At the height of the 2020 lockdowns, Erin K. McAtee and Claire Kretzschmar sought to combat widespread isolation and disillusionment among their Catholic artist friends by beginning a performance and exhibition series of in-person arts programming. What began as a word-of-mouth salon gathering for artists has since grown into a vibrant artistic community: visual artists, musicians, poets, dancers, actors, writers, filmmakers and more from across New York City’s five boroughs together comprise the robust collective that is Arthouse2B.
Our story
Named for the Apt. #2B in which it was founded, Arthouse2B was conceived in response to the widespread isolation experienced by artists amid the height of the pandemic lockdowns. Roommates Erin K. McAtee, a visual artist, and Claire Kretzschmar, a dancer, sought specifically to cultivate connection among artists within the Catholic community of New York City.
Since 2020, our mission has brought us into collaboration with artists across disciplines: visual artists, musicians, dancers, actors, writers, filmmakers, and more have all been featured in our gallery exhibitions, live performances, screenings and artistic programming. Today, artists from across the five boroughs and beyond seek out Arthouse2B’s events for the welcome environment, spiritual nourishment, and artistic commitment they know they will find.
Our Values
Artistic Integrity
Cultivation
We work in close collaboration with our artistic peers, encouraging and supporting them as they hone their creative practice, deepen their artistic commitment, and present their work to our audiences. The work premiered at Arthouse2B comes as often from established artists as it does from those at the beginning of their careers.
Deepening Spirituality
Communion
We foster an intentional artistic community, promoting deep encounters among artists of faith and emboldening them to live out their beliefs, to allow spirituality to inform their work, and to share both their faith and work with others. The lasting friendships formed at Arthouse2B span artistic disciplines and religious beliefs.
Nourishing Hospitality
Restoration
We are transforming the artistic landscape by renewing the hearts of artists and ennobling them in their artistic vocation. The spiritual nourishment, sacramental life, and profound experience of divine intimacy discovered by artists through Arthouse2B is sustaining them as they, in turn, renew culture and the world.
Who We Are
Erin K. McAtee
Co-Founder, Director
Erin K. McAtee is a New York City-based visual artist, curator, and co-founder of Arthouse2B. As the driving force behind Arthouse2B, she works diligently to ensure that artists across disciplines are supported not only in their work, but also in their human and spiritual formation. Erin believes that the restoration of culture must first be preceded by the restoration of the artist’s heart.
In her own art practice, Erin expresses the heart of her prayer through painting, utilizing fiber art, and crafting immersive experiences that engage viewers. She regularly places her work in dialogue with music, poetry, performance, and dance, seeking to activate her pieces in order to reveal the sacred inner lives of her paintings and the figures embodied in them. Erin holds an M.F.A. from Brooklyn College and is a recipient of the 2022-23 Social Practice CUNY Actionist grant, which allows her to expand her work with the women and children cared for by the Sisters of Life in Manhattan.
Claire Kretzschmar
Co-Founder
Claire Kretzschmar is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and co-founder of Arthouse2B. She formerly danced with New York City Ballet for twelve years, performing ballets by renowned choreographers at Lincoln Center and at theaters around the world. Today, Claire teaches a variety of dance classes, choreographs ballets inspired by the mysteries of her faith, and speaks regularly about the connections between the body and soul in movement. She holds a bachelor's degree in communications from Fordham University and co-hosts a podcast segment of New York City Ballet's "City Ballet: The Podcast". With Arthouse2B, Claire assists with event planning and communicating with artists, with the hope that all participants may understand their inherent dignity and capacity for greatness.
James and Karina Majewski
Artistic Associates
Karina and James are actors based in New York City. A playwright as well, Karina works together with her husband, also a theater director, to stage productions of new work. In March 2022, the duo presented and performed in Arranged, a new original play written by Karina, directed by James, and produced with support from Arthouse2B. Both are regular collaborators with Arthouse2B, James often serving as moderator for artist panel discussions and Karina frequently offering previews of her writing at events. Through opening their home to artists and sharing the gift of their family life, they are also core collaborators in the hospitality and community-building at the center of Arthouse2B’s mission. Each holds an MFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles, and they live together in Manhattan with their two sons.
Fr. Orlando Rodriguez, Sch. P.
Chaplain, Artistic Associate
Fr. Orlando Rodriguez is a priest from the Order of the Piarist Fathers who currently serves as pastor of Annunciation Church in West Harlem, New York, where most Arthouse2B events are hosted. In addition to his duties as pastor, he frequently collaborates with Arthouse2B, offering the sacraments of the Eucharist and reconciliation for events, and overseeing both the church and Gabriel Gallery facilities. With enthusiasm, commitment, and an understanding of artistry through his own practice of painting, Fr. Orlando accompanies those involved with Arthouse2B projects, as both priest and artist.
Fr. Joseph Michael Fino, CFR
Chaplain, Artistic Associate
Fr. Joseph Michael Fino is a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal. He happily supports Arthouse2B by absolving sin and feeding them with the Body (divinity) of Christ. His own writing explores the mystery of our embodied spiritual life and the borderlands of the already-but-not-yet between Time and the Resurrection. In addition to that he sometimes brews a good beer for the people of God.