Located in North-Central Troy, The Sanctuary for Independent Media is a constellation of buildings and outdoor spaces. From Freedom Square, to our NATURE Lab, the Sanctuary Campus dots 6th Avenue from Glen Avenue to 101st Street. We are honored to call this block our home and to share this little slice of Troy with our incredible neighbors!
Find out more about our spaces below:
Our Spaces:
Collard City Growers (CCG):
Collard City Growers is the Sanctuary’s community garden and spans across our campus. The main garden is located on a formerly abandoned lot which features meandering rows of fruits and vegetables, as well as a renovated carriage house. In addition to the CCG main garden is our L-Lot Garden, which is marked by a pathway that leads from Glen Ave to 6th Ave.. In the summertime you can always find bees bumbling, birds chirping, and fresh produce ripe for the picking!
3337 6th Ave, Troy, NY 12180
3305 6th Ave, Troy, NY 12180 (L-Lot Garden)
Eco-Art Trail:
The Eco-Art Trail embeds art, culture, ecology, and history into an urban nature walk. Weaving from Glen Avenue to 101st Street, visitors will engage with stories of decolonization, ecological restoration, and environmental justice through events, gardens, multimedia, murals, sculptures, and workshops. The Eco-Art Trail is deeply tied to honoring the original people of North-Central Troy, the Mohican People, which are known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohicans.
Campus-wide
Freedom Square:
Freedom Square is our beautifully tiled outdoor stage, which was conceptualized by mural artist Isaiah Zagar, and was built from the communal efforts of our dedicated volunteers. The square serves as a venue for a host of seasonal celebrations and is home to fruit bearing trees that act as a community food forest. We welcome any and all people to this outdoor space. Whether you’d like a green space to gather, or just want to rest on the stage while you wait for the bus, Freedom Square is just as much your’s as it is our’s.
35 5th Ave, Troy, NY 12180
Free Food Fridge:
In collaboration with Free Food Fridge Albany, the Sanctuary Campus houses a free food fridge right outside our NATURE Lab. During the summer, you can find fresh produce courtesy of our Collard City Growers garden. We welcome the North-Central Troy community in stocking and utilizing this free food fridge!
3319 6th Ave, Troy, NY 12180
Little Free Library:
One of the Sanctuary’s many mysteries, this Little Free Library happened to pop up right outside our gates! Located directly in front of the Sanctuary Main Space, this library holds everything from poetry to prose. If you have a good read you’d like to share with the community, please stop by!
3361 6th Ave, Troy, NY 12180
NATURE Lab (NL):
NATURE Lab is the Sanctuary’s community health and urban ecology research initiative. It houses our community biology lab where we conduct environmental justice research, with a focus on our air (Air Justice Lab), soil (Our Soil), and water (Water Justice Lab). The second floor of NL houses a flexible community space that is home to The People’s Health Sanctuary. NL also has a generous outdoor space which is home to our newly added Medicine Garden and Talking Circle.
3319 6th Ave, Troy, NY 12180
People’s Health Sanctuary (PHS):
People’s Health Sanctuary is a community-led mutual aid health initiative and is a space for gathering, sharing food, moving your body, working through grief, cultivating a sense of safety, and embodying a culture of care. The goal of PHS is to establish a central space to share health skills, provide basic integrative care, and explore ways to build networks of communal health.
3319 6th Ave, 2nd Floor, Troy, NY 12180
Sanctuary Main Space:
At the heart of our campus is the Sanctuary Main Space. Housed in a former church, our hub continues to act as a sanctuary for all who cross our threshold. Within the Main Space is a radio studio, which hosts the Hudson Mohawk Magazine and Jazz Sanctuary. Additionally, the Main Space has an indoor production space and several gallery spaces.
3361 6th Ave, Troy, NY 12180
