History of PS1

The first-ever history of New York's pioneering art space, with film stills, ephemera and photography in a scrapbook style

Since its inception in the early 1970s, MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, Queens, has been a crucible for radical experimentation. Committed to New York City as well as to maintaining an international scope, PS1 has always put the artist at the center, engaging practitioners at work in every discipline from performance, music, dance, poetry and new media to painting, sculpture, photography and architecture. This groundbreaking publication captures the vibrancy of a long and venerable tradition that began with the legendary series of performances and events organized by founder Alanna Heiss under the Brooklyn Bridge in 1971.

Organized into four main sections that delve into the former school's rich history as an art center during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s up to the present, the book features in-depth conversations between Heiss and Klaus Biesenbach, the director of MoMA PS1 from 2010 to 2018, and more than 40 recollections by artists, curators and critics closely associated with the institution--including Marina Abramovic, James Turrell, agnès b, Rebecca Quaytman, Carolee Schneemann and Andrea Zittel.

Presenting extensive photographic documentation of historic exhibitions and performances and related ephemera from the archives, plus an illustrated chronology and comprehensive exhibition history, this indispensable volume offers a vivid chronicle of the extraordinary history of MoMA PS1.

Klaus Biesenbach is Director of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and former director of MoMA PS1 and Chief Curator at Large at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Bettina Funcke is an art historian based in New York. She has taught and published widely, and is currently editing a book on the history of MoMA PS1.

Phil Aarons is President of the board of Printed Matter.

Marina Abramovic is Serbian performance artist, writer, and art filmmaker.

Sarah Arison is a film producer and President of the Miami-based Arison Arts Foundation.

Agnès b is a French fashion designer.

Linda Blumberg is former Director of the Art Dealers Association of America.

Janet Cardiff is Canadian artist who works chiefly with sound and sound installations.

Chris Dercon is Belgian art historian and curator. He is former Director of Haus der Kunst in Munich and Tate Modern in London.

Peter Eleey is Chief Curator of the MoMA PS1, New York.

Fred Fisher is former American Lawyer.

Tony Guerrero is former Director of Operations and Exhibitions at MoMA PS1.

Larissa Harris is Curator at the Queens Museum of Art.

Alanna Heiss is Founder and Director of Clocktower Productions, a non profit arts organization.

Jonathan Lill is Leader of the MoMA Exhibition Files Project at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Glenn D. Lowry is American art historian and Director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Warren Niesluchowski was American artist, writer, editor, translator and Vietnam War deserter.

Carolee Schneemann was an American visual experimental artist, known for her multi-media works on the body, narrative, sexuality and gender.

Oliver Shultz is Curator and historian of modern and contemporary art.

James Turrell is American artist primarily concerned with Light and Space.

Rebecca H. Quaytman is American contemporary artist.

Jeff Weinstein is former editor of arts coverage at New York’s Soho Weekly News (1977-79); of visual arts and architecture criticism at the Village Voice (1981-95); of the fine arts at the Philadelphia Inquirer (1997-2006); of arts and culture at Bloomberg News (2006-07).

Martha Wilson is American feminist performance artist and the founding director of Franklin Furnace Archive art organization.

Andrea Zittel is American artist based in Joshua Tree, California.