MoMA PS1 is one of the most important art centers in the United States dedicated solely to contemporary art. It is situated at Court Square in
, NYC in Long Island City neighborhood, New York City. Alongside its exhibits, it also organizes events like the Sunday Sessions performance series, the Warm Up summer music series, and The Young Architects Program with the Museum of Modern Art. MoMA PS1 has been affiliated with the Museum of Modern Art since the beginning of January 2000. As of 2013, it has around 200,000 people per year.
What was to become MoMA PS1 was founded in 1971 by Alanna Heiss 1971 as The Institute for Art and Urban Resources Inc. It was an organization that was established to transform abandoned and under-utilized structures within Queens, New York City into artist studios and exhibition spaces.
Realizing the fact that New York was a worldwide center for contemporary artists and recognizing that the traditional museums did not provide sufficient exhibition spaces for art that was site-specific in the year 1971, Heiss created a formal alternative arts organization together with theater critic and architect Brendan Gill called The Institute for Art and Urban Resources and began rehabilitating buildings that were abandoned located in Queens, New York City.
In 1976 Heiss inaugurated the P.S. 1. Contemporary Art Center in an abandoned Romanesque Revival public school building exponentially increased the institution’s capacity to exhibit and studio. This building, built-in 1892, was the first public school located in Long Island City until 1963, when the First Ward school it was housed in was shut down due to insufficient attendance. In addition, the building was transformed into a warehouse. It was in 1976 that Heiss inaugurated the P.S. 1. Contemporary Art Center in an abandoned Romanesque Revival public school building exponentially increased the institution’s capacity for exhibitions and studios. This building, built-in 1892, was used as one of the schools in Long Island City until 1963 when the First Ward school it was housed in was shut down because of insufficient attendance. In 1963, the structure was converted into an industrial warehouse. H&A Power Washing
MoMA PS1 and the Museum of Modern Art have formalized their relationship in the month of January 2000. New York City, which has the MoMA PS1 building, also backed the merger. MoMA’s collaboration with MoMA PS1 aims to promote the appreciation, enjoyment of, understanding, and study of art and contemporary culture to a broad and expanding public. The collaborative exhibitions, educational programs, and special projects enable the two institutions to build from their strengths and resources to create a new cultural dialogue. Both institutions have also integrated their education, development marketing, financial planning, and membership and development departments. In celebration of this 10th anniversary, the union between the last P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center and MoMA, the museum was renamed MoMA PS1 in 2010.
Look into other neighborhoods, such as Museum of Moving Image