In 1963, P.S.1 in Long Island City was decommissioned as a public school. In 1972, the Institute for Art and Urban Resources moved in, turning the nineteenth-century building into P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center four years later, with nearly every possible space becoming a site-specific canvas for emerging and established artists. A 2000 merger with the Museum of Modern Art led to its current status as MoMA PS1.
Along with changing exhibitions, MoMA PS1 features permanent art in the staircases (by Alexis Rockman, Ernesto Caivano, Cecily Brown, William Kentridge, and Abigail Lazkoz), in the boiler room (by Matt Mullican, Sol LeWitt, and Saul Melman), in hallways and walls and on doors (Richard Artschwager, Alan Saret, and Lawrence Weiner), and even in the floorboards (Pipilotti Rist’s Selbstlos im Lavabad [Selfless in the Bath of Lava]). In 2016, James Turrell’s long-term installation, the meditative Meeting — a room with a rectangular section of the ceiling cut out, bringing the outside world inside — was renovated with a new multicolored light program. You can even sometimes find art in the elevator and bathrooms.
Founded by curator Alanna Heiss, MoMA PS1 is open Thursday through Monday and is free for all New Yorkers. (Suggested admission for nonresidents is $5–$10.) On summer Saturdays, “Warm Up” is one of the hottest dance parties in the city, with DJs and live performances rocking the courtyard. Oh, and it’s extremely easy to get to, only three quick stops from Grand Central on the 7 train.
Below is the full schedule of current exhibits and upcoming events.
Saturday, August 2
Warm Up: Terrence Dixon, DJ Q, Sadaf, Havoc on World, $15–$25, 4:00 – 10:00
Saturday, August 9
Warm Up: Emma dj, Ash Lauryn, Tongue in the Mind, AVALON, $15–$25, 4:00 – 10:00
Saturday, August 16
Warm Up: Kode9, Cashu, SoFTT, Bryce Barnes with Nunguja, $15–$25, 4:00 – 10:00
Saturday, August 24
Saturday, September 21
and
Saturday, October 19
Balik sa Bayan: Box Packing, free with advance RSVP, 1:00
Saturday, September 7
Kumikutikutitap: Parol-Making Workshop, Filipino lanterns, advance RSVP required, 2:00 – 4:00
Visitors are encouraged to interact with Yto Barrada’s Le Grand Soir in MoMA PS1 courtyard (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Summer Courtyard Commission
Yto Barrada: Le Grand Soir, towering sculptures inspired by human pyramids, courtyard (held in conjunction with “Yto Barrada: Part-Time Abstractionist” at ICP)
Through August 19
After the Fire Mural Project: What Grows? (Prelude to After the Fire), by Nani Chacon, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, and Layqa Nuna Yawar, front facade
Through September 2
“Pacita Abad,” quilted stuffed paintings and sculptures, third floor
“Regina José Galindo: Tierra,” high-definition video exploring exploitation of labor, resources, and human life in Guatemala, first floor and basement
Through September 9
“Melissa Cody: Webbed Skies,” geometric tapestries, second floor
“Reynaldo Rivera: Fistful of Love/También la belleza,” black-and-white and color photographs and newly edited film, first floor
Through October 14
“Hard Ground,” with works using erosion, subtraction, and compression, by New York–based artists Matt Browning, Dora Budor, Jerry the Marble Faun, Amina Ross, Kern Samuel, Gianna Surangkanjanajai, and Maria VMier, third floor
Through October 21
“Homeroom — Little Manila Queens: Mabuhay!,” immersive, participatory installation dealing with the impact of migration policies on Woodside’s Little Manila neighborhood, including Balikbayan Arch, constructed of shipping boxes that will be filled with items for care organizations in the Philippines, first floor
Ongoing
Rirkrit Tiravanija: (up against the wall motherf#$%ers), charcoal murals, first floor
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warming up in queens: summer at moma ps1