In the holy trinity of art spaces, there are major museums, private galleries, and alternative art spaces. The finicky alternative space keeps defying definition: if it seemed they had lost their underground cache and defiant cool as the spawns of emerging forms, wacky performance artists and fiery art activists, they are making a major comeback. If the predictions are correct, it’s because the current lack of funding for artists plus mass storefront evictions have coalesced into the perfect climate for the artist run gallery, the budget-friendly pop up space, and the work/squat haven.
The difference this time around is that the new alternative spaces seem only occasionally concerned with creating an alternative model to the museum and gallery structure. Many of them seem merely opportunistic – “a line is a crack,” -- an eviction notice is a new lease – but some spaces are brave new ventures that could seriously resuscitate the sleepy formula of funding and art presentation that has become the crutch of the alternative art space. The Laundromat Project is the current golden child. They are raising money to buy a neighborhood Laundromat that will both wash clothes and present art . (LP's Founder Risë Wilson's neighborhood will likely be the lucky spot.) They host a residency of artists who engage with their neighborhood Laundromat. They offer professional development and moral support to their artists. It is a brilliant idea. It is a reinvention of the coffee shop-cum-art gallery. It is the new wheel! I donated $25 at their auction and bid on a photograph by an artist who recently participated in The Laundromat Project’s Create Change Public Artist’s Residency. I was quickly outbid.*pic from idealistnyc.files
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