Atelier Artist, a new BIPOC-owned and -operated co-working studio in Central Brooklyn, launched its inaugural exhibition titled 'Lakay' on September 14. The show features a dozen artists from the studio's residency program, highlighting emerging and established voices from the Caribbean diaspora. Co-founders Jonathan Pierre Lafleur and Franck Henry Godefroy, along with creative director Mc Alexander Ciceron, emphasize that the space provides affordable 24/7 studio access, monthly exhibitions, and community programming such as healing circles and open mics. The exhibition is hosted at Brooklyn Commons' Clock Tower Loft in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.
This debut matters because Atelier Artist claims to be Brooklyn's first BIPOC-owned artist co-working studio, directly addressing the displacement of artists of color from gentrifying neighborhoods. By centering BIPOC, immigrant, queer, and emerging creators, the studio positions itself as a cultural anchor and incubator for inclusive, community-driven art-making. 'Lakay'—meaning 'home' in Haitian Kreyòl—symbolizes a model for affordable, identity-affirming creative spaces that challenge the city's rising real estate pressures on artists.