The Kitchen (performance space)

The Kitchen (performance space)
Name	The Kitchen
Address	512 West 19th Street
City	New York City
Country	United States
Opened	1971
Founder	Rhys Chatham; Steina Vasulka; Woody Vasulka; Robert Delford Brown
Capacity	150 (approx.)

The Kitchen (performance space) opened in 1971 as an experimental artists' collective and nonprofit venue in Manhattan that became a leading laboratory for performance art, video art, contemporary dance, avant-garde music, and interdisciplinary practices. Founded by artists associated with Fluxus, Judson Dance Theater, and SoHo loft scenes, the institution has presented early work by figures linked to Minimalism, No Wave, Downtown music, and postmodern compositional movements while hosting collaborations with international artists and cultural organizations.

History

The organization was founded in 1971 by artist-activists tied to Fluxus and the experimental New York scene, including founders who participated in Judson Dance Theater, Performance Art events in SoHo, and early video art experiments by the Vasulkas. In its early years the venue intersected with movements such as Minimalism, Conceptual art, and the downtown music scene that included Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and members of Punk rock/No Wave circles; its programming shifted venues from an initial cooperative space to locations in Chelsea and the West Village as it professionalized into a nonprofit institution interacting with foundations and municipal arts agencies. Across decades the institution weathered cultural shifts including the rise of postmodernism, the expansion of performance studies curricula at universities, and collaborations with international festivals such as Documenta, Venice Biennale, and touring networks associated with Arts Council England and the European Cultural Foundation.

Programming and Artistic Focus

The programming foregrounds interdisciplinary work that spans contemporary dance, experimental music, video art, media art, theater, and performance art, often commissioning new work from artists emerging from academic programs at institutions like New York University, Columbia University, Yale School of Drama, and conservatories connected to Juilliard School. The venue has maintained residencies and commissions supporting artists linked to scenes including Minimalism composers, No Wave musicians, downtown art practitioners, and international media artists who have shown at festivals such as Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Curatorial collaborations have involved organizations such as P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Walker Art Center, and museums participating in touring programs with institutions like Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou.

Notable Presentations and Artists

The venue presented early performances and premieres by artists and ensembles associated with Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Laurie Anderson, Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, Nam June Paik, Steina Vasulka, Woody Vasulka, Rhys Chatham, John Zorn, Glenn Branca, Yvonne Rainer, Trisha Brown, and members of the SoHo and Downtown music communities. It also hosted presentations by Bill T. Jones, Ivo van Hove, Kronos Quartet, Brian Eno, Carolee Schneemann, Vito Acconci, Marina Abramović, Caryl Churchill, Tania Bruguera, Sonic Youth members, and collectives connected to Fluxus and Situationist International-influenced performance. The institution has commissioned premieres that later toured to venues such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Kitchen, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, and international biennials including São Paulo Art Biennial and Istanbul Biennial.

Facilities and Location

Located in Chelsea on West 19th Street in Manhattan, the facility comprises a black box performance space, gallery areas for video art and installation, rehearsal studios, and administrative offices supporting curatorial staff, technician crews, and educational programming. The performance space is sized to support intimate presentations by ensembles linked to contemporary dance companies, chamber groups affiliated with New Music ensembles, and solo multimedia performances employing equipment from media artists who have shown at Ars Electronica and SIGGRAPH. The building’s proximity to neighborhoods such as Chelsea Market, Meatpacking District, and galleries on West 20th Street situates it within networks of alternative venues, artist-run spaces, and commercial galleries participating in seasonal art-world circuits like Armory Show and Frieze New York.

Funding, Governance, and Institutional Partnerships

As a nonprofit arts organization, the institution receives support from public funders including municipal arts agencies, national endowments such as the National Endowment for the Arts, and private foundations allied with contemporary arts philanthropy like The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Ford Foundation. Governance has involved a board of directors drawn from arts professionals, producers, and academics with partnerships or project collaborations with universities like Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, and conservatories such as Manhattan School of Music. The organization has entered programmatic partnerships with museums including the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, festivals such as Next Wave Festival, and international cultural networks supported by agencies like British Council and Institut Français.

Reception and Influence on Contemporary Arts

Critical reception in journals and outlets connected to art criticism and musicology praised the venue for nurturing early work by figures later canonized in histories of contemporary dance, experimental music, and video art, influencing syllabi at institutions such as Bard College, Rhode Island School of Design, and graduate programs in performance studies. Its role in incubating cross-disciplinary practices is cited in scholarship on No Wave, Minimalism, and postwar New York art histories alongside accounts of SoHo loft culture, Downtown Music scenes, and international biennials. The venue’s legacy persists through alumni artists who teach at universities like NYU Tisch School of the Arts, curate festival programs at Lincoln Center Festival, and develop projects for museums and international arts organizations.

Category:Performance art venues in New York City Category:Experimental music venues Category:1971 establishments in New York City