Storefront For Art And Architecture Inc

STOREFRONT FOR ART AND ARCHITECTURE AMPLIFIES THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT THROUGH ARTISTIC PRACTICE. FOUNDED IN 1982 BY ARTISTS AND ARCHITECTS IN DOWNTOWN NEW YORK, STOREFRONT HAS CHRONICLED THE CHANGING URBAN LANDSCAPE OF THE CITY OVER THE YEARS, AND REMAINS COMMITTED TO PRODUCING AND PRESENTING WORK ABOUT DIVERSE NOTIONS OF PLACE AND PUBLIC LIFE.

PUBLIC SPACE IN A PRIVATE TIME: BUILDING STOREFRONT FOR ART AND ARCHITECTURE ON THE OCCASION OF THE GALLERYS 40TH ANNIVERSARY, PUBLIC SPACE IN A PRIVATE TIME: BUILDING STOREFRONT FOR ART AND ARCHITECTURE CONNECTS OUR FOCUS ON THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT WITH NEW YORK CITYS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CHALLENGES AT THE TIME OF ITS FOUNDING IN 1982. THROUGH A CLOSE READING OF EARLY SHOWS AND PROJECTS, THE EXHIBITION SHOWCASES THE LEADING ROLE STOREFRONT HAS PLAYED IN THE DEFENSE OF PUBLIC SPACE THROUGH ARTISTIC PRACTICE. USING OUR OWN ARCHIVE AS ITS MAIN RESOURCE, PUBLIC SPACE IN A PRIVATE TIME FOREGROUNDS STOREFRONTS EARLY PREOCCUPATION WITH THE DOMINANCE OF PRIVATE INTERESTS IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE, AS WELL AS WITH THE ACCELERATED PACE OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT, GENTRIFICATION, AND DISPLACEMENT. ALL THESE ISSUES WERE OF DEEP CONCERN IN NEW YORK CITY DURING THOSE YEARS, AND CONTINUE, URGENTLY, TO REQUIRE ATTENTION TODAYBOTH HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD. TAKING ITS TITLE FROM AN ESSAY PRESENTED AT STOREFRONT IN 1990 BY ARTIST VITO ACCONCI, THE EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE THIS ORGANIZATION HAS LONG PLAYED IN POSITIONING ART AND ARCHITECTURE AT THE CENTER OF PUBLIC LIFE. IT FOCUSES ON KEY EXHIBITIONS, COMPETITIONS, AND OPEN CALLS THAT HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THE SHAPING OF STOREFRONTS ETHOS, AND INCLUDES A SECTION ABOUT THE MAKING OF THE ICONIC FACADE BY ACCONCI AND ARCHITECT STEVEN HOLL FROM 1993, WHICH CONTINUES TO EMBODY OUR MISSION AS AN ENDURING PUBLIC ARTWORK IN LOWER MANHATTAN. THE EXHIBITION PUBLIC SPACE IN A PRIVATE TIME IS PRESENTED AS PART OF STOREFRONTS 40TH ANNIVERSARY AND WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A SERIES OF EVENTS THAT EXAMINE MOMENTS OF RESISTANCE AGAINST THE ERASURE OF CIVIC SPACE IN NEW YORK CITY. SUPPORTSTOREFRONTS 40TH ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF THE GRAHAM FOUNDATION, THE RUTH FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS, THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, AS WELL AS THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE; PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL; THE STOREFRONT CIRCLE AND STOREFRONTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, MEMBERS, AND INDIVIDUAL DONORS.

NEW LAND PLAZA: YOU CANT BEAT A NEW YORK ORIGINALCANAL STREET RESEARCH ASSOCIATION SPECULATIVE RESEARCH ON THE SHIFTING LANDSCAPES OF CANAL STREET, FEATURING WORKS BY MING FAY EXHIBITION DATES:MARCH 1ST, 2023 MAY 27TH, 2023NEW LAND PLAZA: YOU CANT BEAT A NEW YORK ORIGINAL LOOKS AT THE SPATIAL EFFECTS OF THE CRIMINALIZATION OF INFORMAL MARKETS AND THE CONTEMPORARY REPERCUSSIONS THIS HAS ON SIDEWALKS AND ACROSS THE FACADES OF LOWER MANHATTAN. OVER THE COURSE OF THE EXHIBIT, CANAL STREET RESEARCH ASSOCIATION WILL ATTEMPT TO BOOTLEG A HISTORIC CANAL STREET COUNTERFEIT BUST, BY TRACING THE BUSTS HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND CURRENT-DAY CONDITIONS. ANCHORED IN MING FAYS SEMINAL MONUMENTAL FRUIT PUBLIC ARTWORK HONORING STREET VENDORS, THE ARCHIVAL AND SPECULATIVE RESEARCH FOR THIS RE-STAGING TAKES VARIOUS MODES: RESURFACING OF FAYS PROPOSALS AND ARTWORKS, CREATING A MODULAR DISPLAY SYSTEM IN COLLABORATION WITH ARCHITECTURAL COLLECTIVE COMMON ROOM, AND PURSUING AN ACTIVE INTERVENTION ON STOREFRONTS FACADE. CANAL STREET RESEARCH ASSOCIATION IS CURRENTLY OFFERING STOREFRONT AS AD SPACE TO MIMIC THE INCREASINGLY FREQUENT LOWER MANHATTAN PHENOMENON THAT PRIORITIZES BUILDINGS AS BILLBOARDS. THIS GESTURE ATTEMPTS TO INVERT THE TYPICAL FLOW OF CORPORATE FUNDING BY REDISTRIBUTING ANY RESOURCES ACCRUED THROUGH THIS EXPERIMENT TO SUPPORT ON THE GROUND ADVERTISERS FOR LUXURY FASHION HOUSES: SHANZHAI LUXURY VENDORS THEMSELVES. CANAL STREET HAS LONG BEEN THE EPICENTER OF COUNTERFEIT GOODS IN NEW YORK CITYA THOROUGHFARE CUTTING THROUGH HISTORICALLY IMMIGRANT NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAS BECOME A DESTINATION WHERE TOURISTS, AS WELL AS NEW YORKERS, ENGAGE WITH A UNIQUE ECONOMY. FOR SOME TIME, THIS CONFLUENCE OF GLOBAL TRADE ROUTES HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE BY A CLANDESTINE SETUP: GROUND-FLOOR STOREFRONTS THAT OPERATED AS NYC SOUVENIR SHOPS UP FRONT, BUT HELD SECRET COMPARTMENTS FOR BOOTLEG LUXURY MERCHANDISE IN THE BACK. THIS SLIPPERY MEETING OF LEGITIMATE AND ILLEGITIMATE, REAL AND FAKE, HAS BEEN A GUIDING LINE OF INQUIRY FOR CANAL STREET RESEARCH ASSOCIATION, A FICTIONAL OFFICE ENTITY SET UP BY POETIC RESEARCH UNIT SHANZHAI LYRIC IN 2020. SHANZHAI IS A CHINESE NEOLOGISM THAT HAS COME TO MEAN BOOTLEG OR FAKE. THE CONCEPT OF SHANZHAI OFFERS A DIFFERENT MODE OF THINKING ABOUT AUTHORSHIP, UNSETTLING UNDERSTANDINGS OF PROPERTY, THEFT, AND THE TRADITIONAL FLOW OF ECONOMIC EXCHANGE. CANAL STREET IS ONE SITE WHERE THE EMBRACE OF SHANZHAI CONCEPTS HAS ENABLED INFORMAL MODES OF COMMERCE TO SURVIVE WITHIN AN INCREASINGLY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT. CANAL STREET RESEARCH ASSOCIATION EMPLOYS THE BOOTLEG AS A METHOD OF RE-STAGING, AND THEREFORE MORE CLOSELY EXAMINING, COMPLEX URBAN PHENOMENA THAT MAY BE OVERLOOKED DUE TO THEIR UNOFFICIAL OR ILLICIT NATURE. ABOUT THE ARTISTSCANAL STREET RESEARCH ASSOCIATION WAS FOUNDED IN 2020 IN AN EMPTY STOREFRONT ON CANAL STREET, NEW YORKS COUNTERFEIT EPICENTER. DELVING INTO THE CULTURAL AND MATERIAL ECOLOGIES OF THE STREET AND ITS LONG HISTORY AS A SITE THAT PROBES THE LIMITS OF OWNERSHIP AND AUTHORSHIP, THE ASSOCIATION REPURPOSES UNDERUSED REAL ESTATE AS SPACES FOR GATHERING EPHEMERAL HISTORIES, MAPPING LOCAL LORE, AND TRACING THE FLOWS AND FISSURES OF CAPITAL. THEY HAVE OCCUPIED STOREFRONTS, EMPTY OFFICE BUILDINGS, AND STORAGE UNITSAND ARE CURRENTLY LOCATED IN A BASEMENT UNDER CANAL STREET. THE FICTIONAL OFFICE ENTITY IS OPERATED BY SHANZHAI LYRIC (MING LIN AND ALEX TATARSKY), A POETIC RESEARCH AND ROVING ARCHIVAL UNIT THAT TAKE INSPIRATION FROM ?? (SHANZHAI OR COUNTERFEIT) GOODS TO EXAMINE HOW BOOTLEGS USE MIMICRY, HYBRIDITY, AND PERMUTATION TO BOTH REVEL IN AND REVEAL THE ARTIFICE OF GLOBAL HIERARCHIES. MING FAY IS A NEW YORK CITY-BASED SCULPTOR CELEBRATED FOR HIS LARGE-SCALE, LIFE-LIKE SCULPTURAL RENDITIONS OF PLANTS, FRUITS, TREES, AND OTHER ORGANIC FORMS.FAY HAS EXHIBITED INTERNATIONALLY AND HAS BEEN COMMISSIONED BY NUMEROUS CITIES TO CREATE LARGE-SCALE PUBLIC SCULPTURES. BORN IN SHANGHAI IN 1943, MING FAY GREW UP IN HONG KONG, MOVING TO THE UNITED STATES IN 1961 TO ATTEND THE COLUMBUS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN. HE RECEIVED A BFA FROM THE KANSAS CITY ART INSTITUTE AND AN MFA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA. ON THE GROUNDNEW LAND PLAZA: YOU CANT BEAT A NEW YORK ORIGINAL IS PRESENTED AS PART OF ON THE GROUND, A YEARLONG RESEARCH PROJECT AND EXHIBITION SERIES ABOUT NEW YORK CITYS GROUND FLOOR. THROUGH A CLOSE LOOK AT THE URBAN TYPOLOGY OF THE STOREFRONT, THIS EXPANSIVE ENDEAVOR PRESENTS NEWLY COMMISSIONED ARTISTIC EXPLORATIONS AND DIALOGUES ABOUT THE HETEROGENEOUS THRESHOLD BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SPACE THROUGHOUT 2023. THE PROJECT WILL UNFOLD THROUGH THREE EXHIBITIONS, A RADIO SHOW, AN OPEN CALL, A PUBLIC PROGRAM, AND A THEMATIC READER. SUPPORTSTOREFRONTS ON THE GROUND PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF THE GRAHAM FOUNDATION, THE RUTH FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS, THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, AS WELL AS THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE; PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL; THE STOREFRONT CIRCLE AND STOREFRONTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, MEMBERS, AND INDIVIDUAL DONORS.

WHAT BLACK IS THIS, YOU SAY? A PUBLIC ARTWORK BY AMANDA WILLIAMSMAY 2021 JUNE 2023 WHAT BLACK IS THIS, YOU SAY? IS A PUBLIC ARTWORK CREATED BY ARTIST AND ARCHITECT AMANDA WILLIAMS FOR STOREFRONTS FACADE. THIS MULTI-YEARPROJECT TRANSLATES TO THE PHYSICAL REALM, A BODY OF WORK INITIATED BY THE ARTIST ON INSTAGRAM. THE PROJECT BEGAN AS AN INFORMAL RESPONSE TO #BLACKOUTTUESDAY, A SOCIAL MEDIA PROTEST CAMPAIGN THAT INVITED THE PUBLIC TO POST BLACK SQUARES TO THEIR FEEDS. THIS BLACKOUT OF COMMUNICATION ON JUNE 2ND, 2020 WAS INTENDED TO BE A SHOW OF SOLIDARITY WITH BLACK LIVES AND THE CALLS FOR JUSTICE IN RESPONSE TO THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD AND MANY OTHERS BEFORE HIM. ILL BE HONEST. I WASNT FEELING THE BLACKOUT. I HATE STUFF LIKE THAT, BUT I CAVED. WANTED TO BE IN SOLIDARITY. BUT COLOR IS EVERYTHING TO ME. YOU CANT JUST SAY BLACKWHICH ONE? AMANDA WILLIAMS DRAWING UPON HER PAST WORK EXPLORING COLOR THEORY, WILLIAMS SOUGHT TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE PLURALITY, COMPLEXITY, AND NUANCE OF BLACK EXPERIENCE(S). OVER THE FOLLOWING FIVE MONTHS, IN ORDER TO CHALLENGE THE BLACK SQUARE AS A MONOLITHIC REPRESENTATION, SHE POSTED 120+ SHADES OR TEXTURES ON INSTAGRAM EACH WITH A CORRESPONDING CAPTION. TOGETHER, THEY PROVIDED A RICH PALETTE OF OVERLAPPING AND DIVERGENT NARRATIVES AND HISTORIES THAT INFORM BLACK IDENTITY. AT STOREFRONT, WILLIAMS PRESENTS A PUBLIC ARTWORK THAT MORE DEEPLY EXPLORES THESE SHADES. DURING THE FIRST YEAR, TWELVE OF THESE WERE PAINTED ON EACH ONE OF THE MOVING PANELS OF THE GALLERYS FACADE, SERVING AS HINGES BETWEEN THE PUBLIC REALM AND THE GALLERY INTERIOR. IN ITS SECOND ITERATION FOR THE SEASON 2022-2022, FIVE NEW SHADES ARE INTRODUCED. WHAT BLACK IS THIS, YOU SAY? CONSTITUTES A TRANSFORMATION OF STOREFRONTS FACADE, WHICH ALL EXHIBITIONS DURING ITS RUN NAVIGATE AND BUILD UPON IN VARIOUS WAYS.ALONGSIDE THIS, STOREFRONT WILL RELEASE A PUBLICATION WITH WRITINGS, REFLECTIONS, AND INTERVIEWS, RELATED TO THE WORK. TOGETHER, THESE DISCUSSIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CULTURAL THINKERS SUCH AS ROXANE GAY, J WORTHAM AND CORRINE BAILEY RAE, AMONG OTHERS, INTERROGATE AND CONTEXTUALIZE COMMONLY HELD NARRATIVES AROUND BLACK CULTURE, JOY, SPIRITUALITY, SUFFERING, AGENCY, LABOR, AND MORE. ABOUT THE ARTISTAMANDA WILLIAMS IS A VISUAL ARTIST WHO TRAINED AS AN ARCHITECT. HER CREATIVE PRACTICE EMPLOYS COLOR AS A WAY TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE COMPLEXITIES OF HOW RACE SHAPES THE WAYS IN WHICH WE ASSIGN VALUE TO SPACE IN CITIES. THE LANDSCAPES IN WHICH SHE OPERATES ARE THE VISUAL RESIDUE OF THE INVISIBLE POLICIES AND FORCES THAT HAVE MISSHAPEN MOST MAJOR US CITIES. WILLIAMS INSTALLATIONS, PAINTINGS, AND WORKS ON PAPER SEEK TO INSPIRE NEW WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE FAMILIAR, AND IN THE PROCESS, RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STATE OF URBAN SPACE AND OWNERSHIP IN AMERICA. AMANDA HAS EXHIBITED WIDELY, INCLUDING THE 2018 VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE, A SOLO EXHIBITION AT THE MCA CHICAGO, AND A PUBLIC PROJECT WITH THE PULITZER ARTS FOUNDATION IN ST. LOUIS. SHE IS A 2018 USA FORD FELLOW, A JOAN MITCHELL FOUNDATION PAINTERS & SCULPTORS GRANTEE, AN EFROYMSON FAMILY ARTS FELLOW, A LEADERSHIP GREATER CHICAGO FELLOW AND A MEMBER OF THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY MUSEUM DESIGN TEAM FOR THE OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER. HER WORK IS IN THE PERMANENT COLLECTION OF THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK AND THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO. WILLIAMS LIVES AND WORKS IN CHICAGO. IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 2021, WILLIAMS PRESENTED THREE BODIES OF WORK AT NEW YORK CITY ORGANIZATIONS. IN ADDITION TO THIS PUBLIC ARTWORK AT STOREFRONT, THEY INCLUDED TWO PROJECTS ORGANIZED BY THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART: EMBODIED SENSATIONS, A PARTICIPATORY ARTWORK THAT CONSIDERS THE TRANSFORMATION OF PUBLIC SPACE DURING THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC, AND RECONSTRUCTIONS: ARCHITECTURE AND BLACKNESS IN AMERICA, MOMAS FIRST EVER EXHIBITION TO EXPLORE THE ONGOING IMPACT OF ANTI-BLACK RACISM ON THE SHAPING OF ARCHITECTURE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. AMANDA WILLIAMS WAS SELECTED AS A 2022 MACARTHUR FELLOW. GROUNDWORKSGROUNDWORKS INVITES ONE ARTIST TO PRESENT A PUBLIC ARTWORK ON STOREFRONTS ICONIC FACADE, THAT WILL BE ON DISPLAY FOR THE DURATION OF A YEAR. LAUNCHING WITH WHAT BLACK IS THIS YOU SAY? BY AMANDA WILLIAMS IN 2021, THIS SERIES OF ANNUAL COMMISSIONS ENGAGE THE GALLERYS EXTERIOR WALL WITH THE SIDEWALK PASSERBY. THIS INITIATIVE LOCATES STOREFRONTS FACADE AS A SITE OF CRITICAL DISCOURSE TO WEAVE TOGETHER NOTIONS OF PLACE AND IDENTITY, USING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT TO FOSTER UNDERSTANDING AROUND COMPLEX IDEAS OF PUBLIC LIFE. EACH ARTISTS COMMISSION CELEBRATES COMMUNITY, AND THE HISTORY AND POLITICS INEXTRICABLY CONNECTED TO THE BUILDING OF CULTURAL IDENTITY WITHIN A SPECIFIC TIME AND CONTEXT. SUPPORTWHAT BLACK IS THIS, YOU SAY? HAS BEEN MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF THE RUTH FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS, THE GRAHAM FOUNDATION, THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AS WELL AS THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL OF THE ARTS WITH THE SUPPORT OF GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL AND THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE; PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL; THE STOREFRONT CIRCLE AND STOREFRONTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, MEMBERS, AND INDIVIDUAL DONORS.