BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange is a multigenerational arts organization that nurtures creative expression and artistic process through residencies, performance, and education at the intersection of arts and social justice.

Founded by Marya Warshaw in 1991, and currently led by Co-Executive Directors Vanessa Adato, Marlène Ramírez-Cancio, and Lucia Scheckner, BAX has honored the power of performing arts to connect and transform individuals and communities for over three decades. As an arts incubator, BAX supports artists of all ages and stages of development—from young children to award-winning professionals—through communities of learning. BAX’s artist residencies, affordable rehearsal studios, practice lab, and youth education programs annually invite over 10,000 students, parents, families, artists, and audiences to engage in shared creative journeys. BAX focuses on embodied practices such as dance, movement, theater, and multidisciplinary performance, prioritizing experimentation, process, collaboration, and mentorship. BAX commits to forging brave spaces by centering artists from historically underrepresented backgrounds and building equity and access across all programs. BAX’s goal is to build collective power, advance cultural and racial justice, and encourage vibrant, interconnected networks to thrive.

Jerome Foundation supports several cornerstone programs at BAX: the Artist in Residence (AIR) Program , Space Grant Residency, EmergeNYC, and Drag Performance: Between & Beyond Gender. BAX’s signature Artist in Residence (AIR) Program provides up to 3 early-career, performance-based artists annually with cohort-based 18-month residencies, including mentorship, coaching, an artist fee, and a production budget to nurture their creative development. The Space Grant Residency serves up to 8 early-career artists each year through 3-4 month residencies that include mentorship, coaching, an artist fee, and opportunities for studio showings. EmergeNYC, a Latinx-led incubator and affinity network for socially engaged artists, fosters the growth of creative voices at the intersection of art and activism, connecting participants to a dynamic community of BIPOC, migrant, and LGBTQIA+ practitioners who challenge dominant narratives through cultural resistance. Since 2008, up to 20 artists have participated in this 12-week intensive, receiving 10 hours of free rehearsal space, a performance stipend, and the opportunity to present works-in-progress with technical support and documentation. Drag Performance: Between & Beyond Gender serves up to 12 early-career drag performers annually through a 10-week program that provides 5 hours of free rehearsal space and culminates in a showcase performance with full technical support and documentation.