1947
April 21, 1947 – Dorothy Maynor incorporates the St. James Community Center, Inc. in the basement of the St. James Presbyterian Church where her husband Reverend Shelby Rooks was the pastor.
1964
The St. James Community Center, Inc. is officially renamed The Harlem School of the Arts. Mrs. Samuel Dushkin and Halina Rodzinski are elected Co-Chairmen of the Board of Trustees
1966
Arthur Mitchell, leading dancer with New York City Ballet, joins faculty. HSA[1] is at full capacity with 300 students enrolled. May 17, 1966 – New York State Award presented to HSA by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller “for outstanding dedication and accomplishment in developing the artistic talents of the children of Harlem.” Five children from the HSA performed at the event, held at Union College in Schenectady. John Philip Sousa, III[2] (grandson of the famous “The March King”) elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Wanda Toscanini Horowitz[3] forms the Women’s Committee[4] with Leontyne Price[5] serving as Honorary Chairman.
1974
HSA enrollment is about 800 students with a 66 member multi-racial faculty. March 4, 1974 – The HSA Heritage Society One Hundred Voice Choir[7] , with Dorothy Maynor as conductor, makes its Lincoln Center debut. The sold out Gala Benefit Performance at Alice Tully Hall features soloists Betty Lane; Louise Parker, George Shirley and McHenry Boatwright[8] with a surprise performance by Metropolitan Opera star Martina Arroyo. Mayor Abraham D. Beame and Mrs. Beame are honorary chairmen, and Alice Tully is chairman of the event.
1975
HSA celebrates its 10th anniversary and breaks ground for the new building. The Heritage Society Chorus performs at the United Nations in celebration of Human Rights Day, and HSA Founder Dorothy Maynor becomes the first woman to conduct at the U.N. March 4, 1975 – New York City Mayor Abraham D. Beame issues a proclamation to “Dorothy Maynor in recognition of her outstanding career as a world renowned soprano and her devotion to the people of New York. Her Harlem School of the Arts has given an entire community entrée to the World of Art.”
1977
HSA inaugurates its Opportunities for Learning in the Arts program[12] , which provides arts instruction to children in NYC public schools, in response to severe cuts in city funding for public school arts programs.
1978
The Municipal Art Society presents HSA with its Citation of Merit in recognition of HSA’s distinctive contribution to the cultural life of New York City June 6, 1978 – The Bard Awards for Excellence in Architecture and Urban Design cite HSA building architects Ulrich Franzen & Associates for the design of the building, with special mention of “a grand and welcoming central hall, an attractive exterior courtyard and a myriad of lively class and practice rooms.” Dorothy Maynor is presented with the Louis Armstrong Award from the Knickerbocker Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc. The award is presented by Alice Armstrong.
1979
HSA’s new building is dedicated. Founder Dorothy Maynor retires, appointing internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Betty Allen as new President & CEO.
1982
Harlem School of the Arts Orchestra is formed. 50 children between the ages of six and thirteen perform at the opening of Central Park’s Belvedere Castle.
1988
ARTScape Summer Program is introduced. Gala opening of the 25th anniversary season of HSA begins with a benefit concert at the Apollo Theater. Actress Phylicia Rashad and pianist Andre Watts are honorary co-chairs. Maestro Zubin Mehta conducts the New York Philharmonic.
1989
HSA enters a new relationship with classical radio station WQXR, and launches an annual radiothon on-air fundraiser.
1990
Student enrollment at HSA exceeds 1,500 for the first time.
1992
November 4, 1992 – HSA Concert Chorale, “Legaci”, directed by Yvonne Hatchett, performs at the One Hundred Year Association at The Museum of City of New York. August 10, 1992 – HSA presents The Marie Brooks Caribbean Dance Theater in performance, followed by the legendary Ruby Dee, who reads from her new children’s book, Glow Child at HSA July 1992 – HSA students perform at a reception hosted by Democratic Committee Chairman Ron Brown’s wife, Mrs. Alma Brown during the Democratic Convention held in NYC. Audience members included Tipper Gore, Hillary Clinton, Virginia Kelly (Bill Clinton’s mother), and Joyce Dinkins, wife of former NYC Mayor David Dinkins. Betty Allen becomes President Emeritus of HSA, and Alicia Adams is named CEO.
1993
Miranda McDermott, HSA Chairperson of the Drama and Creative Writing Department for nearly 3 decades, awarded a Harlem School of the Arts Humanitarian Award. Fourth annual WQXR Radiothon, co-hosted by radio host Robert Sherman and Ms. Betty Allen, President Emeritus of HSA, features celebrities such as Bobby Short, Martina Arroyo and Mario Barnardi, conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, who lend their support to share why arts education is so important. HSA students Oswald Tomlinson and Faith Wallace-Badensen win first and second prizes respectively in a photography competition sponsored by The Black Photographers Circle of The Center for Creative Photographers at Hunter College/CUNY. HSA student Nkenge Simpson takes first place at New York Newsday’s Lena Horne Vocal Scholarship Competition.
1996
Harlem School of the Arts Founder Dorothy Maynor passes away in West Chester, PA at the age of 85.
1999
HSA is named one of the eight leading African-American, Asian, Latino or Native American arts organizations in the nation.
2002
October 12, 2002– 1st Annual HSA Alumni Homecoming. The Classical Theatre of Harlem serves as HSA Artists-in-Residence
2003
The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities recognizes HSA as “one of the top afterschool arts and humanities based programs in the country” HSA honors Betty Allen with Dorothy Maynor Lifetime Service Award
2005
HSA students perform with multi-Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Alicia Keys as part of VH1’s Save The Music campaign HSA collaborates with Target to celebrate Black History Month with a special performance by singer/songwriter John Legend featuring HSA students
2007
HSA dance students work with London-based choreographer Adesola Akinleye and dancer Sean Graham as Akinleye develops a new work inspired by Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. HSA presents the Harlem Teen Film Festival, celebrating the works of Harlem and Greater New York teen filmmakers (12–18), in collaboration with the Ghetto Film School, the Downtown Community Television Center, Pro-TV and the Global Action Project
2008
HSA and the African Film Festival New York present The 2nd Annual Harlem Teen Film Festival
2009
HSA honors Ovation TV with the Visionary Partner Award; Former Board Chairman Robert Levison, with the Betty Allen Lifetime Achievement Award; JPMorgan Chase & Co., with the Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award; and actor Giancarlo Esposito, with the The Dorothy Maynor Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award at 2009 Art Is Life Gala. President Emeritus and second President of HSA Betty Allen passes away.
2010
HSA presents French artist and textile designer Ghislaine Sabiti in two exciting workshops open to the public that focus on making art with fabrics. HSA presents a solo exhibition of Elaine Defibaugh’s large-scale paintings HSA presents Hank Paper’s Ascension: The Journey of John Coltrane, a photographic exhibit ten years in the making about the legendary John Coltrane.
2011
Yvette L. Campbell becomes new President and CEO of HSA. Mayor Bloomberg names Saint Nicholas Avenue at 141st Street Dorothy Maynor Place. Launched and expanded an HSA Advisory Council of artists, former HSA board members, and leading figures include Wynton Marsalis, Katherine Farley, Spike Lee, Reynold Levy, Mary Schmidt Campbell, Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, Margo Lion, and led by HSA Chair Emeritus, Robert Levinson. HSA board and new leadership successfully complete two matching fundraising campaigns each raising over $100 million: 100 days $1million and Herb Alpert Challenge.
2012
he HSA Fall 2012 Benefit, held at The Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center, which raised a record breaking $321,000. Herb Alpert was presented with the inaugural Leadership Award. HSA has partners with The Disney Theatrical Group to pilot a children’s version of their seminal work The Lion King.
2013
The Harlem School of the Arts is renamed The Herb Albert Center in honor of leadership gift from musician and philanthropist Herb Alpert. HSA introduces it’s new brand logo courtesy of Erwin Penland advertising agency and new board member Lisa Diller. The HSA Fall 2013 Benefit raises over $750,00. The gala honored Lawrence Fishburne & Gina Torres, Ford Foundation, and Christopher & Janice Savin Williams.
2015
HSA celebrates 50 Years and the 50,000 lives changed, having awarded more than $1.1 million dollars in Financial Aid and Scholarships.
2016
HSA hosted 23 student and professional productions since the HSA theater reopened in Winter 2014 and 24 artist talks and exhibitions since the gallery renovation in Fall 2015. -In the fall, there was a major renovation of the 6,000 square foot HSA gallery, making the space suitable for professional visual art exhibitions and an on-going series of exhibitions by emerging artists each season.
2017
HSA’s outreach continued to grow, reaching over 1,000 students in 9 schools across New York City. The Fall Gala raised over $1 million in funds.
2018
The launch of HSA’s Summer Dance Intensive expanded the reach of our high-quality dance instruction. -The addition of HSA Family Programs brought 7,000 community members to the Herb Alpert Center for a variety of performances, workshops, and exhibitions.
2019
Steinway & Sons recognized HSA as an official Steinway Select School – an honor and a testament to the quality of our facility at the Herb Alpert Center. -We served nearly 1,300 students from Harlem, the Bronx, upper Manhattan, and the greater New York City area, and over 60% of students received some form of financial aid. -HSA brought art programming to 650 children in New York City schools through our Education Outreach program.
2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, HSA@Home was introduced in late March, successfully transitioning over 90% of the 120+ courses offered that semester to an online platform. -HSA completed the Renaissance Project in October 2020 thanks to the generous support of the Herb Alpert foundation.
