PRESS RELEASE EXHIBITION FEATURES NEW AND HISTORICAL WORKS BY 40 ARTISTS IMPORTANT TO THE 1970s ALTERNATIVE ART SPACES MOVEMENT AND THE EARLY YEARS OF P.S.1 CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER Organized in Celebration of MoMA PS1’s 40th Anniversary by P.S.1 Founder Alanna Heiss FORTY On view June 19–August 29, 2016 MoMA PS1 2nd Floor Galleries MoMA PS1 presents FORTY, an exhibition celebrating the institution’s 40th anniversary, organized by P.S.1's founder, Alanna Heiss. The exhibition features work by over 40 artists who were key participants in the 1970s alternative art spaces movement and the early years of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center. In 1976, Alanna Heiss founded P.S.1 as the latest venture in a series of pioneering projects organized through her non-profit organization, the Institute for Art and Urban Resources, which included the Clocktower Gallery in lower Manhattan and other disused spaces across New York City. With both the intellectual and physical room to experiment, nearly 80 artists created work for P.S.1’s inaugural 1976 show, Rooms, which has since become a landmark in the art history of 1970s New York. The artists used classrooms, stairwells, windows, closets, bathrooms, the boiler room, courtyard, and attic—often engaging directly with the existing architecture. Rooms catalyzed changes in the forms and methods of making art, and expanded ideas about how it could be shown. Four decades later, FORTY revisits the work of many of the artists who participated in the inaugural exhibition, in some cases featuring works shown in Rooms. Presented across the museum’s second floor galleries, FORTY revisits the radical vision and experimental spirit that characterized P.S.1's early years. FORTY features work by Cecile Abish, Laurie Anderson, Carl Andre, Richard Artschwager, John Baldessari, Jennifer Bartlett, Lynda Benglis, James Bishop, Daniel Buren, Colette, Ron Gorchov, Dan Graham, Robert Grosvenor, Marcia Hafif, David Hammons, Jene Highstein, Nancy Holt, Bill Jensen, Richard “Dickie” Landry, Barry Le Va, Sol LeWitt, Gordon Matta- Clark, John McCracken, Mary Miss, Max Neuhaus, Richard Nonas, Brian O’Doherty, Dennis Oppenheim, Nam June Paik, Howardena Pindell, Robert Ryman, Alan Saret, Joel Shapiro, Judith Shea, Charles Simonds, Keith Sonnier, Pat Steir, Michelle Stuart, Lawrence Weiner, Doug Wheeler, Jackie Winsor, and Robert Yasuda. Listening stations throughout the exhibition highlight a series of audio conversations between Alanna Heiss and participating artists. Produced in connection with FORTY by Clocktower Productions, a non-profit arts organization and radio station directed by Alanna Heiss, the series provides visitors with an intimate view into P.S.1’s early history. The full audio guide is available online at: momaps1.org/forty MoMA PS1’s 40th Anniversary MoMA PS1 is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a year of special exhibitions, projects, and initiatives. Marking the 40th anniversary of the institution’s opening in 1976, several exhibitions will evoke the energy and innovation of late 1960s and early 1970s New York City, including a large-scale survey of early works through 1976 by influential artist Vito Acconci, developed in close collaboration with Vito and Maria Acconci; a group exhibition curated by P.S.1 founder Alanna Heiss featuring 40 artists who were key participants in the establishment of P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center; and a focused exhibition documenting the Puerto Rico-born artist Papo Colo’s important performance works in P.S.1’s founding year. In spring 2017, MoMA PS1 will showcase a selection of the institution’s archives to draw out highlights from its rich history. PRESS RELEASE In addition, MoMA PS1 will strengthen its commitment to New York City and the borough of Queens in celebration of its 40th anniversary. With the success of free admission as a gift to New Yorkers over the past year, Marina Kellen French and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation have renewed their support and MoMA PS1 will now offer free admission to all New York City residents through October 2017. The museum will also continue its engagement with the artistic community in the Rockaways by presenting a monumental, site-specific project by celebrated painter Katharina Grosse in summer 2016. Engaging New York’s Puerto Rican community—the largest in the mainland United States— MoMA PS1 is collaborating with artist Papo Colo on a festival in Puerto Rico in January 2017, with the aim of drawing attention to the island’s present economic crisis. FORTY is organized by Alanna Heiss, Founding Director, MoMA PS1, and Director, Clocktower Productions; with Beatrice Johnson, Associate Curator, Clocktower Productions; and Oliver Shultz, Curatorial Assistant, MoMA PS1. The exhibition is made possible by a partnership with Volkswagen of America. Press Contact: Molly Kurzius, (718) 392-6447 or [email protected] [email protected] For downloadable high-resolution images, register at MoMA.org/press. MoMAPS1.org • MoMA.org Hours: MoMA PS1 is open from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thursday through Monday. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission: $10 suggested donation; $5 for students and senior citizens; free for New York City residents*, MoMA members and MoMA admission ticket holders. The MoMA ticket must be presented at MoMA PS1 within thirty days of date on ticket and is not valid during Warm Up or other MoMA PS1 events or benefits. *Free admission as a Gift to New Yorkers in honor of New York artists, made possible by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation. Through October 15, 2017 all residents of New York’s five boroughs receive free entrance to all exhibitions during regular museum hours; excluding concerts, fundraisers, and ticketed events. Upon arrival please present proof of New York City residency such as a driver’s license, state-issued identification card or a New York City utility bill. Directions: MoMA PS1 is located at 22-25 Jackson Avenue at 46th Ave in Long Island City, Queens, across the Queensboro Bridge from midtown Manhattan and is easily accessible by bus and subway. Traveling by subway, take either the E or M to Court Square-23 Street; the 7 to 45 Road-Courthouse Square; or the G to Court Sq or 21 St-Van Alst. By bus, take the Q67 to Jackson and 46th Ave or the B62 to 46th Ave. MoMA PS1 Background: MoMA PS1 is one of the largest and oldest organizations in the United States devoted to contemporary art. Established in 1976 by Alanna Heiss, MoMA PS1 originated from a not-for-profit organization founded with the mission of turning abandoned buildings in New York City into artist studios and exhibition spaces. P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, as it then was known, became an affiliate of The Museum of Modern Art in 2000. 2 .