Works & Process appoints Caleb Teicher as first Artist Curator in Residence; Aria Roach joins as Associate Producer
Our take
The recent appointment of Caleb Teicher as the first Artist Curator in Residence at Works & Process marks a significant milestone in the arts community and highlights the evolving roles that artists can play in shaping their environments. This initiative not only acknowledges Teicher's creative contributions as a dancer, choreographer, and director but also reinforces the importance of support structures for individual artists. In an industry where funding and resources can be scarce, this residency provides Teicher with a platform to cultivate his artistic vision while also receiving benefits typically reserved for administrative staff, such as fully-funded employer health insurance. This model is a vital step toward recognizing the needs of artists, who often operate without the stability provided to their corporate counterparts.
Teicher's close relationship with Works & Process founder Mary Sharp Cronson, who championed his work a decade ago, illustrates the power of mentorship and the importance of nurturing creative talent. This ongoing collaboration has enabled the organization to not only present Teicher's work but also to engage in a dialogue about the evolving art of dance in contemporary society. The role of an Artist Curator in Residence will allow Teicher to curate programs that reflect the diversity and dynamism of the dance community, much like how the “Dance takes center stage in Lincoln Center’s ‘Summer for the City’” initiative seeks to celebrate various forms of dance across New York City. With this residency, Teicher is poised to be a catalyst for new conversations and collaborations that can elevate the art form.
Moreover, this appointment comes at a time when the arts are grappling with the implications of a post-pandemic world. Artists and organizations are creatively navigating the challenges presented by health restrictions and economic uncertainty. In this context, Teicher's role could serve as a model for other organizations seeking to meaningfully support their artists. As we see with the upcoming recognition of actress Katie Holmes at ABT’s 2026 Spring Gala, there is a growing acknowledgment of the need to celebrate and support the arts community. Teicher's residency underscores the necessity of creating sustainable environments for artists that allow them to thrive, innovate, and inspire.
As Teicher embarks on this two-year journey, it will be interesting to observe how his vision shapes the future of dance at Works & Process and beyond. Will this residency inspire similar initiatives across other arts organizations? How will it impact the way we perceive the role of artists within institutional frameworks? As the boundaries between artist and curator blur, we may see a new wave of creative leadership emerge, one that prioritizes collaboration, community engagement, and inclusivity. In a world where self-expression and body positivity are increasingly celebrated, the arts will continue to play a pivotal role in promoting these values. Caleb Teicher's appointment is more than just a career milestone; it represents a hopeful shift toward a more supportive and progressive future for all artists.
Works & Process announces dancer, choreographer, and director, Caleb Teicher, will join Works & Process as the inaugural Artist Curator in Residence. Serving a two-year term, the Works & Process Artist Curator in Residence will be integrated into the organization and offered the same benefits as administrative staff, including fully-funded employer health insurance – a rarity for many individual working artists.
“Ten years ago, Work & Process founder Mary Sharp Cronson saw Caleb’s work in a studio showing and immediately offered to present Caleb’s first evening-length program. Ever since, Works & Process has continued to commission, present, and produce fully funded residencies supporting Caleb’s creative process, without pause, including a pandemic bubble residency that would go on to be the first indoor performance permitted by New York State in March 2021. Caleb understands deeply how Works & Process is unabashedly committed to supporting artists longitudinally and ensuring that they can create with dignity. Caleb understands the resources available across the Works & Process ecosystem, which is why we want Caleb to be at the table when we make decisions on how we support artists and respond to their needs in a made-to-measure way,” said Duke Dang, Works & Process Executive Director.
“Over the past decade, I’ve done just about everything one can do with Works & Process… Performances in the Peter B. Lewis Theater & the Guggenheim’s Rotunda, two tours to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, residencies with partner organizations (ArtYard, Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill Mountain Foundation), directing the Holiday Concert (2019), and three studio-to-stage commissions of world premieres (More Forever, This Is The Part When You Go ‘Woo’, Rhapsody In Blue). From those experiences, I am eager to join a team with a great capacity to support performing artists,” Teicher said.
To further support artists and their creative process, Aria Roach will join Works & Process in the newly created role of Associate Producer. Both Aria and Caleb will join the organization in March.
Over the past five years, Works & Process has expanded from presenting exclusively at the Guggenheim New York to producing more than 70 programs annually across New York City and supports over 25 weeks of fully funded creative residencies each year across six states and 18 partners.
As the first Artist Curator in Residence, Caleb Teicher embeds a practicing artist directly into programmatic and curatorial decision-making. Caleb will play a key role in curating Works & Process’s residency program and mentoring and advising residency artists.
As the new Associate Producer, Roach will help expand the organization and residency infrastructure by managing performances, festivals, open calls, residencies, artist relations, schedules, contracts, and relevant grants, across W&P’s growing network of residency partners and cultural arts venues. Together, these roles strengthen W&P’s function as connective tissue within the performing arts ecosystem, aggregating resources, supporting artists so they can create with dignity, and sustaining a robust, equitable pathway from studio to stage.
Caleb Teicher is a New York City-based performer, choreographer, director, and curator regarded widely in the performing arts as a leading voice in interdisciplinary collaboration.
Teicher began their career as a founding member of Michelle Dorrance’s critically acclaimed tap dance company, Dorrance Dance, while also freelancing as a contemporary dancer, musical theater performer, and swing dancer.
In 2015, Caleb shifted their creative focus towards choreographic work through Caleb Teicher & Company which led to commissions and presentations at some of America’s most esteemed performing arts venues: Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center (D.C.), Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The Music Center (L.A.), New York City Center, The Joyce Theater, and countless others.
Caleb is the recipient of two Bessie Awards, a 2019 New York City Center Choreographic Fellowship, the 2019 Harkness Promise Award, the 2020 Gross Family Prize, and a 2019 NEFA National Dance Project Production Grant.
Aria Roach is a producer, dance educator, and performer based in New York City. Her producerial work spans major dance organizations, companies, and independent artists. She recently served as the Associate Producer of Events for Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and was previously the General Manager of Caleb Teicher & Company and Company Manager for Joyce Theater Productions’ touring Lindy Hop show SW!NG OUT. Other administrative roles include Producer of Yehuda Hyman’s The Dancing Room at Arts on Site and Operations Coordinator at Mark Morris Dance Group. In 2024 she supported Works & Process as Festival Manager for the Underground Uptown Dance Festival at the Guggenheim and Lincoln Center.
Before moving into her role as Associate Producer with Works & Process, Aria was Program Manager of the National Dance Institute (NDI) Collaborative for Teaching & Learning, where she also spent three years teaching in NYC public elementary schools. Aria continues working with young dancers as a Teaching Artist and Choreographer for Mark Morris Dance Group’s Student Company program.
Keep up with the latest Works & Process news at https://www.worksandprocess.org/
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