MoMA PS1

MoMA PS1
Name	MoMA PS1
Established	1971
Location	Long Island City, Queens, New York City
Type	Contemporary art

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution located in Long Island City, Queens, New York City. Founded in 1971, the institution developed from artists' collective origins into a major venue for experimental art, performance, and architecture, aligning with institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York City), Whitney Museum of American Art, Guggenheim Museum, and New Museum of Contemporary Art. Over its history it has hosted artists connected to movements represented by Fluxus, Minimalism, Conceptual art, Performance art, and Installation art.

History

Founded by artists associated with Experiments in Art and Technology, the institution emerged amid the cultural shifts following the Vietnam War and the 1970s New York City fiscal crisis. Early directors and founders had ties to figures in the art world such as curators influenced by Lucy Lippard, Hans Haacke, Marcel Duchamp, and activists linked to the National Endowment for the Arts. The building, a former public school near the Queensboro Bridge, became a locus for exhibitions by artists with connections to Robert Rauschenberg, Yoko Ono, Marina Abramović, Chris Burden, and Richard Serra. In the 1990s and 2000s, alliances with institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (New York City) and collaborations involving curators who worked at the Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and Stedelijk Museum shaped major expansion, international programs, and the establishment of signature events such as the Young Architects Program and summer installations related to practices of Olafur Eliasson, Carsten Höller, and Rirkrit Tiravanija.

Architecture and Facilities

Housed in a converted 19th-century school building designed in the Romanesque Revival style, the facility underwent renovations overseen by architecture firms and designers linked to projects at SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and architects who collaborated with Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Jean Nouvel. Galleries of varying scale have hosted installations referencing work by Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, and James Turrell. The expansive courtyard has hosted large-scale commissions, live performances, and site-specific works by artists in the lineage of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Jenny Holzer, Lawrence Weiner, and Anish Kapoor. Support spaces include conservation labs influenced by practices at the Getty Conservation Institute, curatorial offices, education classrooms, and research archives in proximity to cultural nodes like the Queens Museum and transportation hubs such as the Long Island Rail Road and Queens Plaza.

Exhibitions and Programs

The institution mounted solo and group exhibitions featuring artists associated with Postminimalism, New Media art, and Relational aesthetics including Cindy Sherman, Jeff Koons, Kara Walker, Ai Weiwei, Kerry James Marshall, and Pipilotti Rist. Curatorial initiatives have connected to festivals and biennials like the Venice Biennale, Documenta, São Paulo Art Biennial, Berlin Biennale, and collaborations with galleries represented at Art Basel and Frieze Art Fair. Public programs have included symposia with scholars from Columbia University, New York University, and The Cooper Union; performances involving ensembles tied to Lincoln Center and experimental music scenes linked to Merce Cunningham and John Cage; and film programs related to archives such as the Anthology Film Archives and festivals like Sundance Film Festival.

Education and Community Engagement

Educational initiatives have partnered with local schools, community organizations, and higher-education institutions such as Queens College, LaGuardia Community College, Pratt Institute, and School of Visual Arts. Outreach has involved collaborations with neighborhood entities including the Queens Theatre and the Greater Astoria Historical Society, and civic programing has engaged civic leaders connected to the New York City Council and Mayor of New York City offices. Artist residencies and mentorships have linked emerging practitioners to networks involving Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Yaddo, MacDowell Colony, and international residency programs supported by foundations like the Guggenheim Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation.

Collections and Acquisitions

While primarily known for temporary exhibitions, the institution has developed a holdings strategy coordinated with major collecting bodies such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York City), Whitney Museum of American Art, and private foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Works acquired or exhibited have provenance intersections with estates and galleries that represent artists like Louise Bourgeois, Mark Rothko, Ellsworth Kelly, Barbara Kruger, and contemporary estates managed in dialogue with institutions like the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and National Gallery of Art. Conservation and access policies reflect standards promulgated by organizations including the American Alliance of Museums and the International Council of Museums.

Governance and Funding

Governance has involved trustees, directors, and advisory committees with links to patrons and leaders from institutions like Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, MoMA (Museum of Modern Art Foundation), and philanthropic entities such as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Ford Foundation. Funding streams include private philanthropy, grants from government arts agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts and partnerships with cultural sponsors tied to corporations active in the New York City financial and tech sectors. Leadership transitions have been noted alongside philanthropic campaigns and strategic partnerships with international museums including the Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.

Category:Museums in Queens, New York Category:Contemporary art museums in the United States