!Lafftht Lrltnlti () I R ?,'."H:3Ililfl Il F!,?? I Ji : Ff ;1,'J'#!FE[#,' Ilj I I !'Lit , ,* Maren Hassinger:Window Boxes

o n \) C a] r- T o n.5{TTII d o H o vW o o d P l'r oto b ra p h S R av m o n d H o o d C tv o f To W e r );rintings & MusicaL lnstruments 177 0-1 910 . n 42nd Stree L :iiv:1930s-1 950s . Art forthe Masses 1911-1 917'.A Radica :-;uf pture. The Photography of lmogen Cunninghaffi r Urkr;ir ngs . Walter Murc i I: k'.? Iv: ; :' ; : : r''.'Jl :'.1 {rffi ffi $f, rru 1944'.Prints an ;ta LLat io n s Precision ist Persp i.iwlnf i r i rr re Envi ron ments SA iltir:.Ou Years . The (Un)Making yl'i Gdnions bv M ichae r: rsionism: Other Dimen nte nt M eta '_t 91 m materiaL 0bjects ! ELlen Dri !lAffthT lrltnlti () i r ?,'."h:3ililfl il F!,?? i Ji : ff ;1,'J'#!FE[#,' ilJ I I !'liT , ,* Maren Hassinger:Window Boxes . Exp;rrrdirr;i ilrl tllllr:r:irl , ,,i ophs of New York City. Lorna Simpson: Standing in th ald: DoubLe FooLscap. Works on Paper. l'ho1 t)llrirp;l'x; " Jaco ,I Davis and ReginaLd Marsh. Carmen Lomas Garza'ALtoil I liirnessing Nature . Jane Dickson. Paradise ALLey. lk-Joon i,r Bearden in BLack-and-White: Photomontage Pro jectinrr TunneL Visions: Photographs by Accra Shepp. Pictures a rii, by Ming Fay. Who What When Where. An lrx;iirllation Lr rrlent. .The LongTwiLight:An lnstallation by Lynn *-L Again . Lee Boroson:Underpass. Fre FL zia Sikander: Acts of BaLance . Pastor wo or Three Corridors. A Way with Words. Do-Ho Suh:Sorrrr: I Force. ALex Katz: SmaLL Paintings. Jane Hammond:Bac {;rr\iLs, and the Others. Five by Five. Contemporary ArtistS cr i, iiyan Humphrey, Mike KeLLey. PauL Henry Ramirez: Spac trclee, Ester Partegas. HaLuk Akakge: lLLusion of the First Tim i' i ir)od bye to Su bstance . M ark Bradford:Very Powerfu L Lord ban Myths Part 1l (Retu rn of the HypenahoLics) . Arch itectr rr t or FLight: Kristin Baker, Amy GartreLL, Rico Gatson, Wangec atst Presence: Chitdhood and Memory - Rob Fischer. Andrrr ,n Fbner, Karyn Olivier, lvan Navarro, Michael QueenLand, Karli (l,rnnor Terz Dnnn\/2n [-herloq Gnlnl man lacnn RnoonAc .len hree American FamiLies: A d ition of Artistic Pu rsu it . S Lowers in FoLk Art. Alexander Calder.The Art of Music:Ame rtists'Visions . Modern Masks . The BoxTransformed . The {l agazine and lts Graphics. Modern Machines: Recent Kin Leasures: New York 1 900-1 940 . Yasuo Kuniyoshi . The Chan ontem porary Cutouts . Monotypes by Mau rice Prendergast rawings. Stuart Davis: An American in Paris. ELeme :F eaL Faces. Urban Figures. From the ModeL . Straph ger$r f Wood: Recent Scu Lptu re . Cad m us, French, & Tooker: The aha' With the Grain: Contemporary Panel Painting. Abstrac cu Lptu re ' Abstraction Before 1 930 . Drawing Acq u isition C reat. Judith Shea. Monuments and Statues. Alison Saa Le Boat Head'GLenn Ligon:Good Mirrors Are Not Cheap hapter One (or the First HoLy Communion Moments Before th ien n iaL Acq u isitions ' Sylvia PLachy: The CaLL of the Street ater. Sam GiLLiam:GoLden Element lnside GoLd. Leone & M awrence: War Series. Double Take:Views of Modern Life by nd lrrationaL 'Terry Adkins: Firmament RHA' Matthew McC ang: B49O Days of Memory' Beverly Semmes: She Moves, 964. Quicker Than a Wink: The Photographs of HaroLd Ed n Exh ibition: An lnstaLLation by Ch ristian MarcLay . Garden atrie Mae Weems. Hope Sandrow:Water Life. Shirin Nesha amoto . WaLL Drawings by Byron Kim . Jean ne Silverth aselli: Gravity's Rainbow . Correspondences: lsamu No opl. Expanding H orizons: Landscape Photographs . Sowon K re. Miranda Lichtenstein:Sanctuary for a WiLd Chitd . E.V. tage-Secrets of Scene Painting . Lucky DeBellevue: Kh Lyst ontemporary Art. Reed Anderson, Rina Banerjee, Susan G ddiction. Outer City, lnner Space:Teresita Fernandez, Steph n A 6) e n 'r t n ev to r t h e W h t n ev at A t r a D a r o R o b L BN 978-0-3 00- 13 93 -4 at e ve n t U re S n D e U S o n a d e a S m L U S G S p ilil illlt t U ilililt S U L X n d B C h e ti v N 917 8050 139u|]llll ) e W d e Te re a H b b a rd /A e a e r r Pri nted tn U,S.A. A U t U S o n Va n W te n Ste n S U e d e B e r B L a C k S ittel; Small Liberties ' Trace: New Work by Jeded iah Caesar, S alzarrinc. . Rr r rctanni no Ganrnaf4oc' f-nncfrr rntor'{ A het rnr,finnq en te en ury CU p u re: rocess an rese n ce e oru m Exh ibition: SeLections and Add itions Regi na ars S EW ree American FamiLies. A Trad ition of Artistic Pu rsu it StiLt Life: HoLlywood Photographs Raymond Hood: City of Tow wers in FoIk Art Alexander Calder . The Art of M usic. American Paintings & M usical lnstru ments 177 0-1 91 0 On 42nd St ists'Visions. Modern Masks.The BoxTransformed.TheSurrealCity:1930s-1 950s. Artforthe Masses 191 1-1 917.ARad b6azine and ts Graphics Modern Machines: Recent Kinetic Scu Lptu re The Photo graphy of mogen Cunningham Ur . AS U TES. New York 1900-1 940. Yasuo Kuniyoshi The Changing Likeness:Twentieth-Century Po rtrait Drawings Walter M u ntem p orary Cutouts Monotypes by Mau rice Prendergast . The Viewer as Voyeu r The SociaL G races 1 905-1 944: Prints wrngs Stuart Davis: An American in Paris ELements: Five n sta LLat io n s Precision ist Perspectives: Prints and Drawi L Faces' Urban Figures From the Model . Straphangers M in iatu re Environ ments lsamu Noguchi: Portrait ScuIpture ood : Rece nt Scu Lptu re Cadmus French & Tooker:The Early Years The (Un) Making of Nature: nstallations by M ich . a With the G rain: Contem porary Panel Painting Abstract Expression ism : Other Dimensions Painted Forms: Recent M Lptu re Abstraction Before 1 930 Drawing Acq u isitions, 1 980-9 1 lm materiaL 0bjects ELLen Driscoll:The Loophol treat. Judith Shea. Monuments and Statues. Alison Saar: SLow Boat Gary Sim mons: The Garden of Hate . Y. David Ch tle Boat Head. GLenn Ligon:Good Mi rrors Are Not Cheap Suzan ne McCLeLland: Painting . Amalia Mesa-Bains. Venus E pter One (or the Fi rst Holy Communion Moments Before the End) Maren Hassinger: Wi ndow Boxes Expand ing the CoLLec nnial Acquisitions Sylvia PLachy: The CaLL of the Street: P,hotographs of New York City Lorna Simpson: Standing in ter Sam GiLliam: GoLden Element nside GoLd Leone & Macdon aLd Dou bLe FooLscap Works on Paper . Photo graphs . Ja rence: War Series Dou ble Take: Views of Modern Life by St art Davis and ReginaLd Marsh. Carmen Lomas Garza ALte rrationaL 'Terry Adkins: Firmament RHA. Matthew McCasLin. Harnessing Natu re . Jane Dickson: Paradise ALLey. lk-Jo ng: 8490 Days of Memory. B eve rLy Semmes: She Moves Romare Beard en in Black-and-White: Photomontage Projecti 4 . Qu icker Than a Win k: The Photo graphs of HaroLd Edgerton Tu n nel Visions: Photo graphs by Accra Shepp Pictu re Exhibition: An lnstaLLation by Christian MarcLay. Garden of Qian, by Mi ng Fay. Who What When Where: An lnstallatio fle Mae Weems t Hope Sand row: Water Life Shirin Neshat: TurbuLent . 25 YEARS . The Long TwiLight: An nstallation by Ly amoto WaLL Drawings by Byron Ki ffi r Jeanne SiLverthorne:The Studio Stripped Bare, Again Lee Boroson:Underpass F aselli : G ravity's Rain bow C orrespondences: samu Noguchi Ellsworth KeLLy. Shahzra Sikander. Acts of BaLance Past Expanding Horizons: Landscape Photo graphs Sowon Kwon Two or Three Corridors A Way with Words. Do-Ho Suh: So e M iranda Lichtenstein: Sanctu ary for a WiLd ChiLd E.V. Duy; G-Force I ALex Kalz: SmaLL Paintings Jane H am mond: B ge-Secrets of Scene Painting Lucky DeBeLLevue: Kh Lysty,the' OwLs and the Others Five by Five: Contemporary Artist temporary Art. Reed Anderson, Rina Bane r-|ee, Susan Graham, Ryan Humphrey, Mike KeLLey PauL Henry Ramirez: Sp iction Outer City, n ner Space: Teresita Fe rn6,ndez, Stephen He.n dee Ester Partegas Haluk Akakce: LLusion of the First T n Ha rvey: A Wh itney for the Wh itney at Altria Dario Robleto:Say Goo d bye to Su bstance Mark Bradford:Very Powerfu I Lo ieG n n nan: Adventures in Delusional deaLism Luis Gispert: Urban Myths Part ll (Retu rn of the HypenahoLics) Arch itect Numbers Single Wide:Teresa Hubbard/Alexander BirchLer' Fight or FLight. Kristin Baker, Amy Gartrell, Rico Gatson, Wang tu, Marc Swanson, lvan Witenstein Sue de Beer: Black Su n ast Presence: Chi Ldhood and Memory . Rob Fischer And eL: SmaLL Liberties Trace: New Work byJedediah Caesar, Shannon Ebner, Ka ryn Olivier, lvan Navarro, Michaet QueenLand, K EVI CS Bu rgeon i ng Geometries: Constructed Abstractions , Drana Cooper, Tara Donovan, Charles GoLd man, Jason Ro ENES, J

18 1983-1991

31 1992-2008

180

PubIished in cetebration ofthe twenty-flve- Li brary of Con gress Catatogi ng-i n- year history of the Whitney Museum PubIication Data 181 of American Art at Attria, 1 983-2008. Whitney Museum of American Art. 185 IIJHITNEH Whitney Museu m of American Art at Altria: 25 years / foreword by Adam D. Weinberg: Whitney Museum of American Art introduction by Shamim M, Momin. 188 945 Madison Avenue at 7Sth Street p.cm. NewYork, NewYork 10021 "PubIished in celebration of the twenty-five-year whitney.org 189 history of the Wh itney M useu m of American Art's branch at Attria (formerty Phitip Morris), @ 2008 Whitney Museum of American Art 1 S83-2008"-T. p. verso. Att rights reserved. No part of this pubtication lncludes index. may be reproduced or transmitted in any Gontents tsBN 978-0-300-1 3933-4 torm or by any means, etectronic or 1. Whitney Museum of American Art at Attria. mechanicat, inctuding photocopying, recording 2. Art-New York (State)-New York. l. Titte. or any other information storage or retrieval N618,A88 2008 system, or otherwise without written 709,73'07 47 471 permission from the Whitney Museum of -dc22 200801 7698 American Art. New York.

Cover: Photograph by Marianna Pegno Frontispiece: Instattation view of Lee Borosoni Underposs (see page 90). Yate University Press 302 Tempte Street PO. Box 209040 New Haven, Connecticut 06520 yatebooks,com EAttria

Since the Whitney Museum of American Art first opened its branch at our company's headquarters at 120 ParkAvenue in NewYork City, it has made an in- deLibte mark on the art world, whrLe profoundty enriching our everyday work Lrfe and experience.This unique space has touched each and every one of us. lt has been a source of insprration, a catalyst for conversation, and a Living testament to the power of the arts. For that, we are most gratefu[. We than k and apptaud each of the branch d irectors, staff mem bers, and artists who over the past twenty-five years have created the most extraordinary exhibitions, installations, performances, and educational programs. The branch [ocation in the heart of Manhattan, just steps away from Grand Central Terminat, has given hundreds of new and emerging artists the opportunity to share their innovative vision with the people of New York City and far beyond. We are truLy proud to support this important anthology documenting the history of the Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria and to celebrate its achievements. There is no doubt that the Whitney at Altria has forever broadened the cuLturaL landscape of our city, and perhaps more importantly, our individuat perspectives on the world.

On April 1, 2008, Altrio Group, lnc., reLocoted its corporote heodquorters to Richmond, VA. I

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B ln April of 1983 the Whitney Museum of American Ar.t opened a branch m useu m at the new PhiLip Morris headquarters, strategically positioned at the crossroads of New York City, on 42 nd Street and Park Avenue across f rom Grand Central Term inat. As of January 2008, this branch-the last of four Whitney branches-has ctosed. This closing does not simply mark the end of the great and Long-term generosity of Altria Grou p (known untit 2003 as PhiLip Morris) but the end of an era for the Whitney and American museums in general. The Whitney Museum opened its first branch in 1973 on 55 Water Street in downtown Manhattan. The fact that it was referred to as a branch, an outgrowth of the Whitney on Madison Avenue and 75th Street, causes one to consider this initia- tive in Light of the great American pubLic Iibrary system, which made its intellec- tuaL resources accessibLe to as broad a pubtic as possible through its neighborhood

branch system. The establish ment of the downtown branch museu m, the brainch iLd of then Whitney directorTom Armstrong, was with the intent "to provide cultural activities in an area of the city which has no comparable program." ln the poputist spirit of the early 1970s it was also an effort to make the Whitney's growing permanent collection more accessible to a Larger and more diverse pubUc as well as provide opportunities for contemporary artists to exhibit new work. lt was in effect "outreach"-one of the most popu[ar potitical terms of the period-to bring the art to the peopte. ln thrs spirit, admission to the branch museum (as weLL as the three subsequent branches) was and continued to be free- of-charge as were the performances, education programs, and pubLications. The branch museum concept aLso signified a new reLationship between America's flourishing corporate sector and the country's museums during a period of quantitative growth in the 19BOs. This ambitious type of corporate sponsorship coincided with the Lavish underwriting of [arge-scate exhibitions that occurred at museums throughout the United States. WhiLe the first Whitney branch was operat-

ed by contributions f rom th irty Local businesses, the branch museu ms of the 1 980 s were not shoestring operations. The PhiLip Morris branch-as wetl as the Champion and Equitable branches-was conceived of as a se[f-contained, semi-autonomous u n it with a d irector/cu rator, ed ucator, and su pport staff who had their off ices onsite. This situation enabled each branch to have a substantia[impact on the neighboring community. And, whiLe it maximized benefit for the company's employees and bur- nished the corporation's image as a cuLtural leader, it must be acknowledged that the creation of a museum branch also provided the corporation with certain zoning and tax benefits. (These incentlves were estabLished by New York Clty to encourage corporate give-back for the pubtic good.) The idea of establishing the branch at PhiLip Morris was initiatly encour- aged by Utrich Franzen, the architect who had designed the headquarters of Cham- pion lnternationaL in Stamford, Connecticut, the site of the second Whitney branch, and George Weissman former chairman and CEO of the Phitip Morris Companies, an

View of the Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria from 42nd Street during the exhibition Mattltew Bt annon: Wtere Wefe We,2oo7.

9 enIightened and cu[tura[[y-invoLved executive. Given the great spirit of sociaI ser- vice through cuLturaI invoLvement at the time it is not surprising that the architect conceived a spacious public court with seating and plantings as we[[as an enc[osed gallery space. The court enabled the Whitney to install large scuLptures and even- tually Museum-commissioned scuLptures and installations in this casual setting that bridged the pubLic sphere of the street with the private zone of the corporation. White the gaILery aLLowed for traditionaI smalL-scaLe exhibitions, the projects and performances conceived for the court were among those that most distinguished the programs of the Whitney at Altria. From 1983 untiL 1991 the Whitney at Phitip Morris was primari[y utilized for thematic exhibitions of works from its permanent collection and small loan exhibitions organized by the Whitney and other museums such as Colder; Selections from the Collections; and fhe Changing Llkeness: 2Oth Century Portrait Drowings. However, many exhibitions responded to the specificity of the midtown location, amongthem on 42nd street;Arfistvisions, Theviewerosvoyeur,lJrban Figures,and

The SurreoL City 1930's- 7 950's. From 1991 forward, the Whitney branches served as Laboratories. White they had periodically presented commissioned works and installations before this time, the early 1990s marked a new direction for the branches especiaLLy as they offered exhibition spaces that couLd accommodate the increased scale and bur- geoning number of contemporary works. ln addition, there was increasingly a need for space to introduce the work of emerging artists and to provide opportunities for the presentation of new works by mid-career artists. Many important artists were given their first one-person museum exhibitions at the Whitney's branches. The Altria branch was not on[y a testing ground for art and artists but also a platform for aspirlng directors and curators. The lineage of these directors and their subsequent accomplishments is rndeed impressive. Lisa Philtips, who initiated the branch at PhiLip Morris, became a celebrated and seasoned curator at the whitney uptown and today is the Toby Devan Lewis Director of the New Museum of contemporary Art; Susan Lubowsky Talbott, the second director, subsequent[y held numerous directorial posts and most recentty was appointed director of the Wadsworth Atheneum; Josephine Gear, her successor, is current[y an indepen- dent curator and writer as we[[ as an adjunct associate professor at NewYork Uni- versity's graduate program in museum studies; Thelma Golden, who initiated the project-based program at the branch, is presently director and chief curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem; Eugenie Tsai, curator of branches in the tate 1990s, has since held numerous curatorial posts and is nowJohn and BarbaraVogetstein Cu- rator of Contemporary Art at the Brooklyn Museum; Debra Singer continued her curatoriaL career at the whitney uptown and is today director of rhe Kitchen;and last, but far from Least, Shamim Momin, who in addition to her roLe at the branch is an associate curator at the whitney, has just compteted co-curating her second Whitney Biennia[. lt is to these passionate and inventive curator/directors and their staffs that the Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria owed its great success.

ADAM D. WEINBERG

ALICE PRATT BROWN DIRECTOR, WHITNEY MUSEUI\4 OF AMERICAN ART

i iil. 1,1 10 J --\ .\ 4 ,1. ,; - / '- !I, \) I i d

For the past twenty-five yeans, since its inauguration in Aprit 1983, the Whitney at Altria (known as Phitip Morris until 2003) has been a venue supportrng the visual and performing arts, and has proven itself as a leader in the fietd of organiz- ing and producing contemporary art projects by emerging and mid-career artists. Throughout the majority of its history, the central focus of the Whitney at A[tria has been site-specrfic projects highLighting the relationship between artist, site, and institution. BuiLt specificat[y to house the Whitney branch, the 5200-square-foot street-LeveL pLazalscuIpture court and 1 '1 0O-square-foot gallery of the Altria Group headquarters housed the Longest-running of the Whitney's branch museums. The past quarter century has also provided an opportunity for the Whitney to expand its reach, whether through the branch's counttess innovative education programs, the hundreds of exhibitions and performances, or by providing an escape from the

Instailationviewof paul Henty Ramirez:

Space Addiction (see page nz) .

11 chaos and anonymity of midtown Manhattan.Therefore, it is with great fondness that we take this opportunity to look back on the past and look forward to the future. ln creating this anthotogy hightighting the creative achievements of the Whitney at Attria, the staff and I have been able to rediscover the initial ptans for the branch and speak to many of those who inf Luenced its evoLution. The primary inten- tion for the space was to enable the pubtic, as stated by the first press retease, "to view important works of art, which, because of their scale, can rare[y be shown at the main Museum on Madison Avenue." George Wiessman, PhiLip Morris Companies chairman and chief executive officer at the time, noted that the partnership "adds a unique dimension to our business and daily tife. lt suggests, I hope, new ways in which American business can work with museums in offering art to the American peopte." Lisa PhiLtips, the Whitney's director of branches, was responsible forthe set-up, hiring, manageriatstructuring, and opening programming (a precursor experience to her most recent endeavor, buiLding and opening an entirely new home for the New Museum of Contemporary Art). She recentLy reflected on the experience:"lt was a wonderfu L opportu nity to be abte to share some of the great master- pieces from the Whitney's permanent co[tectron with the midtown work force and tourists coming out of Grand CentratTerminal in a free pubtic space. It was also not without its challenges-Like animating the rather cold corporate, monumental architecture with works of art that couLd tolerate and change the environment. For the opening of the space, I invited a number of scutptors to create or p[ace pieces in the atrium-including George Segal, John Chamberlain, and Claes Otdenburg. Louise Lawter chose to photograph detaiLs of the scuLpture in the space for a series of photos of collections and instaltations. The sma[[ exhibition gaLLery was devoted to drawings by scuLptors from the permanent cotLection of the Whitney." ln a way, this idea of working directly with Whitney artrsts to create or locate their works in the space prefigured the more we[[-known incarnation of the branch as a commissioned project space. PhiLLips also worked closeLy with Stephanie French, who for many years was the guiding force wrthin Phitip Morris'phiLanthropic giving department, and who was invaluabte in hetpingto shape the branch museum as an autonomous curatorial space. Entirely devoted to assisting the Whitney Museum with outreach and accessibiLity, French was adamant that the space and aLL of lts programming remain free to the pubLic. Susan Lubowsky Tatbott, the branch's first director, was charged with de- veloprng a fuLL program that echoed the activrties carried on uptown but that woutd also reach new audiences. She estabtished the multiLevel offering that became the core of the branch's activities: a fuLL educational program that in later years functioned as the entire arts programming for a number of underfunded New York City pubtic schooLs, a performance program that took place on the architecturat"stages" of the sculpture court, qnd an exhibition program that largely highLighted works f rom the permanent coLlection, often on the recu rring theme of the "city." The gaLlery also housed exhrbitions curated by students of the ISP (lndependent Study Program), a seminatand signature education program of the Whitney Museum, founded in 1968 and continuing to this day to foster emerging curators, critics, and artists. Lubowsky Talbott recalls this time: "The populist ideal of art that emerged during the formative years of the Whitney Museum was at the heart of the branch's activity.... Our audience was perhaps the most diverse in the city-from office workers and executives at Phitip Morris and nearby businesses and corporations, to bicyc[e messengers who visited the exhibitions, wetfare mothers from West Side SRO hotets who brought their chltdren after school, and artists and art lovers who were our core audience. The branch tru[y reftected the diversity of the city itsetf." ln 1991, the branch shifted its focus to presenting commissioned exhibitions and projects by contemporary artists, thus forming an entirety unique niche within the New York art world. As a f ree exhibition space that functioned both under the aegis of the Whitney Museum and maintalned its own autonomous identity, the Whitney at PhiLip Morris enjoyed great programmatic freedom, offering exciting new work whi[e simuLtaneousty maintaining the qualitative rigor of a major museum. The branch, now underThelma Golden supported progressive, cutting-edge projects by contemporary artists, many of whom have become major art wortd figures. Buitd- ing on the poputist gesture of the previous years, GoLden sought to exp[ore the potentiatof a quasi-pub[ic, multi-use exhibition space (the scuLpture court has over the years housed several different stores, cafes, and ofcourse has functioned as a seating and meeting area as wett), and to redefine for artists how and where a commissioned project might function and Live:"lt seemed to me that the space couLd provide an amazing laboratory to offer artists the chance to test their ideas in a site- specific format, but aLso, from the other side, to really engage the audience without the usualbarriers inherent in a traditionaLinstitutionaLbuitding.The space aLLowed for a direct conversation with the public about contemporary art, and moreover a pubtic not necessarity coming to the space for that reason. lt coutd provide an introduction to a much more diverse range of art and artists without the dimension of rnstitutronaI authority attached that can often feeI alienating or off-putting-and the audiences were consequently more open in that experrence to what they were seeing and engaging withl' At the same time, the Performance on 42nd series had grown in reputation and audience demand to such a degree thatthe branch staff now included a dedicated performance curator,JeanetteVuocolo. For manyyears, in fact,the branch's performance program served as the Whitney's main venue for such activity, as the Breuer bulLding uptown had no space comparable to the scuLpture court. The program functioned analogously to the mission of the visual arts exhibitions. Vuo- colo recalls, "] saw the program as an open Laboratory where artists interested in performance cou[d work in a pubLic space under the embrace of the museum and in the gaze of the corporate world. I Loved the planning process when artists came in the space and envisioned what was possib[e. I en.1oyed the unpredictable ln performance . .. the commuters gtancing in, the mash-up between the corporate folks, the artists, and the museum . . . a[Lfor the goal of presenting fresh new ideas and artists in the contemporary performing arts wortd. I Loved how the artists'took on'the space: using, being fascinated with every inch and always push- ing the boundary of what was permissible. lt was a rich time, a very creative time, a very pubtic time, a kind of romance between the museum worLd, the corporate worLd, the pubLic, and the artists." ln subsequent years, the branch maintained this general profiLe, though with certain shifts pursuant to the specific visions of the curators in charge. Eugenie Tsal contin ued to expand the d iversity of the artists invited to engage with the branch space during her stewardship there, whiLe Beth Venn (currently curator of modern and contemporary art at the Newark Museum), who was the director of branch museums from 1999 to 2000, instituted a program atthe uptown Museum that used the smaLLer scale of the branch spaces (both the Phltip Morris and Champion spaces were stilI active at that time) to its advantage, presenting focused grou p or "d ialogue" exh ibitions intended to carry on as part of the Wh itney's Traveling Exh ibitions Program, which she atso initiated. Deb Singer, who began as the branch's performance curator and then took over as director, felt that this dual programmatic role allowed for "the opportunity to conceive of programming in the most holistic way, where alltypes of work both object-based and performative was considered as a totaLorganism, each element in balance with, or presenting a chaItenge to, another." As for my tenure at the branch, I took over the reins in 2000, and over the past eight years have tried to continue that mission of support for contemporary artists but in an expanded way that reflects shifts and developments in artistic practice, white also being attendant to our now Long-standing pubLic. I modlfied Venn's focused coltectlon pro.1ects through a series called "Contemporary Artists on ContemporaryArt," in which invited artists were asked to usethe permanent coLLec- tion as the Locus for their proposed commission. I revised the programming format somewhat in order to present fewer exhibrtions but with more ambitlous scale and which could increasingly take on the mammoth space of the scutpture court as well as work wlth the more traditional gallery space. We also engaged a performance

74 curator again, Boo Froebel, who approached the challenge of presenting progressive contempora;y work with a srmiLar vision, "When I think of the atrium, I remem- ber the huge walLs of windows Looking onto 42nd Street and Park Avenue, where tourists and Locals alike would stand and look in, becoming a part of the piece;the granite floor (sorry dancers!l);the five stories of reverberation;the different leve[s; and the trees with reaI trunks and fake leaves. ltried to program artists who were

inspired by the space, and used it in ways that reflected/expLoited its singularity. . . . It was wonderfuLto put performance in that space, in the heart of New York City- and surprise countless strangers who just happened onto magica[ happenings as

they left Grand Central, or walked down 42nd Street. . . . The Whitney at Altria was an important part of the New York performance ecosystem and it wiLL be missed." ln 2006, the Whitney Museum at Altria presented an exhibition in both its

sc u Lptu re cou rt a nd gaLLery spaces ent itled SmaLl Libertres, a very a m b itiou s project by Andrea Zittel that invoLved more than a dozen customized "wagon station" modutes. These pod-Like forms were intended to present intimate, personal environments taiLored to the invited inhabitants'ldeas of what would best provide a smaLL space of freedom, one that couLd function in the desert (at Zittet's compound in Joshua Tree, for exam pLe) as we[Las it cou ld in m idtown Man hattan, where its incongruous presence might challenge notions of personal space-small acts of subversion that might create "smaLL Liberties" within what is often feLt to be a coLd, anonymous architecturaI and urban environment. White this exhibition-as with any other art presentation in a pubLic space-came with its famiLiar difficuLties, what struck me then, and at so many other moments in my years at the Whitney's Attria branch, was the amazlng sense of care, of protection, and of personal ownership our audience felt over the space, and the work presented within. On several occasions, for exam- pLe, our "reguLars" were captured by security cameras preventing other vlsitors from tampering with the wagon stations, atl of which had very easity removable elements. ln other exhibitions employing deticate or easi[y damaged material, it was remarkable how carefuLour visltors were-often, it seemed, more so than in the museum space proper. While there were certainty incidents to the contrary over the years, in general I found that our audience, when given the respect to engage challeng- ing and often provocative contemporary projects, would step up to that opportunity in remarkable ways. Similarty, the artists that we worked with over the course of the branch museum's history have consistently impressed the art world with their sense of innovation and commitment to stretching the bounds of what commissioned public art projects can be and can achieve. ln recent years, working closely with ou r amazing team at the branch, we de- veLoped hybrid programming rntended to reflect the shifting state of contemporary

H practice. ln concert with Howie Chen, for exampte, we initiated "Breakout Sessions," an artist event series reflectingthe diverse ways in which artists engage and present visual cuLture. As a departure from conventional formats, the series invited artists to present work, performances, and ideas that spoke to the consteltation of influences informing their overall creative practice. Promoting an "open studio" format, the series provided rare access to artists'visuaI inspirations ranging from works by fe[low artists to interdiscipLinary elements of pop culture. This way of working, inspired directly by the extraordinary privitege of working c[osety with an artist throughout the deve[opment of a commissioned project and the discourse about the way he or she works that was centratto that process, has been deepty formative in my cu ratoriaI practice overa[[. Whitney Museum of Americon Art ot Altrio: 25 Yeors would not have been possibLe without the significant and continued support of a range of organizations and individua[s. First and foremost, I woutd tike to thank ALtria Group, lnc. and its chairman and chief executive officer, Louis C. Camel[eri-not just for their support

of the branch th roughout its twenty-f ive-year h istory, but aLso for their u nderstand- ing of the need to chronicle that history in a permanent and accessible fashion. This book, made possible entirely by Attria's generous financial support, allows the important contributions of the many wonderfuI artists, performers, and curators who worked wlthin the space to become a part of art historical schotarship, as it shouLd be. In particuLar, I wouLd Iike to thank Jennifer GoodaLe, vice president, contributions, and Diana Echevarria, manager, contributions, for their steadfast support of the branch's mission, and for recognizing the importance of creating this pubtication. My thanks as weltto Adam D. Weinberg, Alice Pratt Brown Director, whitney Museum of American Art, and the directors that preceded him, as weLL as to the entire whitney staff fortheir unwavering support of the branch museum throughout its history. The book itsetf woutd have been impossible to produce in such a concen- trated time frame without the extraordinary efforts of the Whitney at Altria staff. ln particuLar, Howie chen, senior curatoriaL coordinator at the branch, spear- headed the production of thrs cataLogue with indefatigabte dedication and ef- ficiency, spending countless hours sifting through the extensive archives for material, and coordinating the many different voices, elements, and input to create a coherent yet accurate reflection of the branch's history. His efforts were im- measurably enhanced by the commitment of Marianna pegno, our intern, who dedicated herself entire[y to the project for many months. AdditionaL assis- tance came from Lee cLark, curatoriaI assistant at A[tria when the book was first conceived, Graham corei[-ALlen, gallery assistant, and Etizabeth Lovero,

16 curatoria[ assistant. ln the Whitney's pubLications department, I am indebted to the tireless cornmitment of Rachel de W. Wixom in her roLe as head of pubtications, as weLL as to Beth Tu rk, ass istant ed ito r, for he r rigorous ed iting of the pu bIication's texts and Anrta Duquette, manager, rights and reproductions, for ensuring that att images were correctly captioned and credited. Nerissa Dominguez Vales coordinated the production with dedication and skiLL, and Barbara GLauber, assisted by Erika Nrshizato, designed an original and elegant volume that captures the essence of Whitney at Altrra's mission and impact.

SHAMII\4 I\4. MOMIN BRANCH DIRECTOR AND CURATOR, WHITNEY I\4USEUM OF AMERICAN ART

N orE ro rH E R E.AD E R: ThisonthoLogy is intendedtofunction both os o meons of copturing the spirit ond rnisslon of the branch museum ond os o sourcebook for reoders interested in the institutionot history of contemporory ort in New York. To thot end, we have provided multiple polnts of occess for the reoder: chronologicol spreods of either excerpts or fuLl reprints of brochure essoys occompanied by visuols from the exhibitions ond selected imoges f rom concurrent performonces thot provide o sense of tone ond experience, foLlowed by comprehenslve listings of all of the exhibitions and performonces, indexed chronologicolLy and by ortist.Texts without ottributions were produced by the stoff of the Whitney Museum of Americon Art. 18 was ln- The opening of the Whitney lVuseum of ln 1977,the WhitneY Museum to American Art at Philip Morris is the vited by Phitip Morris Incorporated museum in cutmination of severatyears of planning consider operating a branch to and discussion. Without the support of the new Phitip Morris headquarters 42nd Street, our host, PhiLip Morris lncorporated, be buitt at Park Avenue and in the project would never have been con- one of the busiest intersections realized.Those the wortd. For the first time, a corpora- ceived and artists tion was proposing to act as host for a who have created works especiaLLy for the ScuIpture ChamberLain, culturaIfacititY ' Court-John The arrangement first suggested Mark di Suvero, and George Segal- gratitude by Phltip Morris, whereby a corporation deserve the deepest for their supports American art-Pri mari [Y exceptionaI contributions. the work of Living artists-for the benef it -LISA PHILLI PS, ASSOCIATE CURATOR, of the pubtic, is especiaLty noteworthy. BRANCH I\4USEUMS ln essence, the corporation is pubticly o4 and proudLy identifying itself with 08 the achievements of American artists. ; AR I\4STRONG' DI RECTOR' -TOI\4 WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AI\4ERICAN ART Twentieth-Century Sculptur"e: PPocess 05 and Presence 11 ; Aprit 8 to May 1 1, 1983 Modern art has taken as its principat chat[enge the testing of its own defini- tions. This is why much work, when it is new, often seems to have departed from everythlng previously known as art. By necessity, the testing must take pLace in those borderline areas between artand non-art. -LlsA PHILLIPS, ASSOCIATE CURATOR, BRANCH I\4USEU I\4S

I;I

Left to right: Claes Oldenbur& Ice Bag-S cqle C,rgzl;Roy Lichtenstein, Go/d Fish Bowl, 1977; Frank SteIIa, Gt dn Cqiro,tg6z; Alexander Calder, B€ Red, 1959 (installation view af Twentieth-Century SculptLffe: Process and Presence). opposrrs: Exterior view ofWhitney Museum ofAmerican Art at Altria (Philip Morris), c. 1983.