page_title: Westbeth Artists Community
section_title: Notable people
hierarchical_section_title: Westbeth Artists Community / Notable people
caption_attribution_description: 463 West St, w:Bell Laboratories Building (Manhattan) Gate Entrance
context_page_description: Westbeth Artists Housing is a nonprofit housing and commercial complex dedicated to providing affordable living and working space for artists and arts organizations in New York City. The complex comprises the full city block bounded by West, Bethune, Washington and Bank Streets in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City; the complex is named for two of these streets, West and Bethune.
  It occupies the Bell Laboratories Buildings, which were the headquarters of Bell Telephone Laboratories 1898–1966, before being converted in 1968–1970. That conversion was overseen by architect Richard Meier. This low- to moderate-income rental housing and commercial real estate project, the largest in the world of its type, was developed with the assistance of the J.M. Kaplan Fund and federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.
  Westbeth is owned and operated by Westbeth Corp. Housing Development Fund Corp. Inc., a New York not-for-profit corporation governed by an unpaid, volunteer board of directors.
context_section_description: Westbeth Artists Housing has been home to a number of influential artists, musicians and performers including Diane Arbus – whose suicide in 1971 caused a stir in the young community – Robert Beauchamp, Paul Benjamin, Karl Bissinger, Barnaby Ruhe, Black-Eyed Susan, Joseph Chaikin, David Del Tredici, Robert De Niro Sr., Vin Diesel, John Dobbs, Gil Evans, David Greenspan, Moses Gunn, director Tod Culpan Williams and his sister, former supermodel Rachel Williams, Hans Haacke, Billy Harper, Spencer Holst, Irv Teibel, Gayle Kirschenbaum, Anita Kushner, Ralph Lee, Hal Miller, Herman Rose, Barbara Rosenthal, Muriel Rukeyser, Ed Sanders, Tobias Schneebaum and Anne Tabachnick.
  Merce Cunningham, the noted choreographer and dancer, had his studio and offices at Westbeth for more than 40 years, from 1971 up to the time of his death and the dissolution of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 2012.
  Edward Field and his partner Neil Derrick, co-authors of The Villagers, lived together at Westbeth. As of February 2018, Field continued to live at Westbeth and was considered one of its Icons.
  One of the first feminist theater groups in the country, the Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective, originated here.
  The film Growing Up At Westbeth by Christina Maile and Francia Tobacman Smith features archival photos, footage and interviews, 40 years later, with the children who grew up at Westbeth. The film was shown at the 40th Anniversary Celebration of Westbeth in October 2010 as part of the Westbeth Film Festival. A film about the noted feminist artist Anita Steckel, a resident of Westbeth, is in production by the same filmmakers. "Harry's Gift, A New York Story," is a 2015 documentary by Alexandra M. Isles about Harry Schunk, a photographer and long-time Westbeth tenant, and the man who cleaned out his apartment after his death.
  The feature documentary Winter at Westbeth by Rohan Spong charts one year (2014–2015) in the life of the building and spotlights three long term residents - filmmaker Edith Stephen, poet Ilsa Gilbert and notable contemporary dancer Dudley Williams of  Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey fame. It had its world premiere in 2016 at the 60th Sydney Film Festival. The film then had its international premiere at IFC Center, where it screened in competition as part of Doc NYC, ultimately receiving a Special Jury Mention. It has since screened at the US Library of Congress.
  Westbeth is just over 2 miles north of the World Trade Center, and many of its artists witnessed from its roof the events of 9/11.  Westbeth artist, writer and film maker Jacqui Taylor Basker with African-American opera singer Salvador Peter Tomas, made a film about how 9/11 impacted Westbeth and New York City artists, edited by Ernie Mortuzans, Aftermath 9/11 and New York Artists.
  Notable current and past artists-in-residence include:
  Jelon Vieira - Artistic Director
  Edward Field - Poet
  Peter Bernstein Jazz Guitarist
  Valerie Ghent - Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Producer
  David Greenspan - Actor, Playwright, Director
  Madeleine Yayodele Nelson Musician
  Nasheet Waits - Drummer
  Hugh Seidman - Poet
caption: A gate on West Street (2007)
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