Art Omi, formerly Omi International Arts Center, is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

international arts organization located in Columbia County in

Ghent, New York Ghent is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Columbia County, New York, United States, with a ZIP code of 12075. The population was 5,303 at the 2020 census, down from the 2010 census population of 5,402.US Census Bureau, 2020 Cen ...

. The organization provides residencies for writers, artists,

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s, musicians, dancers and

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

s. Ledig House serves as Art Omi's home and central meeting place.

History

The Omi International Arts Center was founded in 1992 by

Francis J. Greenburger Francis J. Greenburger (born February 13, 1949) is an American real estate developer, literary agent, author, philanthropist and the founder of Time Equities, Art Omi and The Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice. Biography Greenb ...

, a New York

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to other ...

and literary agent, who serves as chairman of Art Omi, Inc., the residency's parent foundation; Sandi Slone, an artist; artist John Cross, an artist; and others. The organization takes its name from Omi, a hamlet in the

Hudson River Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to Yonkers in Westch ...

two and a half hours from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Premises

Art Omi is located in Columbia County in

. It is home to the Sculpture & Architecture Park, (previously the Fields Sculpture Park), which is open to the public throughout the year, features over 70 permanent and temporary exhibitions. The Sculpture & Architecture Park occupies approximately 120 acres of Art Omi's campus. The main compound is made up of three separate buildings with 18 guest rooms, three

conference room A conference hall, conference room, or meeting room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. Room It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even ...

s, a library and communal spaces. Ledig House (named for the late German publisher H.M. Ledig-Rowohlt), a converted 1830

farmhouse FarmHouse (FH) is a men's social fraternity founded at the University of Missouri on April 15, 1905. It became a national organization in 1921. Today FarmHouse has 34 active chapters in the United States and Canada.FarmHouse Fraternity New Memb ...

, serves as Art Omi's home and central meeting place. The principal work space consists of a two-story converted

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

and several satellite sheds. The Charles B. Benenson Visitors Center & Gallery opened to the public in 2008.

Exhibitions

Art Omi has three types of exhibitions: Architecture, Art, and Sculpture. Currently or previously exhibited architectural projects include Beom Jun Kim, Felix Heisel, Jon Lott / Para Project, Wendy Evans Joseph, Caroline O’Donnell + Martin Miller, Jenny Sabin,

Alice Aycock Alice Aycock (born November 20, 1946) is an American sculptor and installation artist. She was an early artist in the land art movement in the 1970s, and has created many large-scale metal sculptures around the world. Aycock's drawings and sculp ...

, Skyline Adrift, and Oliver Kruse. Art projects at Art Omi span from emerging, contemporary, to mid-career. Artists such as Niles Harris, Dion “TYGAPAW” McKenzie, Portia Munson,

Jeffrey Gibson Jeffrey A. Gibson (born 1972)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol. 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American Mississippi Choctaw/Cherokee painter and sculptor. He has lived and worked in Brooklyn, New York; Hudson, New Y ...

David Shrigley David John Shrigley (born 17 September 1968) is a British visual artist. He lived and worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 27 years before moving to Brighton, England in 2015. Shrigley first came to prominence in the 1990s for his distinct line drawi ...

, Tschabalala Self,

Katherine Bernhardt Katherine Bernhardt (born 1975; Clayton, Missouri) is an artist based in St. Louis, Missouri. Work and career Bernhardt received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the School of the Art Inst ...

, Tim Youd, Elizabeth Murray, and Stanley Whitney. Sculpture works featured by

Pippa Garner Pippa Garner (May 22, 1942 – December 30, 2024) was an American artist, illustrator, industrial designer, and writer known for making parody forms of consumer products and custom bicycles and automobiles. Garner authored ''The Better Living Ca ...

, Riley Hooker,

Alicja Kwade Alicja Kwade (born 1979) is a Polish-German contemporary visual artist. Her sculptures and installations focus on the subjectivity of time and space. Kwade lives and works in Berlin. Early life and education Kwade was born in the industrial cit ...

Olaf Breuning Olaf Breuning (born February 16, 1970)SIK ISEAOlaf Breuning/ref> is a Swiss-born artist, born in Schaffhausen, who lives in New York City. Works *''Home 1/Home 2'' (2004/7) 30 minute video starring Brian Kerstetter. ''Home 1'' is presented as ...

, Chemi Rosado-Seijo,

Dan Colen Daniel Colen (born 1979) is an American artist based in New York. His work consists of painted sculptures appropriating low-cultural ephemera, graffiti-inspired paintings of text executed in paint, and installations. Early life and education Bor ...

, Brian Tolle,

Atelier Van Lieshout Joep van Lieshout (born 1963), is a Dutch artist and sculptor born in Ravenstein, Netherlands, Ravenstein, Netherlands, and founder of Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL). Life and work Van Lieshout received his formal education and training from the ...

Arlene Shechet Arlene Shechet (born 1951) is an American sculptor known for her inventive, gravity-defying arrangements and experimental use of diverse materials.Adamson, Glenn"How Arlene Shechet Makes Her Recalcitrant Materials Come Alive,"''Art in America'', M ...

Tony Tasset Tony Tasset is an American artist. His works consists mainly of video, bronze, wax, sculpture, photography, film, and taxidermy. He has had exhibitions in Dallas, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York, Los Angeles, Germany, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Ecuad ...

, and Nari Ward.

Residencies, Education Programs, and other activities

Art Omi offers five residency programs: Art Omi: Architecture; Art Omi: Artists; Art Omi: Dance; Art Omi: Music; and Art Omi: Writers. As Part of Art Omi's: Artists residency program, there is a Critics/Curators-in-Residence awarded stay each year. Previous Critics/Curators-in-Residence include Monika Fabijanska, Jonatan Habib Engqvist, Jessica Lynne, Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi, Martha Schwendener, and Omar Lopez Chahoud. The non-profit also has a number of educational programs. These include a Winter Art Camp, Spring Art Camp, Saturday Children's Workshops, Camp Omi, Artgarten, and more. Art Omi invites gallerists, critics, agents, publishers,

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

s and collectors to give talks and presentations. Their visits also benefit residents by providing them with exposure and access to the New York cultural scene. Omi regularly holds exhibitions, readings, concerts and dance performances to which the public is invited. Omi's facilities are available for rental for corporate retreats from December through March, when residency programs are not in session.

Funding

Art Omi raises money primarily from

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

and corporate foundations and individual donors. Its major fundraising event is a New York City benefit held each spring.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 42, 19, 52, N, 73, 40, 21, W, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title 1992 establishments in New York (state) American art American artist groups and collectives Art in New York (state) Artist residencies Arts centers in New York (state) Arts organizations based in New York (state) Arts organizations established in 1992 Buildings and structures in Columbia County, New York Non-profit organizations based in New York (state) Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in New York (state) Tourist attractions in Columbia County, New York