Franklin Furnace Archive
Encyclopedia
Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc. is an arts organization based in Brooklyn
, New York
that serves to preserve and encourage the production of avant-garde
art, particularly forms that are under-represented by arts institutions due to their ephemeral nature or politically unpopular content.
in 1976 as an archive for artist books and variable media, Franklin Furnace gathered the largest collection of artist books in the United States before most of the collection was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art
in 1993. Franklin Furnace was one of the first organizations to support and advocate for artist books, which today are still under-recognized and under-valued, especially by larger art and culture institutions.
Franklin Furnace was on the front lines during the “Culture Wars” of the 1980s and 90s. In 1984, the Morality Action Committee claimed that 500 children per day were exposed to pornography in the Carnival Knowledge show; Franklin Furnace’s 1992-3 National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA) program grant was rescinded by the National Council on the Arts; and in 1996, the Christian Action Network carried a coffin up the steps of the Capitol
to call for the death of Franklin Furnace and the NEA.
Though today it is a “virtual institution,” using its website www.franklinfurnace.org as its public face, in the 1970s and 80s Franklin Furnace held performances, installations, and exhibits in its performance space on Franklin Street in Lower Manhattan
. In 1990, the Franklin Street performance space was closed down, and Franklin Furnace moved to the Financial District
before settling into its current headquarters at 80 Hanson Place in the BAM
Cultural District of Brooklyn
, New York
in 2004.
, Franklin Furnace currently collaborates with P.S. 20, the Clinton Hill Elementary School in Brooklyn
.
, the organization reinvented itself as a “virtual institution” focused on its online resources. With a National Endowment for Humanities grant awarded in 2006, Franklin Furnace digitized and published online its event records from its first decade. With the help of this grant, Franklin Furnace began collaboration with ARTstor
in order to make its event records available to the colleges and universities who use ARTstor
’s database as an educational resource. In August 2010, Franklin Furnace received a second grant from the NEH, matched by the Booth Ferris Foundation, to digitize and publish its second decade of event records on its website.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
that serves to preserve and encourage the production of avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
art, particularly forms that are under-represented by arts institutions due to their ephemeral nature or politically unpopular content.
History
Founded by Martha WilsonMartha 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...
in 1976 as an archive for artist books and variable media, Franklin Furnace gathered the largest collection of artist books in the United States before most of the collection was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in 1993. Franklin Furnace was one of the first organizations to support and advocate for artist books, which today are still under-recognized and under-valued, especially by larger art and culture institutions.
Franklin Furnace was on the front lines during the “Culture Wars” of the 1980s and 90s. In 1984, the Morality Action Committee claimed that 500 children per day were exposed to pornography in the Carnival Knowledge show; Franklin Furnace’s 1992-3 National Endowment for the Arts
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...
(NEA) program grant was rescinded by the National Council on the Arts; and in 1996, the Christian Action Network carried a coffin up the steps of the Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
to call for the death of Franklin Furnace and the NEA.
Though today it is a “virtual institution,” using its website www.franklinfurnace.org as its public face, in the 1970s and 80s Franklin Furnace held performances, installations, and exhibits in its performance space on Franklin Street in Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. In 1990, the Franklin Street performance space was closed down, and Franklin Furnace moved to the Financial District
Financial District, Manhattan
The Financial District of New York City is a neighborhood on the southernmost section of the borough of Manhattan which comprises the offices and headquarters of many of the city's major financial institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York...
before settling into its current headquarters at 80 Hanson Place in the BAM
Bam
Bam is commonly used as an onomatopoeia for a sound, mostly that of an impact or collision.Bam or BAM may also refer to:Places:*Bam, Iran, a city*Bam County, an administrative subdivision of Iran*Bam Province, Burkina Faso...
Cultural District of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 2004.
Franklin Furnace Fund
Every year, Franklin Furnace awards grants of $ 2000-10,000 to local, national, and international contemporary artists selected by a rotating panel of artists. In 1985, Franklin Furnace started the Fund for Performance Art with the support of the Jerome Foundation. In the Spring of 2008, the fund was expanded to include the internet as an art medium and venue. Today the grants most often support such work as performance art as well as “variable media,” artist books, installation pieces, and electronic media. In June 2009 a peer review panel awarded $ 64,000 to eleven artists selected from among 424 proposals.Sequential Art for Kids
Since 1985, Franklin Furnace places contemporary working artists to teach art in public schools. After a 10-year partnership with P.S. 52 in Sheepshead Bay, BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, Franklin Furnace currently collaborates with P.S. 20, the Clinton Hill Elementary School in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
The Unwritten History Project
After Franklin Furnace’s collection of 13,500 artist books was acquired by the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, the organization reinvented itself as a “virtual institution” focused on its online resources. With a National Endowment for Humanities grant awarded in 2006, Franklin Furnace digitized and published online its event records from its first decade. With the help of this grant, Franklin Furnace began collaboration with ARTstor
ARTstor
ARTstor is a non-profit organization that builds and distributes the Digital Library, an online resource of more than one million images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences. The ARTstor Digital Library also includes a set of software tools to view, present, and manage images for...
in order to make its event records available to the colleges and universities who use ARTstor
ARTstor
ARTstor is a non-profit organization that builds and distributes the Digital Library, an online resource of more than one million images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences. The ARTstor Digital Library also includes a set of software tools to view, present, and manage images for...
’s database as an educational resource. In August 2010, Franklin Furnace received a second grant from the NEH, matched by the Booth Ferris Foundation, to digitize and publish its second decade of event records on its website.