The Hell's Kitchen Cultural Center Inc. (HKCC) is a neighborhood-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that will showcase works of artists based in the Clinton/Hell's Kitchen Neighborhood both through performances at various neighborhood venues as well as through it's artist-driven CD label which will provide an outlet for neighborhood musicians who have not been able to release their work on CD. The artistic directors of the HKCC, Inc. are William Hooker and Bob Kalin. At our concerts we plan to encourage interaction between audiences and performers by including an opportunity at each performance for both parties to speak to each other in a relaxed informal manner that encourages communication. All concerts will be presented with state of the art technology and will be recorded and videotaped to create an archive of all performances. The HKCC plans to reach out to the Clinton/ Hell's Kitchen community by providing youth workshops and other educational programs that will be targeted at neighborhood residents. We plan to develop an Internship Program with students from neighborhood schools. Where possible the HKCC will seek to employ neighborhood residents. A percentage of seat for some performances will be donated to neighborhood non-profit organizations (churches, schools, settlement houses, senior groups, housing groups, youth groups, etc.) to encourage neighborhood participation in our programs. The flagship performance for the HKCC will be the Metro Baptist Church where we will present four concerts per month on Fridays evening starting in the Summer, 2006. We are kicking off our programs with our first annual "Rhythm in the Kitchen" music festival in Spring, 2006 showcasing an eclectic mix of some of the hundreds of musicians who currently live in the neighborhood. We hope that Metro Baptist Church will become recognized as a premiere venue for innovative music and arts performances just as the Judson Church played a crucial roll in the development of Modern Dance in America. The initial focus of the HKCC will be to provide a venue for the most creative and innovative music being produced by both neighborhood and international artists in the areas of free jazz, experimental, modern classical, electronica, rock, folk and other kinds of music. Eventually we will expand into other areas of art performance and presentation including painting, photography, performance art and spoken word, dance and literary, theatrical and multi-media events produced by neighborhood residents.