ABOUT NATIONAL SAWDUST

National Sawdust is a dynamic non-profit cultural institution that commissions, produces, and presents programming rooted in sound and supports multidisciplinary artists and arts organizations in the creation of innovative new work. Founded in 2015, National Sawdust operates out of an intimate space, equipped with a state-of-the-art Meyer spatial sound system, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where it is one of the few remaining cultural venues. The New York Times has described National Sawdust as “the city’s most vital new-music hall” and as “a triumphantly successful performance space that stands for a hip, sophisticated brand of new music.” Composer Paola Prestini, who co-founded National Sawdust, serves as its artistic director, alongside managing director Ana De Archuleta, making National Sawdust one of the few New York cultural institutions led by women.

National Sawdust provides artists across musical genres and artistic disciplines with comprehensive support including commissions, workshops, residencies, public performances, recording, mentorship, and professional development. It aims to be not only a home for its community of artists, but also a place for audiences to discover wide-ranging music at accessible ticket prices. The institution’s mentorship initiatives counteract industry barriers and the historic marginalization of diverse communities in the arts, providing artists and arts workers with guidance, resources, and relationships with established visionaries to accelerate their careers.

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Designed by Brooklyn’s Bureau V, National Sawdust is constructed within the existing shell of a century-old sawdust factory, preserving the authenticity of Williamsburg’s industrial past while providing a refined and intimate setting for the exploration of new music. At the venue’s core is a flexible chamber hall, acoustically designed by renowned engineering firm Arup to provide the highest-quality experience of both unamplified and amplified music.

“As a composer, I believe the role of an artist in the 21st century is that of creator, educator, activist, and entrepreneur. At National Sawdust, supporting emerging artists is our core mission, nurturing a wide array of voices who are collectively reshaping the landscape of new music for this new century. The work we champion and help support speaks to the National Sawdust DNA: empowering high-level artistry, regardless of genre, by multicultural artists who tell their stories through their music.”

– Paola Prestini, Composer, Co-Founder and Artistic Director

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INSIDE NATIONAL

SAWDUST CREATION

Bureau V – Architects

Bureau V is a Brooklyn-based design studio led by Stella Lee, Laura Trevino and Peter Zuspan. Its projects range from cultural and commercial buildings to performances, installations, and events. National Sawdust is Bureau V’s first completed building.The studio’s previous work often falls on the border of architecture. It includes collaborative performances, such as an ongoing series of spatial sound installations with the musician Arto Lindsay, which has included performances at the Venice Biennale of Art and Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; and Eye to Eye, a piece conceived and performed at the Guggenheim Museum over two days with the art collective Assume Vivid Astro Focus. Bureau V has designed and fabricated a series of fashion week installations with the conceptual fashion label SSWTR, as well as a capsule menswear collection.

bureauv.com

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Arup

Arup is a creative design and technology firm known globally for innovation in the built environment. With a rich history in the design of arts and culture buildings, their New York team provided acoustics, audiovisual, multimedia, theatre, technology, fire and code consulting for National Sawdust. The Arup design team was led by Raj Patel, Matthew Mahon, and Dave Rife.

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Meyer Sound

National Sawdust has launched a long-term sound partnership with legendary Berkeley company Meyer Sound. We’re continuing to stretch the boundaries of creative possibility by introducing Meyer Sound’s Constellation® acoustic system and its immersive component Spacemap® to our concert space, completing a major upgrade that began with the switch to a state-of-the-art Meyer Sound PA system in early 2019.An extraordinary breakthrough in acoustical science, Constellation allows for a single physical space to emulate the acoustics of a chamber music venue, symphony hall, or vast cathedral (and even an ideal classroom or rehearsal studio) — all with the press of a button. And with the multi-channel panning available through Spacemap®, artists can explore and play with three-dimensional spatial sound. This dynamic new auditory playground will allow artists of all stripes to imagine and craft performances with once inconceivable sonic agility and precision.

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Welcome to National Sawdust