Bowers founded Hook Arts Media (HAM), originally incorporated in 1993 as Dance Theatre Etcetera (DTE), as a home for the arts in community development and education.
DTE’s Engaging Dance Audiences community event @ Miccio Cornerstone Community Center
DTE brings performances to Good Shepherd Services’ Thanksgiving Day Celebration for NYCHA residents
Founding and Early Years
The organization took root in 1992, when Bowers established a free dance/theatre education program at PS 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn in response to the murder of the school’s principal in hopes that an arts program would offer some joy while the school community recovered from its loss.
DTE/HAM has since provided arts programming at nearly all of Red Hook’s schools and community centers. It initiated many collaborations with other local nonprofits and Red Hook residents contributing to the neighborhood’s unique sense of community unity cross socio-economic and racial divides.
Mission Refocus and Rebranding
In 2009, DTE refocused its mission specifically on arts education programming for low-income communities in Brooklyn.
In 2018, the organization rebranded as Hook Arts Media to reflect the growth of its educational programs, which now incorporates 21st-century technologies.
Mission and Impact
Hook Arts Media’s mission is to unite artists and community members to co-create cultural activities, using the arts as a vehicle for social transformation in low-wealth communities.
The organization achieves this through:
- In-school, after-school, and community-based arts education programs with a focus on media education
- Community arts festivals and youth film festivals
HAM’s programs promote individual expression, cross-cultural understanding, and civic participation. It is an award-winning organization known for making the arts a critical component of equitable cultural development and urban renewal. It is currently led by Michelle Rivera with a largely BIPOC administrative staff and roster of teaching artists completing its founder’s aspiration that the organization staff should reflect the constituents it serves.