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SONYA (South of the Navy Yard Artists) is a 501c3 non-profit organization representing the community of visual artists living, creating, and exhibiting in the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Wallabout, and Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn.

Description:
In the belief that art and community nurture each other, our mission is to recognize, support, and celebrate the visual arts and artists within our community by bringing people together in an environment that encourages exploration, dialog and enjoyment of the visual arts. SONYA offers a full season of exhibitions, studio tours, education events and public programs, open to the public each year.

History:
SONYA was founded in 1999 by three local artists, with the goal to recognize, support, and celebrate the visual artists of our community. In response to the need for a unified artist collective, SONYA began its first year with nineteen members and what was to become an annual event, the Studio Stroll. To date SONYA has grown to over seventy members, over fifty of whom will open their creative spaces to visitors during the 2008 Stroll.

Through our ElevenTen Gallery and other local venues, SONYA provides a variety of services to member artists and the community including: solo and small group art exhibitions, art business seminars; an email newslist; an online gallery and arts resource listing; and artist-run workshops.

The membership of SONYA, 60% women, 40% men, 50% mid-career, approximately half of which are African-American reflects the multi-racial, and cross-generational constituency of the four communities.

Contact people:

Kathleen Hayek, President, (347) 564-5288, (email) D. Lammie-Hanson, Vice President, (646) 387-1217, (email)

Address:

1110 Fulton St Brooklyn, NY 11238 (See a map)

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: C-Train - Franklin Ave Stop,   Walk distance (in minutes): 1 min   Nearest Bus Stop: B48, B25, B26, 2-5 min minute walk