1. Rooms, Later P.S.1

Founded in 1971 by Alanna Heiss as the Institute for Art and Urban Resources Inc.. The project utilizes abandoned or underused buildings around New York City and converts them into temporary artist spaces for exhibitions. The first major project was at an abandoned public school in Long Island City, Queens. Titled Rooms, many artists were invited to come in and use the space as they wanted to show their work. That space would become the permanent location for P.S.1.

Before P.S.1 was officially established, Heiss worked to get artists space across the city using many abandoned places since she was unhappy with the difficulties artists were having with showing work. Her first alternative exhibition was underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in 1971, and her first indoor exhibition was at at the dusty ground-floor of 10 Bleecker Street.

P.S.1 ran successfully for 20 years, taking in artists work from all over the world and showcasing it. In 1997 it reopened but remained just as strong and important. In 2000, P.S.1 became affiliated with the Museum of Modern Art to strengthen both institutions. Not only that, but the combination of P.S.1’s unorthodox contemporary mission with the power of the MoMa makes this one of the most extensive collections of modern art in a museum.

In 2010, P.S.1 and the MoMa completely merged and has since been known as MoMa P.S.1.

Next, check out Warm Up to Cool Down: The Warm Up Series at MoMa PS1 and the Top 1o Best DIY Indie Music Venues in NYC.