaginations go. Children spend so much
time being told what to do. Here they just have to
feel the clay. They let the clay instruct them. They
let themselves play. They use their hands. It is a
form of freedom, and what comes out is amazing.”
Ms. Ruiz-Castillo was born in Spain and graduated
from the Madrid School of Ceramics. She regularly
shows her sculpture in galleries across New York.
“But,” she says, “what I love best happens right
here.” Her students “learn to stop and really look
at things–to see things in new ways. I show them
the great masters–we look at Pablo Picasso’s
Guernica–and suddenly they realize there are a
hundred ways to draw a horse. And then they take
off and make their own versions in clay.”
Asked to share a few stories of her students, Ms.
Ruiz-Castillo smiles gently and points to a stone
sculpture–the smooth soft contours of a face
emerging out of its rough, cold surface. She places
a ceramic seal on the table, gracefully undulating
under a glistening patina of turquoise glaze.
”These are my stories,” she says.
We look at Pablo Picasso’s
Guernica and suddenly they
realize there are a hundred
ways to draw a horse.
Malakye Wright
Malakye Wright, a 14 year-old HSA student,
has attended the School since he was four years
old. He has immersed himself in every aspect of
his discipline–art history and ceramics, sculpting,
wood prints, drawing and painting–and he has
worked in a wide range of styles, from realist to
abstract.
Sculpture by Malakye Wright
“I like all the styles. I like all the mediums. I like
all the arts activities,” he says. “Basically, I just
like it here.”
A young man of few words and mighty vision, his
extraordinary work speaks for itself.

20
Prep Program
Foster Care Initiative
21
HSA offers a special program–HSA Prep–to
students who have the desire and the ability to
take part in a highly concentrated, structured, and
demanding arts training experience. HSA Prep has
two main goals: (1) to support robust and wellrounded
artistic proficiency; and (2) to position
students to enter secondary and post-secondary
schools providing ongoing, high-quality training in
the arts.
HSA Prep has two divisions: High School Prep
is for students in grades 6-8 and College Prep
for students in grades 9-12. Regardless of when
they enter, all Prep students must pass through
an extremely selective audition
process; and–once in the
program–must follow a
multi-course curriculum
of mandated and elective
classes. Prep students
participate in ensembles and
group shows that showcase
the program and the School to
the wider world. They attend and
critique performances and exhibitions
around the city and learn about a range
of arts-related career options. They work with
faculty to create dynamic and persuasive portfolios
and audition materials and to complete admissions
and financial aid applications to the high schools
and colleges in which they seek to study.
In FY10–with generous support
from the Surdna Foundation,
the Educational Foundation of
America, the Romare Bearden
Foundation, and several other
private philanthropies and
individual donors–HSA
accepted 41 students
into the Prep program.
All fulfilled their course requirements, mounted
a range of stunning productions, and grew into
polished performers and artists. Every 8th grader
in the program was accepted into a specialized
high school–La Guardia High School, the
Professional Children’s School, Talent Unlimited
High School and Stuyvesant High School; one
received a scholarship from the National Key
Women’s Foundation to continue his studies
at St. Ann’s School. Similarly, every graduating
12th grader entered a top-level college–SUNY
Schenectady, Brown University, Montclair
University, the University of Chicago, Wheaton
College, and Brandeis University–with the financial
assistance required to attend those colleges.
One of HSA’s central goals is to provide
children with the uniquely uplifting gift of art
regardless of their particular economic or family
situations. Last year–working in partnership
with the Harlem Dowling foster care agency
and generously supported by the Durst Family
Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation–
we offered full scholarships to 26 children from
the City’s child welfare system. Most of these
children had never had the chance to explore
their own artistic talents; to receive consistent
attention and praise from caring adults; to
Participating foster parents explain the program’s impact:
experience the unique sense of belonging that
comes from collective creative enterprise.
Each participating child enrolled in two classes–
generally in two different disciplines–each
semester. No one but the HSA Registrar knew
which children were supported by this program;
all were simply accepted as “part of the team.”
Every child attended consistently–even those
who traveled long distances from other boroughs;
even one young man who was moved to a
new foster home midway through the year.
All year long, my children fuss and fuss about getting up
for school. You have no idea! I think sometimes it’s hard for
them just to face the day. But they were up and dressed and
at the door every single Saturday, saying: ‘When can we go,
Mami?’ They didn’t miss a single HSA class!
My son rushed home to practice his violin, every day. So
much joy, so much devotion. And how lovely it was to hear
him! He would say: ‘Listen to me, listen to me, Mama!’ His
teachers said he had a real gift. I say: ‘thank God for HSA!’
My kids were so happy; it was all so perfect, it was all so…they felt
so…how can I put it? So integrated. For the first time in their lives,
they had something wonderful to be part of, something they could
look forward to every week. I am so grateful.
Dance Major Charisma Glasper

22
Arts in Education Program
23
As budget cuts have forced New York City public
schools to slash their arts programs, HSA has
helped fill the void. We partner with schools across
the Harlem community and the city, bringing our
faculty on-site to their schools, or bringing their
students to HSA.
Funding for these efforts comes from special
allocations from schools’ internal budgets, and
private contributions. The extent and focus
of programming in each school has been
determined individually, based on available funds;
on the interests of the students, teachers, and
administration; and on overall school curriculum.
In FY10, HSA worked in 11 public and charter
schools and reached 750 students, grades
Pre-K through 12. We offered visual arts courses,
dance courses, and theater courses; we taught
individual and ensemble music courses. In one
school, the principal asked that we concentrate
on ballet because of the strong particular interest
at that school. In another, we worked closely
with teachers to create a visual arts course
specifically supporting their social studies
program. Whatever the focus, our partnerships
with these schools have added immeasurably
to their curricula; they have stretched their
students’ minds and supported their talents.
A group of second and third graders from PS 46 say it best:
There was a rhythm that was hard, but I tried it and got it
perfect. We worked on a Funga and a Mambo! Everyone
said we were great. It was just beautiful. Thanks, HSA!
What I learned in Drama was ‘put your mind into
what you do.’ I had a fabulous time with HSA!
I never thought I could sing…but my
chorus teacher, Mr. Alston, always helped
me. He always knew I could do better.
My favorite class was art. I learned so many
new things. I want to go to HSA forever!
Camp
It’s July. Step inside from the rising sidewalk
heat to the cool blue comfort of HSA’s first floor
Gathering Space. A line of pirouetting girls in pink
tutus shoots across the floor en route to class.
Seventeen teenagers practice a Rap song while
dancing gracefully up and down the stage. A group
of ten year-olds tacks a brightly painted mural on
the wall. The waterfall garden is wall-to-wall tables
with kids and counselors happily having lunch.
A lone young man plays a slow jazz version of
America the Beautiful on a grand piano.
Welcome to camp time at the Harlem School
of the Arts. As a visitor, you may be blown away
by all the various energy streams, but all the
campers and counselors know they are in exactly
the right place–paths criss-crossing swiftly and
harmoniously, filling the space with laughter,
chatter, movement, and music, all summer long.
Launched in 2007 in response to community
demand, HSA’s summer camp runs for six weeks
from July through mid-August and serves preschoolers
through 18 year-olds. In FY10 it served
196 children; 13 of our counselors were HSA
alumni. All arts classes were taught by HSA’s
renowned professional faculty. Campers took
weekly field trips to some of New York City’s
grandest resources–from artists’ studios and city
museums to parks and theater productions.
Next year–based on increased demand–we
are considering extending the program for two
additional weeks.
Photo: HSA campers invited by NY Liberty WNBA Team
to sing at Madison Square Garden

25
Our Families
Every weekday afternoon, dozens of parents and
grandparents and aunts and uncles and older
siblings sit in our G-Space, waiting–and watching
out–for our students. Every Saturday, they work in
the reception area, welcoming those who enter; or
in our Gift Shop, making sales; or in the cafeteria,
serving food. When HSA needs help running a
phone-a-thon, it is the parents who handle our
phones. When our young dancers and actors and
musicians perform–and when our visual artists
exhibit–it is family members who fill the audience
with their loyal and enthusiastic support. It is
this rich family presence that helps create the
environment of caring and community that is the
hallmark of our School.
In April of 2010, when HSA was in the throes
of crisis, our families provided us with direction
and dynamic action. They organized rallies, they
sent out press releases–they raised a clarion call
to key community stakeholders to help pull us
through. Their activism was a key component in our
recovery, and our new Board now seats a parent
representative.
“All three of my children–Imani, Akilah and Iyanla–
have gone to HSA,” recounts Sabrina Vassar
who–together with her husband Robert–has
given countless hours of volunteer time towards
supporting the School. “One of our children
graduated, but two are still taking classes–one
is a Prep student and the other is in
the Children’s Dance Ensemble. HSA
is like a second home to us–a second
family. The teachers really care about
their students and they also reach out to
us parents; they include us in activities
and make us feel part of everything that
goes on. It is a safe place, a wonderful
place. We try to give back in any
way we can–because we love it.”
act three
community

26
Our Donors
27
We are deeply grateful to each and every individual
and philanthropic institution that stood by us during
a period that truly tested our collective resilience,
by contributing energy, in-kind services, sound
advice and gifts in any amount. Some made their
first contributions–and many broadened their
previous giving levels–just to ensure that HSA
would not fail. They have proven themselves to be
far more than donors; they have been steadfast and
vital partners in sustaining our School. Listed below
are those whose gifts ranged from $500 and up,
between July 1, 2009 and October 8, 2010.
The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.
–Friedrich Nietzsche
$500,000+
The Herb Alpert Foundation
$200,000–$499,999
Open Society Foundations and the
Fund for the City of New York
The Starr Foundation
$100,000–$199,999
Bloomberg
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Goldman Sachs Gives
New York State Council on the Arts
Estate of Robert E. Short
Surdna Foundation, Inc.
Two Anonymous Donors
$50,000-$99,999
The Willliam Randolph Hearst Foundation
Henry & Lucy Moses Fund, Inc.
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
Janice Savin Williams & Christopher Williams/
The Williams Capital Group, L.P.
Upper Manhattan Empowerment
Zone Development Corporation
US Dept. of Education/Fund for the
Improvement of Education
$25,000–$49,999
American Express Foundation
DLA Piper US LLP
Durst Family Foundation
Marion Moore Foundation, Inc.
New Horizon Foundation
Estate of Gitta Perl
$10,000–$24,999
Cynthia H. & Paul Augustine
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation
Educational Foundation of America, The
Charles J. Hamilton, Jr. & Pamela G. Carlton
Andrea Joyce & Harry Smith
MacDonald-Peterson Foundation
Scott Metzner
Christopher C. Paci & Sally Rocker
Scherman Foundation
Katherine G. Farley & Jerry Speyer
Bernard & Marjorie Sunshine
Gregory Tyson & Christa Schneeclaus-Tyson
$5,000–$9,999
BlackRock Financial Management, Inc.
Drucilla Cooper Memorial Fund
Disney VoluntEARS Community Fund/EIF
Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation
Kyle Good
The Happy Elephant Foundation
Steven P. Henry
Robert & Patricia Levinson Fund
The Overbrook Foundation
John & Nancy Palmer
Luther M. Ragin Jr. & Deborah Fish Ragin
Reginald Van Lee
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
Laurence W. Wilson
Y’all of New York, Inc.
$1,000–$4,999
Thomas G. Armstrong
Atlantic Philanthropies, The
Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Inc.
Tom Bartunek & Ann Keene
Romare Bearden Foundation
The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation
Ellen Blair/Sam & Ann Lopin Foundation
Roxanne Brandt
Adam & Janet Burke
Drs. George and Mary Campbell
J.T. (Ted) Childs, Jr.
Yvonne Clarke
Nina Cooke John, Studio Level LLC
Corcoran Cares
John W. Corwin
The Debs Foundation
The Lori & Mark Fife Foundation
The Glickenhaus Foundation
Michael & Anne Golden
Melanie Gray
Myrna & Stephen Greenberg
Warren Habib
Milton & Melody Irivn
Curtis Katz
Anna-Maria Kellen
Donna & Jeffrey Laikind
Reynold Levy
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles
Robert & Camille McDuffie
Henry McGee
Mark & Mary Miller
The Rona & Randolph M. Nelson Foundation
New York City Transit Authority
New York Smart Set
Ann O’Hare
Howard & Marcia Owens
Owning A Dream LLC
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Edward & Genevieve Shorin
Susan Silverman & Michael Braun
Gregg Smith & Jerri DeVard
Marcia Smith
Lisa E. Solomon
Jeffrey Spurgeon
St. Cecile Scholarship Fund, Inc.
Dhuane & Scott Stephens
United Way of New York City
Village Voice LLC
Garrett & Melinda Walls
George Wein
Nina & Theodore Wells
William Matheus Sullivan Musical Foundation, Inc.
Barry & Karen Wolf
Wolfensohn Family Foundation
$500–$999
Ernest & Kathleen Abrahamson
Clifton & Dolores Bullard
Irving Burgie
Yvette Degannes
Gilles Depardon & Kathryn Ogawa
Caroline Doll
Dennis Duffy
Helen J. Ellis
Andrew Gordon
Patricia E. Gottier & Bruce Kauffman
Algernon Grant
Laura Grant
Dana L. Hamilton
Dr. Christopher A. Johnson
Penelope D. Johnston
Marcie & Artie Kempner
Kiwi Partners Inc.
Marc & Dinah Kramer
Ann Kraus
Alfred Larkin & Wendy Fox
Stephen Mazoh
John Morris & Marcia Santoni
Katharine B. Mountcastle
The National Flute Association, Inc.
Eileen Shields
Arthur O. Sulzberger
TD Bank
Michelle Willens & David Corvo
Diane Wohl
Mary C. Wolf
The Zankel Fund
Susan Zirinsky & Joe Peyronnin

28
Our Faculty
Our Staff
29
The pages of this report shine a special spotlight
on the role that HSA’s teaching artists play in
fulfilling the mission of the School. Last year,
each one made a major difference in the lives
of dozens of students. This coming year–joined
and supported by eight Goldman Fellows from
The Juilliard School, generously funded by the
Goldman Sachs Foundation–they will continue
providing the intense, nurturing, rigorous instruction
that makes HSA the extraordinary place that it
is. We salute these dedicated professionals–
and we cannot ever thank them enough.
HSA’s staff members are the lifeblood of the
community. They run up and down our staircases
dozens of times a day, keeping our beautiful
building safe, clean, and operational; They
work with our funders; design and hang our
banners; register and keep in touch with our
families; manage our finances, and collect our
tuition payments; keep our records; handle our
human resource issues; plan and supervise our
programs; and comfort our younger students
when their parents are late to pick them up...
DANCE
MUSIC
Malik Coleman–Hip Hop I & II
Yvonne Curry–Tap
Charlotte Johnson–Ballet I, II, & III
Keith Lewis–Modern III, Hip Hop
Keisa Parrish–Dance 1A, Modern II, Jazz
Fred Alston–Music Theory, Chorus
Eli Asher–Music Theory, World of Music
James Bartow–Guitar
Rudy Bird–Percussion
Lucia Bradford-Wiggins–Voice
David Burnett–Violin
Janinah Burnett–Voice
Judith Dansker–Musical Explorations, Recorder, Oboe
Robert Dellureficio–Guitar
Donald Eaton–Percussion
Fima Farberg, Piano
Kaori Fujii–Flute
Lauri Galbreath–World of Music, Beginning Piano
Charles Jones–Piano
Sean Kelly–Percussion
Rose Quinones–Salsa
Cynthia Shipley–Dance 1A, Ballet I, II & II
Daaimah Talib-Din–African I, II & III
Joseph Webb–Advanced Tap
Hattie Mae Williams–Modern I & I A, CDE
Tsyala Khudad-Zade–Piano
Katy Luo–Piano Accompanist
David Miller–Woodwinds
Steven Oquendo–Trumpet, Jazz Band
JD Parran–Clarinet, Saxophone
Marcus Persiani–Piano
Bernard Phillips–Flute, Music Theory
Amali Premawardhana–Cello
Olga Rosales–Piano
La-Rose Saxon–Voice
Sonelius Smith–Piano
Beverly Somach–Violin
Elektra Stewart–Violin
Yuki Tei–Clarinet, Saxophone
Simon Walsh–Electric, Bass
Our FY11 Staff Includes:
Oamien Agans-Oliha , IT Director
Yedidiah Barker, HR Associate/Payroll Coordinator
LaToya Bethea, Development Coordinator
Jaison Coles, Music Program Associate
John W. Corwin, Interim Executive Director
Cherrye J. Davis, Theater Program Associate
Melanie Dyer, Development Director
Kenrick Garrick, Custodian/Maintenance
Algernon Grant, Senior Security Officer
Melody Gross, Communications & Marketing Associate
Sidney Jackson, Individual Giving Manager
Harold James, Custodian/Maintenance
Gyorgy Madarasz, IT Technician
Janice Mayer, Interim Communications & Marketing Director
Byron McCray, Visual Arts Program Associate,
Corporate & Community Partnerships
Iessa J. Mitchell-Sutton, Arts in Education Director,
HSA Prep Program Director
Kaitland O’Bryan, Graphic Designer
Bremilde Ramos, Administrative Assistant
Renee Rijos, Bursar
Llewelyn Smith, Custodian/Maintenance
Niki Spruill, Dance Program Associate
Patrice Turner, Registrar
Wayne W. Williams, Facilities Director
Ann Yarde, Security Officer
THEATER
Fred Alston–Voice and Speech
Judy Bowman–Acting for the Camera
Magaly Colimon-Christopher–Acting for Beginner II,
Bridge Ensemble, Teen Acting
Cherrye J. Davis–Acting for the Beginner I
Charles E. Gerber–Intro to Shakespeare
Deborah Kym–Advanced Musical Theater
Darrin Person–Acting III
Crystal Price–Theater Adventures
Willie Teacher–Acting for the Beginner III, Stage Combat,
Apprentice Ensemble, Advanced Teen Ensemble,
Monologue & Scene Study, Actor’s Gym
Sam Willmott–Musical Theater
VISUAL ARTS
Joshua Alafia–Film
Debby Albenda–Computer Kids
Ana Ruiz-Castillo–Children’s Drawing, Clay Studio
Kate Eschelbach–Drawing & Painting for Teens
Hosea Johnson–Camera Antics
Ray Jones–Manga Mania
Yashua Klos–Printmaking
Catherine Lawrence–College Prep Art History
Gyorgy Madarasz–Advanced Photography
Ghislaine Sabiti–Painting on Fabrics
Begonia Santa Cecilia–Art Basics
Alexandria Smith–Illustration Concepts
Shanon Weltman–Digital Design & Computer Arts
ARTS IN ED
Aakhu Ali
Rudy Bird
Lucia Bradford
Kim Brown
Ana Ruiz-Castillo
Donald Eaton
Kate Eschelbach
Elan Ferguson
Roberto Gandara
Nicholas Rispoli
Major Scurlock

30
Our Alumni
Our Village
31
Reading through the roster of HSA’s alumni can
leave one star-struck. There are renowned opera
singers, Tony-award winning stage performers,
leads in Broadway musicals and well-known
television and movie actors; there are heads of
museums, executive directors of arts organizations,
and vice presidents of major corporations. There
are world-traveled Jazz musicians and members of
top national dance companies.
What is, perhaps, less immediately evident is
that the roster is also filled with individuals who
consider HSA to be their “first and most influential
community;” the “place that launched” them; the
“place in which they made their closest friends”–
individuals who return to the School as teaching
artists and mentors, performers, and supporters.
With Fred Darden as our new Alumni Association
President, HSA will be taking strategic steps to
build on the love that so many feel for this School.
Board and staff are reaching out to all the names
in our database to form an Alumni Association
through which recent and past graduates can
create new channels for sharing experiences
and memories, inspiring and motivating current
students, and celebrating the School.
HSA is the place in which the entire Schoolbased
community comes together in times of
celebration and mutual support. This year, when
one of our students faced a costly and dangerous
bone marrow illness, HSA organized a rally to
sign up potential marrow donors; it then held
a benefit to raise money towards her ongoing
care. When one of our recent graduates needed
funds to attend a semester at the renowned
London Contemporary Dance School, we hosted
a performance to help her generate those funds.
She took off for England in September and since
then we’ve heard nothing but wonderful reports.
And when one of our own staff members passed
away, it was here at HSA that those who loved her
gathered to honor her life.
HSA is also a vital hub for the greater Harlem
community–and beyond. In FY10, dozens of
individuals and civic and non-profit groups
rented our Gathering Space and our garden
courtyard. A range of arts organizations and
schools used our studios for their classes and
rehearsals. Five major performance groups–Frank
Silvera’s Writer’s Workshop; The Electric
Company; the Classical Theatre of Harlem;
the H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players; and the EPIC Theatre
Ensemble–rented the Gathering Space or the
HSA Theater for their productions. And one of
Harlem’s most stellar cultural institutions–the Bill
T. Jones Dance Company–visited the School
to offer master classes to our students.
Indira Mahajan
Indira Mahajan–acclaimed soprano; winner of
the prestigious Marian Anderson Award; premier
interpreter of some of opera’s greatest roles (Bess
in Porgy and Bess, both Mimi and Musetta in La
Boheme; Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly)–
began her artistic ascent as a member of HSA’s
first College Prep cohort, in 1984.
“As a student in the College Prep program, I
studied it all–voice, piano, and language skills; ear
training, theory, and basic audition techniques. I
had the privilege of studying once a month with the
great Betty Allen. You couldn’t keep me away,”
she recalls.
Miss Mahajan graduated from Prep to attend the
Oberlin Conservatory, but her connections to HSA
didn’t end upon graduation. During her graduate
study at Mannes College of Music, she continued
to participate in Betty Allen’s weekly Master Voice
Class where she was selected to be an HSA
Master Voice Fellow receiving a two-year study
grant from the Sally Van Lier Foundation. “Voice
lessons, coaching, dance lessons, private Italian
lessons–you need resources and support in order
to continue to develop as an artist,” explains Miss
Mahajan. “The grant covered those lessons; and
the ongoing encouragement that I received from
HSA gave me the advantage that I needed.”
Twenty-four years later–between performances
at Carnegie Hall, and Royal Albert Hall, and
the Kennedy Center, and opera houses across
Europe–Indira still stays in touch with many of
her old Prep classmates. “HSA was pivotal in my
musical development,” she explains. “My fellow
students were my first role models and supporters.
That’s a lifelong bond.”

Report from the Treasurer
33
As this Annual Report goes to press, the Harlem
School of the Arts is in the process of a remarkable
and welcome revitalization process, following a
three-week closing in April, 2010.
After having served on the Board from 1985 to
1995, I was asked to return as Treasurer when
the School reopened in the spring of 2010. I am
pleased to report that our financial footing has
been improving in a number of respects:
• We have received more philanthropic support
during the past several months than during the
comparable period last year. Much of that
support is from new donors.
• Our financial transaction and reporting systems
have been strengthened, enabling the Board and
management to act based on up-to-date monthly
status reports.
• Our boldest-ever individual donor fundraising
campaign, One Hundred Days One Million
Dollars, is well underway.
• With the refurbishment of the building just
completed, we are expanding our pursuit of
rental income and our public programming.
• Our Board of Directors continues to expand,
bringing both new direct sources of financial
support and new avenues to introduce many
more individuals and companies to HSA.
• The Strategic Planning process is leading us
towards a sustainable business model, and
has bolstered the School’s credibility in the
philanthropic and governmental communities.
Because HSA’s mission is to be affordable to the
students we serve, our tuition is well below market
rates. Yet it costs on average $5,000 to educate
each student throughout the academic year. Thus,
only 16% of that expense is covered by tuition.
Your support is what makes it possible for HSA to
teach children of all ages to become proficient in
dance, music, theater, and visual arts.
The audit for FY 2010 is underway, and our most
recent audited financial reports are available
upon request. We look forward to continuing to
communicate with all of our constituents about
our progress, with frequency and transparency.
Milton Irvin
a. Expenses
b. Revenue
11%
19%
18%
71%
31%
50%
act four
sustainability
Programmatic
Administration
Fundraising
Foundation, Corporate, Individual Contributions
Earned Revenue (tuition, rentals, tickets)
Government Grants, Arts Education Contracts

35
Letter from the Interim Executive Director
Dear Friends,
When I first came on board as HSA’s Interim
Executive Director, in January 2010, I quickly
realized that this was one of those rare spots on
earth in which mission, physical environment, and
constituents are all vividly present and aligned. I
was immediately struck by three things:
The children. The excitement in their eyes–their
total concentration, their confidence, their glee!
How often does one have the chance to work in
the midst of–to be constantly motivated by–so
much talent and determination and dazzling joy?
The building. Everything at HSA is tailor-made
to support both community and art–from the
welcoming Gathering Space to the magnificent
facilities available for each of the four artistic
disciplines. There is inspiration and opportunity
everywhere: paintings on all the walls, music
behind every door–even a baby grand piano in
my office!
The people who work here. Faculty and staff
convey their deep dedication and loyalty in
everything they do. They pitch in wherever needed
and they support our students in every way they
can. They, too, are a constant inspiration.
Last April, when HSA was poised on the verge
of closing its doors forever, a spectrum of
supporters–from the Mayor of New York City to the
parents of our youngest student–came forward to
help avert that catastrophe. Their swift and united
action offered clear proof of the School’s
irreplaceable role: of its critical importance to our
children, to the Harlem community, and to a city
renowned for artistic achievement.
In the months following that crisis, HSA has
traveled an enormous distance, galvanizing the
elements required for full recovery and bold
forward action. It has brought on an impressive
new Board, completely overhauled its financial
system, and drafted an astute and far-seeing
strategic plan. It has re-pledged itself to sustaining
its dynamic programs, its sky-high artistic
standards, and its reputation as both a safe and
trusted refuge and a place of boundless and
electric possibility.
As this Annual Report goes to press, the Board is
well along in its search for the long-term Executive
Director who will have the privilege of leading
the School into a robust, sustainable future. Like
everyone fortunate enough to have spent time here,
I have been profoundly moved by the experience,
and am proud to have been part of the team that
has put the School back on track. I will always
keep in touch and look forward to following the
HSA success story as it continues to unfold.
John W. Corwin

The Harlem School of the Arts
645 Saint Nicholas Avenue @ 141 st St.
New York, New York 10030
Tel: 212.926.4100
Fax: 212.491.6913
On the Web
www.harlemschoolofthearts.org
By Subway or Bus
A, C, B, D to 145 th Street
M3 to 141 st Street
act five
contact us
Produced by The Harlem School of the Arts
Text: Susan Leicher
Interior Photography: Kaitland O’Bryan, Siyaka Taylor Lewis
Graphic Design: Kaitland O’Bryan