Art Omi
A nonprofit international arts organization and multidisciplinary residency center in Ghent, New York.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Art Omi is a nonprofit international arts organization based in Ghent, in New York State's Columbia County. Formerly known as the Omi International Arts Center, it combines artist residencies, public exhibitions, educational activity, performances, lectures, and cultural programming on a large rural campus in the Hudson River Valley. Its work is organized around the exchange of ideas among artists and professionals from different countries and disciplines rather than around the sale of a branded consumer product. The organization was established in 1992 by real-estate developer and literary agent Francis J. Greenburger, artist Sandi Slone, artist John Cross, and other collaborators. The name refers to Omi, a hamlet in the Hudson River Valley located roughly two and a half hours from New York City. Greenburger became chairman of Art Omi, Inc., the foundation associated with the residency program. From its early focus on international artistic exchange, Art Omi developed into a broader cultural campus serving visual artists, architects, writers, musicians, dancers, and choreographers. Residency activity is the institution's central offering. Its five principal programs are Art Omi: Architecture, Art Omi: Artists, Art Omi: Dance, Art Omi: Music, and Art Omi: Writers. The Artists program has also hosted a Critics/Curators-in-Residence opportunity, bringing curators, critics, and other cultural professionals into the same environment as resident artists. Participants receive time and space for creative work, opportunities to meet peers from other fields, and access to visiting gallerists, agents, publishers, collectors, critics, and curators. The resulting network is intended to connect the rural residency setting with the wider New York and international arts communities. Art Omi also operates public-facing exhibition and performance programs. The Sculpture & Architecture Park, previously called the Fields Sculpture Park, occupies approximately 120 acres of the campus and presents more than 70 permanent and temporary works or exhibitions over time. Its programming includes architecture projects, contemporary art exhibitions, and outdoor sculpture. The institution has shown work by emerging, mid-career, and established artists, as well as architectural installations and experimental projects. Public events include readings, concerts, dance performances, talks, and exhibitions. Ledig House, a converted 1830 farmhouse named for German publisher H. M. Ledig-Rowohlt, functions as a principal gathering place for residents and visitors. The campus includes three main buildings, 18 guest rooms, conference rooms, a library, communal areas, a converted barn used for studios and work space, and satellite sheds. The Charles B. Benenson Visitors Center & Gallery opened to the public in 2008, strengthening Art Omi's exhibition and visitor infrastructure. In addition to its professional programs, Art Omi provides educational activities such as Winter Art Camp, Spring Art Camp, Saturday Children's Workshops, Camp Omi, and Artgarten. During periods when residencies are not operating, especially from December through March, some facilities may be available for corporate retreats and related rentals. The organization is funded primarily by philanthropic and corporate foundations and individual donors, with a major New York City benefit held each spring. Art Omi remains an active nonprofit cultural institution whose identity rests on international exchange, interdisciplinary residency, and public engagement.
History
Art Omi began in 1992 as the Omi International Arts Center, founded in Ghent, New York, by Francis J. Greenburger, Sandi Slone, John Cross, and other collaborators. Greenburger, whose professional background combined real-estate development and literary representation, became chairman of the foundation connected with the residency. The organization's name was taken from Omi, a hamlet in the Hudson River Valley. Its location, within driving distance of New York City but separated from the city's immediate institutional pressures, supported a model based on concentrated work, informal exchange, and international participation. The organization's original and continuing core is its residency system. Over time, Art Omi established distinct programs for visual artists, architects, writers, musicians, dancers, and choreographers. These programs provide residents with accommodation, communal settings, and work space while encouraging contact across artistic disciplines. The institution also developed a Critics/Curators-in-Residence opportunity associated with the Artists program, widening the exchange to include cultural writers, curators, and other intermediaries. Visiting gallerists, agents, publishers, critics, collectors, and curators give presentations and meet residents, helping connect the campus to the broader art world. Art Omi expanded beyond a private residency setting through the development of a public sculpture and architecture landscape. The area now known as the Sculpture & Architecture Park was previously called the Fields Sculpture Park. It occupies approximately 120 acres and has hosted a large changing body of permanent and temporary works. The park's program includes outdoor sculpture, architectural interventions, and site-responsive projects. Exhibiting artists and architects have included Alice Aycock, Beom Jun Kim, Jenny Sabin, Jeffrey Gibson, Elizabeth Murray, Stanley Whitney, Alicja Kwade, Olaf Breuning, Dan Colen, Arlene Shechet, Tony Tasset, and Nari Ward, among many others. The physical campus grew around Ledig House, a converted 1830 farmhouse named after the German publisher H. M. Ledig-Rowohlt. Ledig House serves as a social and organizational center for residents and visitors. The wider compound includes three principal buildings, 18 guest rooms, conference rooms, a library, communal spaces, a converted two-story barn used primarily for work, and additional sheds. The Charles B. Benenson Visitors Center & Gallery opened in 2008, giving Art Omi a dedicated public exhibition and visitor facility. Alongside residencies and exhibitions, Art Omi built an education and events program. Winter and Spring Art Camps, Saturday Children's Workshops, Camp Omi, Artgarten, and related activities introduce younger participants to creative practice. The organization also presents readings, concerts, dance performances, talks, and exhibitions open to the public. These activities make the campus function as both a professional development environment and a regional cultural destination. Art Omi's operating model relies mainly on philanthropic and corporate foundations and individual donors. Its principal fundraising event is an annual spring benefit in New York City. The campus can also be used for corporate retreats during periods when residency programs are not in session, particularly between December and March. The institution was later generally known as Art Omi, reflecting its broad programming beyond the original international arts-center identity. It continues to operate as a nonprofit organization combining international residencies, public art, architecture, education, and interdisciplinary exchange.
- 2008
Charles B. Benenson Visitors Center & Gallery opened
[1]The opening of the visitors center and gallery expanded Art Omi's dedicated facilities for public exhibitions and visitors.
- 1992
Omi International Arts Center founded
[1]Francis J. Greenburger, Sandi Slone, John Cross, and other collaborators established the organization in Ghent, New York, to support international artistic exchange and residencies.
Organization became known as Art Omi
[1]The institution adopted the shorter Art Omi identity as its programming expanded across visual art, architecture, writing, music, dance, education, and public exhibitions.
Products and positioning
An international, multidisciplinary arts campus that combines residential creative development with public exhibitions, outdoor sculpture, architecture projects, education, and cultural exchange.
Visual arts residency
Art Omi: Artists
A residential program for visual artists that provides time, space, and an international peer environment for developing creative work. The program is connected to visiting professionals, public presentations, and the broader Art Omi exhibition network. It has included artists at emerging, mid-career, and established stages and has also supported a Critics/Curators-in-Residence component.
Architecture residency
Art Omi: Architecture
A residency and project platform for architects and architecture-focused practitioners. Its work is presented through exchange, experimentation, and projects that can engage Art Omi's rural campus and public landscape. Past architectural participants and projects have included Beom Jun Kim, Felix Heisel, Jon Lott and Para Project, Wendy Evans Joseph, Caroline O'Donnell and Martin Miller, Jenny Sabin, Alice Aycock, Skyline Adrift, and Oliver Kruse.
Dance residency
Art Omi: Dance
A residency for dancers and choreographers emphasizing concentrated development, interdisciplinary exchange, and presentation opportunities. It forms part of Art Omi's wider effort to place performing artists in sustained conversation with visual artists, writers, musicians, architects, and the public.
Music residency
Art Omi: Music
A residential program for musicians and composers that supports creative work in a communal, international setting. Music residents contribute to Art Omi's cross-disciplinary environment and may participate in concerts, talks, or other public-facing activities associated with the campus.
Writing residency
Art Omi: Writers
A residency for writers that offers uninterrupted time for literary work alongside interaction with artists and cultural practitioners from other fields. The program is supported by readings, professional visits, and the communal life of Ledig House and the wider Art Omi campus.
Public art exhibition
Sculpture & Architecture Park
An approximately 120-acre outdoor exhibition area on the Art Omi campus, formerly known as the Fields Sculpture Park. It presents more than 70 permanent and temporary works or exhibitions over time, including sculpture, architecture, and site-responsive projects, and is open to the public throughout the year.
Education
Arts education programs
A collection of public and youth-oriented programs including Winter Art Camp, Spring Art Camp, Saturday Children's Workshops, Camp Omi, and Artgarten. These activities extend Art Omi's mission beyond professional residencies by providing structured opportunities for children and community participants to engage with art.
Recent events
HBKU Press and Art Omi continue writer residency sponsorship[6]
Reported:
HBKU Press and Art Omi announced that they would again sponsor an aspiring Arabic writer to participate in their 2022 Writer’s Residency in Ghent, New York.
Sources6 sources
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