Alternative exhibition space
Encyclopedia
An alternative exhibition space is a location, et al. other than the normal professional venues, for the exhibition of artwork to the public. Located in places which have been converted, such as a store front empty space into an exhibit space, for an organized assembly of artworks from an individual or group of artists. According to art advisor Allan Schwartzman "alternative spaces were the center of American artistic life in the '70s."
Alternative exhibition spaces emerged in the wake of art practices in the 1960s and 1970s that reacted against the presumed neutrality of the "white cube" gallery space. The first wave of alternative spaces in the United States occurred in the 1970s, with many dating the start of the tendency from 1970, when 112 Greene Street was founded in New York
and with the early curatorial work of Alanna Heiss
. The Kitchen
was established in New York in 1971. A.I.R. Gallery
opened in September 1972 as an alternative space women's co-op gallery. Bonnie Sherk's Crossroads Community (The Farm), another early alternative space, was established in San Francisco in 1974. Real Art Ways
, in Hartford, Connecticut, was founded in 1975.
Alternative spaces emerging in the US after 1975 tended to focus on new media, diversity and performance work. For instance, Franklin Furnace in New York was established in 1976 by Martha Wilson
to exhibit performance work. LACE
in Los Angeles
and Washington Project for the Arts
showed performance and video work. One of the most enduring alternative spaces in New York was P.S 1, founded in 1976. Randolph Street Gallery (RSG) was an artists' run gallery space in Chicago beginning in 1979, Exit Art
in Manhattan opened in 1982.
By the late 1980s alternative spaces in the US were well funded by the NEA
and well established within the international artworld, but NEA funding dried up in the 1990s, contributing (along with rising rents) to the decline of the alternative space movement.
Alternative exhibition spaces emerged in the wake of art practices in the 1960s and 1970s that reacted against the presumed neutrality of the "white cube" gallery space. The first wave of alternative spaces in the United States occurred in the 1970s, with many dating the start of the tendency from 1970, when 112 Greene Street was founded in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and with the early curatorial work of Alanna Heiss
Alanna Heiss
Alanna Heiss is the Director of AIR, Art International Radio, an Internet-based art radio station operating out of the Clocktower Gallery in Lower Manhattan, New York. She founded and was the Director of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center from 1976–2008 and is one of the originators of the alternative...
. The Kitchen
The Kitchen
The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary art and performance space located at at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
was established in New York in 1971. A.I.R. Gallery
A.I.R. Gallery
A.I.R. was the first all female cooperative gallery in the United States. It was founded in 1972 with the objective of providing a professional and permanent exhibition space for women artists during a time in which the works shown at commercial galleries in New York City were almost exclusively by...
opened in September 1972 as an alternative space women's co-op gallery. Bonnie Sherk's Crossroads Community (The Farm), another early alternative space, was established in San Francisco in 1974. Real Art Ways
Real Art Ways
Real Art Ways is a non-profit art space established in 1975. Located at 56 Arbor Street in the Parkville neighborhood of Hartford, Connecticut, Real Art Ways exhibits visual art, houses an independent cinema and presents live music, theater, and literary and community events.It has shown such...
, in Hartford, Connecticut, was founded in 1975.
Alternative spaces emerging in the US after 1975 tended to focus on new media, diversity and performance work. For instance, Franklin Furnace in New York was established in 1976 by Martha Wilson
Martha Wilson
Martha Wilson is a Philadelphia feminist performance artist. She is the founding director of Franklin Furnace. Over the past four decades she has developed and "created innovative photographic and video works that explore her female subjectivity through role-playing, costume transformation, and...
to exhibit performance work. LACE
Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions
Located in Hollywood, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions is a nonprofit exhibition space and archive of the visual arts for the city of Los Angeles, California, USA...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Washington Project for the Arts
Washington Project for the Arts
Washington Project for the Arts, founded in 1975, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the support and aid of artists in the Washington, D.C. area.-History:...
showed performance and video work. One of the most enduring alternative spaces in New York was P.S 1, founded in 1976. Randolph Street Gallery (RSG) was an artists' run gallery space in Chicago beginning in 1979, Exit Art
Exit Art
Exit Art is a non-profit cultural center established in 1982. Located in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City, United States, the two-story gallery exhibits contemporary visual art, installation, video, theater, and performance....
in Manhattan opened in 1982.
By the late 1980s alternative spaces in the US were well funded by the NEA
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
and well established within the international artworld, but NEA funding dried up in the 1990s, contributing (along with rising rents) to the decline of the alternative space movement.