The American Dance Institute has announced that, in a rebranding effort, it will broaden its mission, add staff members, and adopt a new name. The organization is building an arts center on the Hudson River waterfront and will now be known as Lumberyard.

The restructuring is part of its plan to transition from a regional to a national organization that supports the development of new works across the performing arts.

“Our expanded focus better reflects the artists we currently support and the changing, multidisciplinary direction of the contemporary dance and performance fields,” artistic director Adrienne Willis said.

Originally based in Rockville, Maryland, the institute served as a ballet school but soon evolved into a facility that provided a place for contemporary dancers to perform new work. In June 2016, Lumberyard moved its headquarters to New York City and presented programming at the Kitchen. In 2018, the organization will open a performance and residency arts center in Catskill, New York. Designed by Hudson Valley–based architect Richard Rothe of Rothe Engineering, the four-building complex will feature a large flexible theater, dance studios, housing for up to twenty artists, and administrative offices. Once completed, the facility will produce a summer season of premiere and work-in-progress performances. From October through April, Lumberyard will organize collaborative residencies and host community programming.

Among the new hires that will support the organization’s transformation are Jilian Cahan Gersten as director of development, Alison Schwartz as chief operating officer, Karen Lombardo as management consultant, and Martha Cooper as marketing consultant.